Leadership Training Round 2
Participants who have already completed the first round of Hala Foundation Leadership Training Program seminars are invited to apply for participation in the second round of five day long seminars as well. These seminar thus bring together participants from different round one groups, helping to build more bridges within the growing network of young leaders the Foundation seeks to develop. Round two of the seminars differs from round one in that it focuses much more on detailed skills and techniques of leadership, the issues and political terrain having been thoroughly conceptualized in round one. The second round deals with issues such as:
- Lobbying policy makers
- Dealing with elected officials
- Political campaigns and campaigning as a volunteer
- Organization Building and NGO good governance
- Creating and maintaining PACs
- Fundraising
- Grantwriting
- Hands-on television training in studio and interview taping
As the last entry suggests, in the second round seminar participants spend the day at a professional television studio doing mock television interviews on challenging subjects that are filmed by a professional production crew. These interviews are designed and conducted by media professionals with extensive experience in broadcast media and Arab-American advocacy on television. They include direct-to-camera interviews such as one would most likely experience with cable television news programs, one-on-one interviews at a newsdesk set typical of local news channels, and triangular debates with hostile second guests and less than sympathetic hosts as is also frequently experiences by Arab Americans on U.S. television. The videos of these interviews then serve as a basis for analysis and self-critique by the trainees themselves in a group setting. The experience is intended to give all seminar participants the experience of doing a range of interviews on different issues and in varying formats so that they will be well-prepared when the opportunity comes to present the Arab-American community in actual television appearances.
As in the first round seminars, the second round involves workshops led by guest experts. These have included William Farah of Oldaker, Biden & Belair, LLP; Kevin Gentry, Vice President Strategic Development, Koch Charitable Foundation; Amjad Attallah, Strategic Assessments and co-founder, Women for Women International; Souhail Khan, U.S. Department of Transportation; Randa Fahmy Hudome, Fahmy-Hudome International; and Eward Ayoob, Barnes & Thornburg, LLP. The second round also provides an opportunity to revisit issued raised in the first round and new developments that have arisen in the American and Arab political scenes.
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