Community Guide: Interviewing Community or Civic Leaders
Anna Leon-Guerrero, Pacific Lutheran University

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Instructions

1. Prepare a list of community organizations (service groups, churches, school boards, local foundations, chamber of commerce), based on telephone or email listings, that serve your community. You may also identify organizations based on recent newspaper articles or local news reports. If you need some assistance in identifying community organizations, please ask your instructor.

2. Contact 3-4 of the organizations. Ask if they would identify a non-elected community leader or leaders that you could speak with. [Leaders may also be identified in news stories.] The person does not have to be an employee of the organization. Make sure to identify yourself as a student and provide the name of your university.

3. Contact a leader, via telephone or mail, to schedule an appointment to speak with him/her. You are not limited in what you can ask during your interview, but include the following issues:

• History of community or civic leadership. When did this leader begin his/her community work?

• Current programs or activities. What is the leader currently working on? Can s/he identify issues that are critical to your community at this time?

• Advice for students? What community based opportunities exist for students to participate in?

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