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From the humanitarian movement “L.O.V.E. Is The Answer”, a nationwide movement dedicated to building supportive communities, comes a transformative educational class for aspiring leaders.
L.O.V.E. Is The Answer is a movement started by Howard County resident AJ Ali. The goal of the movement is to “LEARN about people, OPEN your heart to their needs, VOLUNTEER to be part of the solution in their lives, and EMPOWER others to do the same”.
The classes, called Lead & Serve With L.O.V.E., are part of L.O.V.E. Is The Answer’s overarching goals to educate open-mindedness, empathetic leadership, and inclusivity to build strong community relationships. According to Ali, “The goal is simply to teach people empathetic leadership and social responsibility, and teach them how to love their neighbor.”
Tuesday, February 4 will be the beginning of Cohort #5, and the classes will go until Saturday, April 26, the graduation date. Approximately 40 hours of time is required to complete the class, including 20 hours of class-session time and approximately 20 hours of studies, group projects, and interactive activities outside of class-sessions. These classes have been conducted four other times, and have had a total of 60 graduates so far. Cohort #5 currently has between 25 and 30 people enrolled, with a speculated graduation rate between 95% and 100%.
Some subjects of specific classes include understanding communication styles, building relationships with classmates, music therapy, a film screening of Ali’s documentary, “Walking While Black: L.O.V.E. Is The Answer,” presentations by students, and more.
The teachers of these classes come from varying backgrounds. They include former corporate executives with years of leading dozens, if not hundreds, of people, a member of the national Association of African Americans in Human Resources Board of Directors, a former police officer, a community organizer with over 50 years of experience, and Ali himself. “I think collectively we probably got over 200 years of experience in this kind of work,” says Ali.
The classes are available to anyone nationwide, as they are conducted over Zoom. The purpose of conducting the classes over Zoom, according to Ali, is Lead & Serve With L.O.V.E.’s, “desire to get people into spaces with people they are not accustomed to being around.” It gets people out of their bubble of their own community and allows them to be more open-minded to others’ perspectives. Though conducted over Zoom, students of the classes living in and around Howard County get the additional opportunity to participate in live networking and celebrity events hosted by L.O.V.E. Is The Answer in the county.
For who should take this class, from the Lead & Serve With L.O.V.E. brochure, “Everyone who wants to better themselves, whether it be a high school student, a returning citizen, a peace officer, a CEO, an aspiring leader, a government leader, a teacher, or a preacher needs to take this class.”
One endorsement of the class comes from former NFL player Ray Sydnor, who said of the classes, “It’s really impacting my thinking, both professionally and personally. The healing that’s occurring in me is unparalleled.”
Another upcoming project from Ali and L.O.V.E. Is The Answer, approximately 5-6 weeks from the end of April, is the recording of the first episode of Ali’s tv show called L.O.V.E. Is The Answer-The TV Series. Described as, “a flash mob mixed with the reveal portion of ‘Undercover Boss,’” the aim of the TV show is to bring surprise “blessings” to people who are experiencing a difficult time in their lives.
“It’s about those warm and fuzzy feelings,” says Ali. “It’s about showing people at their best helping someone who is maybe experiencing the worst time of their life.”
People who are students of the Lead & Serve With L.O.V.E. classes will be guaranteed a spot in the cast of the tv show to help with setting up these surprise events. It’s “an incentive to join the class,” according to Ali, as well as a reward, because it allows those students to put into practice what they just learned.
For more information about Lead & Serve With L.O.V.E., visit https://trylovenow.com/leadership-classes.
This article was written by freelance reporter Megan Duffy.
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