Q. What is the significance of “Wildacres” in your organizational title? A. Wildacres Leadership Initiative was created to recognize the 50th anniversary of Wildacres Retreat (www.wildacres.org). The retreat was built by the Blumenthal family of Charlotte and dedicated to the betterment of human relations. It hosts not for profit groups who are committed to the same. For more on our history, please visit our About Us page.
Q. How can I engage the Center for Excellence in Leadership to do work with people in my organization? A.WLI custom designs and facilitates programs for organizations in the private, public and non-profit arenas. Call us at 919-794-5614 or email info@wildacresleadership.org to talk about how WLI can help you foster stronger effectiveness in your group. Q. How can I access Fellows in your Fellows Action Network? A. First, read bios in the Fellows Action Network page of this website. Then, give us a call at 919-794-5613 or email info@wildacresleadership.org so that we can get you in contact with Fellows who may be an asset to your efforts. Q. What do you mean by human relations? A. We interpret "human relations" as a way of being in which individuals invest themselves in sharing their experiences and beliefs, challenging their assumptions and perspectives and exploring and learning from the realities of others. It is the focus of our work.
Q. Is there an age range that you work with, or a professional or educational requirement? A. WLI works with adults. For the Friday Fellowship, we offer an “experience range” of 5-20 years. The spirit of this qualification is that applicants should have enough leadership experience to be able to draw on it in the learning community and enough of a leadership horizon that the skills and tools developed in the Fellowship will be relevant for years to come. There is no professional requirement—you do not need to be employed to be a leader—and no educational requirement. In our work in the Center for Excellence in Leadership there are no age limits or professional or educational requirements.
Q. How can I apply for the William C. Friday Fellowship for Human Relations? A. Candidates for the Fellowship are nominated by a network of leaders across the state, including all members of the Fellows Action Network. If you are interested in the Fellowship you may reach out to a Friday Fellow in your area (see the Fellows Action Network page for information on the Fellows) or give us a call at 919-794-5613 to talk about our nominator network.
Q. What are the requirements for applying? A. To apply you must:
§Have 5 to 20 years of professional and/or community leadership experience:enough leadership experience to contribute to dialogue thoughtfully, and enough of a leadership horizon to continue to make a meaningful impact. §Be a resident of North Carolina. §Be willing and able to commit 6 days of professional time in each of the two years to attend three seminars a year (each four days, Thursday through Sunday), and further time for assignments between seminars. Q. What is the cost of the two year William C. Friday Fellowship program to Fellows? A. There is no cost to the Fellows. The program, including all materials and travel and housing expenses, is covered by WLI. Q. How can I assist WLI? A. You can give to WLI here. Any contribution to our work is greatly appreciated. You can engage WLI in a project with your group through contract work. If your interests and abilities align with WLI's mission and work, and you want to discuss programmatic connections, please call 919-794-5613 or email info@wildacresleadership.org.