Leader
Accreditation:
In Preparation for an Application:
Leader's Guide
Meet
with the prospective Leader Applicant to discuss and explore the
following topics. As background for your discussion, use
Becoming a La Leche League Leader, the Overview of
Training Curriculum for Leader Accreditation, and LLLI
Policies and Standing Rules--Appendices 17 and 18 (all in the
Application Packet), the LEADER'S HANDBOOK, and your
experience as an LLL Leader. (If you like, use the boxes [blanks
in this web document] to indicate what you've done and still
need to do.)
1.
The LLLI Prerequisites to Applying for Leadership
___
Ask the prospective Applicant to assess her experience/attitudes in
relation to each of the prerequisites. Does she understand the purposes
and recognize their importance?
___ Together look at
each prerequisite and explore its facets. Explain the significance to
the Leader, LLLI, and the public.
___ Compare how you and
she understand each prerequisite.
___ Does she meet the
prerequisites? Use the Guidelines for Leaders from Appendix
18 to help you make your determination. Check with your
co-Leaders to see if they agree. If any of you have questions or
uncertainties, contact a Leader Accreditation Department
representative.
2. La Leche League
philosophy
___ With Appendix 17 as
a resource, discuss each of the concepts separately and all as they
relate one to another:
- How they are presented
more fully in THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING.
- How they are revealed in
a Leader's experience and in the prospective Applicant's experience.
___ Work through
questions the prospective Applicant may have about the philosophy of
"mothering through breastfeeding" or presenting it at meetings.
___ Stress that we
present LLL philosophy and respect other philosophies and choices. If
you and/or the prospective Applicant have questions about any of this,
consult with your LAD representative.
3. The work of a Leader
___ Most Leaders begin
with the five basic Leader responsibilities; explain what each entails.
Do they describe the work the prospective Applicant would like to do as
a Leader? Related to these, let her know about:
- Our published resources
(books, newsletters, and magazines; pamphlets and information sheets).
- Our support network
(DA/DC, APL, CLA, etc.) and opportunities for ongoing education.
- A Leader's
accountability to LLLI and what she can expect from the organization;
the importance and role of communication and consultation.
- The difference between
guiding a discussion and formal "teaching."
- La Leche League's
approach of mother-to-mother (peer) help:
- Respect for the
knowledge an individual brings to a situation.
- The effect of long-term
support on the continuation of breastfeeding.
- The LLL Leader's
availability (how we fit LLL work into our lives).
An active LLL
Leader pursues the La Leche League mission through basic Leader
responsibilities as defined in the Policies and Standing Rules Notebook
and/or other service to LLL. An active Leader's fees are current, she
keeps up to date with Leader education, and she communicates regularly
with the organization.
___ Ask the prospective
Applicant about her goals as a Leader; explore with her how they will
fulfill LLL's mission. Be sure that her goals are compatible with LLL's
and that she is willing and able to keep her fees current, stay
up-to-date with Leader education, and communicate with the
organization.
4. The application work
___ Explain the parts of
the application and their purposes so the prospective Applicant will
know what to expect and what is expected of her.
___ Show the prospective
Applicant what reading is required and the checklist of topics you will
discuss together. If you have copies of the Breastfeeding
Resource Guide and A Preview of Mothers'
Questions/Problems and Group Dynamics/Management, you could
show these too.
___ Explain the
application procedures and how she will work with the LAD
representative.
___ Talk about the LLLI
Criteria for Leader Accreditation, which state that the Applicant will
have:
- Met the LLLI
Prerequisites to Applying for Leadership.
- Nursed her baby for
about a year.
- Demonstrated
understanding of LLLI philosophy.
- Conveyed her knowledge
of basic breastfeeding management.
- Demonstrated leadership
skills and attitudes.
- Completed the LLL Leader
accreditation work.
- Signed the LLL Leader
Statement of Commitment.
___ Create a preliminary
plan of what you will do together to assist her to attain these goals.
Throughout, if
you are co-leading, consult with your co-Leader(s) about your intention
to sponsor an application for leadership. When you, your co-Leader(s),
and the prospective Applicant (candidate) are satisfied that an
application is appropriate:
___ Ask the other
Leaders in the Group to complete recommendation forms or to add their
observations in a letter to the LAD representative.
___ At this time, you
might also discuss the role (formal or informal) each Leader will play
in helping the Applicant to prepare for leadership.
___ Write your
recommendation. The questions relate both to the prerequisites to
applying for LLL leadership and requirements for accreditation. The
information you (and the Applicant, on her Application Form) provide
the LAD representative is a first guide for the Applicant's work toward
accreditation.
___ Encourage the
prospective Applicant to send her Application Form and Fee (let her
know the amount) to the LAD representative (provide her with the name
and address) as soon as possible or to give them to you to include with
your Leader Recommendation.
___ Give the candidate
the material intended for her from this packet [the Leader application
packet].
___ With acceptance of
this application, be ready to meet regularly with the Applicant to
discuss and practice various aspects of LLL leadership (for instance,
following the checklist from the LEADER'S HANDBOOK) and to communicate
frequently with the LAD representative.
Note:
If a Leader Applicant or mother interested in applying for LLL
leadership disagrees with a decision regarding her application made by
a local LLL Leader or the LAD representative, LLLI offers a Leader
Accreditation Appeals Process to afford her an opportunity to make her
questions known and addressed. For more information, contact your LAD
representative.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:33:53 UTC 2007.
