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Southside Community Development Alliance (SCDA) is working to foster a stronger Southside Virginia by training one leader at a time.

SCDA, a Farmville Virginia-based nonprofit organization founded in 2016, is offering resources and training opportunities for those who lead in business, education, and in their communities. Services offered by SCDA to train leaders include individual coaching, which is given through one-on-one confidential sessions; and group coaching, which is offered on-site or via webinar or teleconferencing. SCDA also offers customized training and presentations to fit the needs of the individual or teams. Training includes exercises to develop team building and leadership skills such as goal setting and communication.

SCDA is part of The John Maxwell Team, a leadership certification program founded by internationally recognized leadership expert and New York Times bestselling author John C. Maxwell. Members of the John Maxwell Team, according to the team’s website, are trusted by and are developing leaders in organizations such as Walmart, the U.S. Air Force, and IBM.

Dr. Jamaal Johnston, founder of SCDA, said that SCDA’s leadership training is meant to be accessible and to follow a specific approach. The training is practical, values-based and people-centered.

“We want to pull back the curtain from leadership,” Johnston said. “Often when leadership is discussed it takes on a mystical air. Some people think that leadership is reserved for a select few or great leaders are born, and that’s just not the case. Leadership is a body of knowledge just like math, English, or the sciences. The skills needed to be an effective leader are learned just like any other skill. But, most people don’t look at leadership from this perspective. We want participants to leave our trainings with a clearer understanding of leadership and recognize that it is a skill set that they are already using every day.”

To learn more about SCDA or its leadership training program, visit www.scdava.org, email info@scdava.org or call (434) 391-9090.