Collective Leadership Supervisor Training - Winter 2023

Training Dates: 2/2, 2/9, 2/16, 2/23, 3/2, 3/9, 3/16

The Collective Leadership Supervisor Training is a 21-hour course to deepen supervisory practices that support supervisees’ job performance and growth. Supervisors will strengthen their capacity to convey workplace expectations and provide performance feedback to supervisees, along with enhancing supervisees’ capacity for initiative and leadership.  With support from the NYC Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ), the Institute offers this free training for supervisors of staff impacted by the criminal legal system and other staff.

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

• Priority for enrollment in this cohort will be given to supervisors at MOCJ-funded programs (ATI, Supervised Release, Community Justice Reentry Network/Jails to Jobs, Cure Violence/Crisis Management System), particularly supervisors of staff with lived experience in the criminal legal system.
• Applications are also welcome from supervisors in NYC in programs not funded by MOCJ.
• Priority for enrollment will be given to supervisors of staff in peer mentor, peer specialist, navigator, and other credible messenger roles.
• Applications are welcome from multiple supervisors at an agency in order to build communities of practice.  Applications are welcome from two supervisory levels (i.e. supervisor and the supervisor’s manager). When multiple supervisors from an agency enroll, they can anticipate being in large and small group practice with each other as well as with supervisors from other agencies. 

The course is offered over several months to allow time for practice and reflection between classes. Supervisors who complete all classes and meet course requirements will receive the Collective Leadership Supervisor Training Certificate from the Institute for Justice and Opportunity and John Jay College Professional Studies. 

Training sessions will be co-facilitated by David Mensah of DKBWave Training & Consulting and Elena Sigman, the Institute’s Director of Collaborative Learning.  Questions about this course can be sent to Elena Sigman at JustOppSupervisor@jjay.cuny.edu.

Winter 2023 CLST Training Schedule

Training dates are Thursdays: 2/2, 2/9, 2/16, 2/23, 3/2, 3/9, 3/16. The seven sessions take place on Zoom from 9am-12pm. The Zoom meeting will be open at 8:50am so there will be ample time for training participants to get technology set up before the start of class.

Course Requirements

Requirements are for supervisors to attend and participate actively with camera on in all scheduled Zoom training sessions, read assigned articles, practice skills at work between sessions, and prepare two brief reflection assignments (in writing or presented in class) demonstrating practice of skills at work. 

Applicant Requirements

•  Submit online application by January 18, 2023 at 11:59 pm
• Be 18+
• Have current supervisory responsibility for staff and/or interns
• Commit to completing the entire 21-hour training
• Commit to reading selected articles ahead of sessions
• Commit to practicing skills between sessions and preparing two reflection assignments about skill practice at work
• Have tech skills and equipment, including camera, to participate in remote training
• Work in NYC

Learning Objectives for Supervisors

1. Coaching and Giving Feedback: strengthen supervisory skills including relationship building, listening, coaching, and giving effective feedback.
2. Initiative, Accountability and Leadership: increase capacity to foster supervisees’ initiative, self-accountability and practical leadership regardless of their level of authority.
3. Self-Reflection and Asking for Feedback: refine the use of supervision practices to assess the supervisor’s own effectiveness and close the gap between supervisory intention and the actual impact of supervisory intervention on those supervised.
4. Supervision and Trauma-Informed Best Practices: strengthen the fundamental supervisory practices to work with all employees, including those impacted by trauma.

The course is offered over two months in order to allow time for practice and reflection between training sessions. Supervisors are expected to report back to the class on successes/challenges in their efforts to practice the skills learned and to receive additional training and coaching in order to improve on the results that are inconsistent with their expectations. Training content supports participating supervisors to increase their professional capacity in the following areas:

History of the Collective Leadership Supervisor Training

This training was developed by the Institute in partnership with the instructor, David Mensah, and in collaboration with advisors including employers and people with lived experience in the criminal justice system currently working in human services. The Institute has received positive feedback from supervisors in prior cohorts:

“The training was essential for me to take responsibility at all times and ask for feedback with an open mind. The responsibility talk boosted my confidence in having supervisions with my staff.” 

“This training gives the tools and language needed to be an effective leader.”

“I am committed to hiring individuals with lived experience and now feel better prepared to offer the support and structure to set any employee from any background up for success.”

“I now have the tools to actually cultivate the leadership skills of my supervisees rather than having them rely on me for direction…I’m much more conscious of how I can do better about creating leadership culture.”

“This has been the best supervisor training I ever attended. It has changed the way I lead.”

The Institute gratefully acknowledges support for the curriculum development and initial cohorts of the Collective Leadership Supervisor Training, as well as for this cohort, from the NYC Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice.

Instructor Bios:

David Mensah is a lead instructor for the Institute’s Navigator Certificate in Human Services & Community Justice, a semester-long, college-level course for people with lived experience in the criminal justice system seeking careers in human services, and the Institute’s Collective Leadership Supervisor Training.  He was previously the lead instructor for JLUSA’s Leading with Conviction (LwC) and has trained volunteer parent leaders for the NYC Department of Education’s Parent Leadership Institute. In a career spanning 21 years, Mr. Mensah has spent 13 years in Executive Director positions, as well as 10 years as a youth and family counselor. Mr. Mensah has two BS degrees from Oregon State University, a Certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Bridgeport, and a M.Div. from Yale Divinity School. He has held faculty positions in leadership studies at Sacred Heart University, in Trauma Counseling at the University of Bridgeport, and an adjunct faculty position at Baruch College, in the School of Public Affairs.