ILI is a year-long leadership experience for artists,
culture bearers & other arts practitioners.
We are excited to announce the guidelines and application for the fifth cohort of the Intercultural Leadership Institute (ILI), a collaborative program of Alternate ROOTS, First Peoples Fund, National Association of Latino Arts & Cultures (NALAC) , PA’I Foundation, Sipp Culture, First Alaskans Institute, and the International Association of Blacks in Dance.As leaders of these organizations, we have grown together, built trust with one another time over time and developed a shared analysis of the need for a leadership program of, by and for the artists and culture bearers in our communities. ILI is the result of our collaborative effort and we invite you to spread the word and encourage great potential participants to submit interest for the 2023 cohort.To apply for the fifth cohort, click here.
MAHALO FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THE INTERCULTURAL LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE!
For more information, go to weareili.org or click here.
The Intercultural Leadership Institute, is a collaborative program of Alternate ROOTS, First Peoples Fund, National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) and PA’I Foundation. In 2021, the founding partners welcomed two new partners for ILI: First Alaskans Institute and The International Association of Blacks in Dance.
The Intercultural Leadership Institute is a year-long rigorous personal and leadership development program for artists, culture bearers and other arts professionals. With the support of numerous colleagues, participants, and allies throughout the arts & culture field, we hosted a pilot to test the underlying concepts of Intercultural Leadership Institute in the fall of 2015 and following a successful inaugural year, are now accepting applications for the second cohort which will begin in 2018.
The inspiration to create the Intercultural Leadership Institute came from many sources. A prominent driver was our own experience as leaders within the arts and culture field who have participated in numerous programs to support our personal and professional development. Most of these programs provided important skills, connections and capacity for us and our organizations. We also recognized, however, that the programs largely reinforced dominant cultural norms, modes of learning, ways of being and interacting that at times were out of sync with our commitment to cultural equity and to change-making in and with our communities.
As we grew in our own leadership and built trust and understanding together over time, we developed a shared analysis of the need for a leadership program of, by and for the artists and culture bearers in our communities. We spent many years discussing the concept among ourselves and with a wide range of allies who have helped to shape the incubation of the Intercultural Leadership Institute leading into last year’s 5-day pilot experience with more than 40 participants, advisors and faculty and dozens of community members in San Antonio who hosted and supported us.
In defining this collaborative program as an “Intercultural Leadership Institute,” we are making an important distinction. Cross-cultural approaches emphasize comparing and contrasting two or more distinct cultures. Inter-cultural approaches, on the other hand, stress the shared grooves of social memory, co-habitation and mutual accountability at the same time as they allow us to challenge dominant norms as well as honor, empower and find solidarity in the differences of our histories, traditions, identities, vocabularies and more.
We believe an intercultural approach to change-making and developing leaders within the arts and culture field is critical to respond effectively to the significant shifts that are underway in nearly every facet of our society, politics, environment and economy at the local, national and global levels. We have created this program to foster and support intercultural leaders throughout our communities as well as to promote a shift in the broader arts & cultural field toward greater intercultural awareness, resourcing and action.
ELIGIBILITY
At the time an application is submitted, the applicant must be an artist, culture bearer, arts professional and/or administrator. Successful applicants will demonstrate strong leadership potential within the field of arts and culture as well as a deep commitment to community, social change and/or cultural equity. The program will be rigorous and will require commitment to attend three 5-day in-person convenings as well as participation in online sessions, additional reading, peer interaction and other engagement over the course of a one-year period. All program costs including accommodation and travel will be covered for program participants by the Intercultural Leadership Institute and our funding partners.
HOW TO APPLY
Year 5 applications are out now! Click here to apply today. Applications are due by October 28, 2022.
For more information go to weareili.org
INFORMATION & APPLICANT SUPPORT CALLS
There are no information and applicant support calls scheduled for the time being. Stay tuned!
CORE PARTNERS
Alternate ROOTS supports the creation and presentation of original art that is rooted in community, place, tradition or spirit. We are a group of artists and cultural organizers based in the South creating a better world together. As Alternate ROOTS, we call for social and economic justice and are working to dismantle all forms of oppression – everywhere.
The Mississippi Center for Cultural Production (Sipp Culture) is honoring the history and building the future of Utica, MS. Our work weaves together research, development, local agricultural, with contemporary media & storytelling to promote the legacy and vision of our hometown. Our place-based model program will promote economic empowerment and self-sufficiency of low- and moderate-income people through education, technical assistance, training, and mentoring in agribusiness. Additionally, it will work with the community to create an advocacy base to lobby and establish increased broadband access in this rural community – a key to sustainable community development in the 21st century.
First Peoples Fund is dedicated to the preservation, advancement and well-being of American Indian arts and culture, deeply rooted in Indigenous values and place-based practices. We honor and support creative, community-centered Native artists and nurture the Collective Spirit(R) that allows them to sustain their peoples. We accomplish this by providing tools, resources and a voice to Indigenous artists who share their inspiration, wisdom, knowledge and gifts with their communities.
National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC), is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization exclusively dedicated to the promotion, advancement, development, and cultivation of the Latino arts field. In this capacity, NALAC stimulates and facilitates intergenerational dialogues among disciplines, languages, and traditional and contemporary expressions.
PA‘I Foundation, organized in 2001, preserves and perpetuates Hawaiian cultural traditions for future generations. PA‘I Foundation is the non-profit organization of Pua Ali’i ‘Ilima, a hālau hula (school of Hawaiian dance) founded by kumu hula (master teacher of Hawaiian dance) Victoria Holt Takamine in 1977. While the organization is centered around and supported by hālau members, the purpose of PA‘I Foundation is to address and serve the needs of Native Hawaiians and those who make Hawai’i their home.
FUNDING PARTNERS
The Intercultural Leadership Institute has been made possible thanks to generous support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, American Express, Southwest Airlines and the National Endowment for the Arts. We appreciate the support of these primary ILI sponsors as well as all of the funders, members, donors, and volunteers of our four ILI core partner organizations.
INTER-CULTURAL APPROACH
In defining this collaborative program as an “Intercultural Leadership Institute,” we are making an important distinction. Cross-cultural approaches emphasize comparing and contrasting two or more distinct cultures. Inter-cultural approaches, on the other hand, stress the shared grooves of social memory, co-habitation and mutual accountability at the same time as they allow us to challenge dominant norms as well as honor, empower and find solidarity in the differences of our histories, traditions, identities, vocabularies and more.
We believe an intercultural approach to change-making and developing leaders within the arts and culture field is critical to respond effectively to the significant shifts that are underway in nearly every facet of our society, politics, environment and economy at the local, national and global levels. We have created ILI to foster and support intercultural leaders throughout our communities as well as to promote a shift in the broader arts & cultural field toward greater intercultural awareness, resourcing and action.
Please help us spread the word and encourage great potential ILI candidates to apply for the 2018-19 Intercultural Leadership Institute — more details and application information at ileadershipi.net . Thank you!
Sincerely,
Maria López De León
NALAC Executive Director
Lori Pourier
First Peoples Fund President
Victoria Holt Takamine
PAʻI Foundation Executive Director
Carlton Turner
Sipp Culture Lead Artist/Director
Michelle Ramos
Alternate ROOTS Executive Director
