By KATHERINE PETERSEN
Leadership Sunnyvale's 12th class of participants, which graduated May 16, had a difficult task to complete its first day in the program. Members of each group were designated as heads of city departments and given an egg, a valuable energy source they were told must be protected.
Each department head could purchase tape and straws to wrap around the "energy source" so it wouldn't break when given a drop test.
"We had to build an encasing for the egg. It was competitive and we had fun with it. Each of us wanted ours to be better than the others," said Matt Moon-Bailey, employment coordinator for the North Valley Private Industry Council. Moon-Bailey participated in the program to improve his networking and leadership skills.
At the end of the exercise, with each department head having protected its own energy source, the groups were told they would have saved more money if they had worked as a team, protecting one egg per group.
"I hadn't thought of that. I wanted to make sure I protected it. With things like that, I'm a fairly competitive individual and let that get the best of me," Moon-Bailey said.
Leadership Sunnyvale shows people their community from the inside out, opening their eyes to government, education, public safety and the arts. "The program empowers people with information about Sunnyvale and Silicon Valley and teaches them hands-on skills about leadership," said Executive Director Marcia Jaffe.
Rather than use a textbook, participants learn from the community's movers and shakers, field trips and exercises like the egg drop.
Jaffe said this year's speakers included Sunnyvale Mayor Robin Parker; Doris Wilson, superintendent of the Sunnyvale Elementary School District; City Manager Tom Lewcock; Gary Burke, president of the Santa Clara Valley Manufacturing Group; and Suzi Blackman, executive director of the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce.
"We tap into every aspect of the community--arts, government, business, criminal justice, education, health and human services," Jaffe said. The group visited the Santa Clara County Jail, NASA, Fremont Union High School and a ropes course in the hills on some of their field trips.
While some of Leadership Sunnyvale's graduates go on to become members of Sunnyvale's City Council or boards and commissions, training politicians is not the program's purpose. Many participants, including Moon-Bailey, have begun working on their own volunteer projects.
Jaffe said this year's class was a diverse group including business people, members of Sunnyvale's boards and commissions, a retired public safety officer, a teacher and one woman who was taking time off work to raise her children.
"We want to help people learn leadership skills for whatever purpose they choose. All of them have been deeply touched and deeply changed by the program. It gives them a new outlook on community that you can't get any place else," Jaffe said.
Leadership Sunnyvale is accepting applications for next year's class. Applications are due June 30. Contact Marcia Jaffe at 255-6008 for information.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, June 5, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.