LAAMPP III Institute

The Leadership and Advocacy Institute to Advance Minnesota’s Parity for Priority Populations (LAAMPP) launched its third cycle in September of this year. The LAAMPP Institute works with Minnesota’s diverse communities to build capacity for effective tobacco control. Twenty-five community leaders were selected to participate as fellows in the Institute and represent the following communities: Africans/African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Chicanos/Latinos, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT).

The Leadership and Advocacy Institute to Advance Minnesota’s Parity for Priority Populations (LAAMPP) launched its third cycle in September of this year. The LAAMPP Institute works with Minnesota’s diverse communities to build capacity for effective tobacco control. Twenty-five community leaders were selected to participate as fellows in the Institute and represent the following communities: Africans/African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Chicanos/Latinos, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT).

To kick off this cycle, fellows participated in their first core summit training to build skills in five core areas — advocacy, collaboration, cultural and community competence, facilitation, communication, and expanding tobacco prevention and control capacities. LAAMPP fellows and coaches left the summit feeling energized and motivated to create change in the tobacco control movement. Jinny Johnson, a new LAAMPP Fellow said, “[The] LAAMPP Institute is pushing me to challenge my thinking about how I work across different communities to drive social change and become a stronger advocate and person. LAAMPP is really opening my eyes to new people and their stories and showing me that we all have pieces of each other’s stories in our own..”

The LAAMPP Institute is adapted from the APPEAL Leadership Model. Funding and support for LAAMPP is provided by ClearWay MinnesotaSM and the Minnesota Department of Health.