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Coro’s Immigrant Civic Leadership Program (ICLP) seeks to enhance the capacity of leaders working to strengthen immigrant communities. Participants develop advanced strategies and skills for expanding opportunities for immigrants and for shaping public-policy decisions that affect immigrant communities and New York City as a whole. The program also helps participants examine their individual approaches to operating as leaders while exploring organizational mission and personal vision as engines of change. This initiative was previously named the New American Leaders fellowship program.

Participants of the Immigrant Civic Leadership Program participate in an intensive half-year program through which they: 

·         Gain an insider’s view of how NYC government, political, non-profit, corporate and civic institutions work

·         Interact with leaders from across sectors to build important networks and obtain multiple perspectives on key issues facing immigrant communities in the five boroughs

·          Learn strategies -- such as leveraging media, analyzing legislation and understanding city finance -- that shape effective public policy

·          Cultivate leadership skills that inspire, align and sustain organizations and communities

·          Build lasting relationships and learn from other leaders working with diverse immigrant communities.

Developing and Sustaining Immigrant Leadership

While nearly 36% of New York City’s eight million residents are foreign born, immigrant communities throughout the five boroughs confront numerous barriers to full participation in the City’s civic life and public decision-making. These hurdles include language barriers, political under-representation, limited access to elected officials and business leaders, and insufficient understanding of public policy processes.

Central to Coro is the belief that informed and engaged leaders and broad public participation are hallmarks of a healthy democracy. Numerous recent studies – such as the Carnegie Corporation’s The House We All Live In -- advocate for the creation of “programs that develop, nurture and sustain immigrant leadership in civic and political life.” For New York City to thrive, all of her residents – native-born and recently-arrived – must have a voice in the life of the city.

Through the Immigrant Civic Leadership Program, participants tackle tough questions such as:

·          How can immigrant communities effectively influence important public decision-making?

·          What types of strategies and partnerships are necessary to make genuine progress in meeting community needs?

·          What are the organizational development skills and strategies that can help strengthen important institutions and community-based organizations in immigrant communities?

·          How can I be a more effective leader? Where are my leadership skills effective and where do I feel less effective? How can I cultivate my self-awareness and capacity to excel as a leader?

·          How can I maintain a sustainable personal balance while meeting all of the demands of my work and fulfilling my commitment to the communities I serve?

Program Structure

The next cohort of ICLP will launch in January 2008 with a three-day retreat. Subsequently, the program will meet one full weekday ("Strategy Days") and one full Saturday ("Personal Leadership Days") per month between February and May 2008. Graduation takes place in early June. Please click here for a complete list of program dates.

All program sessions are experiential and use Coro's model of "inquiry-based instruction" to guide learning.  Participants often conduct small group interviews with government officials, community leaders and corporate executives. They also take part in site visits, panels and intensive discussion among program participants, during which they critically compare and analyze the information they have gained.

Please click for examples of previous strategy days:
Media |  Executive Order 41

Selection Criteria

Twenty-four talented individuals are admitted to the Immigrant Civic Leadership Program each year. The program is designed for emerging or established leaders of organizations that represent and/or serve immigrant communities, as well as senior staff in non-profit, philanthropic, government, media and corporate entities who share this commitment to immigrant community empowerment.

Candidates should be established in their careers with a minimum of five years relevant experience; demonstrate a commitment to enhancing opportunities for immigrant communities; and live or work in New York City. With each ICLP class we seek to reflect the diversity of the people and communities of New York.

Please click to view bios of the participants from past years:

2004 participants
2005 participants
2007 participants

Program Fees

Participation in ICLP is based on a sliding scale fee in accordance with the annual operating budget of a participant’s organization. See chart below for fee guidelines. In addition to these fees, Coro underwrites 90% of program costs through foundation grants and individual donations.   Limited scholarship assistance is available.

Contact Information

For questions or more information, please contact:

Mona Chun

Director of Outreach and Communications
Coro New York Leadership Center
42 Broadway, Suite 1827-35
New York, NY 10004

(212) 248-2935, ext. 305 | phone
(212) 248-2970 | fax

To Apply >>