Extension leads the Family Leadership Training Institute

by Joanne Littlefield | August 3, 2016 12:24 PM

Starting in July, Colorado State University Extension has agreed to be the new home for the Family Leadership Training Institute. Kyle Christensen, a former FLTI facilitator in Larimer County and statewide trainer, is the program coordinator,  based on the CSU campus.

Family engagement and promoting civic leadership are at the heart of the work being done in Colorado through the institute.

FLTI started in 2009 with the goal of giving family leaders the civic skills and knowledge to partner with agencies, start grassroots initiatives, and work with elected officials to assure the family voice is embedded at all levels of policy and program design, delivery, and evaluation. These civic skills, the first coordinators believed, would ultimately lead to healthier, happier families and communities.

From the initial three sites, FLTI continues to grow with a possible 16 local sites by the end of 2016 and nearly 800 family leaders taking action on important family, health and community initiatives.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has successfully supported the implementation and growth of FLTI; the official transfer of the program to CSU Extension was July 1, 2016.

Perfect match

Extension’s reputation as a learning institution with statewide reach and program expertise related to family engagement is a perfect match for FLTI. Extension’s expertise in community-based partnerships will inform the continued growth and development of FLTI as numerous new communities join the family of program sites.

“We should only be encouraged by the current and future potential of FLTI as we look to the next phase of family engagement and civic leadership in Colorado,” says Christensen. “We will continue to collaborate with partner agencies, current and future funders, elected officials, community champions, and our growing number of FLTI family leaders.”

Extension-based FLTI staff and resources are well equipped to continue to promote this proven national training program as a long-term family and civic engagement strategy in Colorado, including its principles of community-based learning with special attention to cultural competence.

Contact Christensen at Kyle.Christensen@colostate.edu[1] or  970-491-6379.

Source URL: https://source.colostate.edu/extension-leads-the-family-leadership-training-institute/

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