In 2013, Yoga Alliance® launched the Local Community Initiative (LCI) to create a safe space for leadership development, networking and local educational opportunities. The initiative included an online community on the networking platform Mightybell, and a leadership training program designed to support small circles of yogis in cultivating alliances across studios, disciplines and regions.
In its first year, 973 yogis created 95 “circles,” or groups, on the site, and organized in their communities. Some members started by attending the four-week leadership program together, while others jumped right in and held their own events and networking groups.
In 2014, YA leadership decided to re-prioritize our core business – the operation and oversight of our credentialing system.
As a result, the Local Community Initiative – including the online Mightybell community – will retire starting November 1.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Local Community Initiative. We are here to support you and transition your online “circle” and activities on Mightybell to other online platforms. Here are a few ideas on resources to use in place of the Mightybell site:
- Create a Facebook or LinkedIn group and invite the members of your LCI group
- Collect email addresses from your members and continue your work via email
- Create your own independent Mightybell community for yogis in your area
Additionally, if you want to meet up with other members of the yoga community, or want to meet some of our staff and board members, check out Our Calendar for a list of events we’re sponsoring or attending.
Please contact us if you have any questions about the Local Community Initiative: community@yogaalliance.org.
Past articles on this topic
Are You Ready to Become a Yoga Community Leader? - August 29, 2013
Earlier this year, we announced our new Local Community Initiative to encourage our members to create networking groups of teachers, studio owners, and school directors...read more
Connecting community leaders across the country - May 5, 2013
On Tuesday, April 30 we held a social media experiment with some of our most enthusiastic community leaders across the country to talk about “How to Get Started Building Community"...read more
Planning your first community meeting – a Local Community Initiative update - April 11, 2013
In response to our call to action to form local community groups, Yoga Alliance® members are starting to move past the initial outreach phase and plan their first meetings. Jessie Tierney, a RYT 200 from Washington, started the conversation by uploading a sample invitation into the Local Community Initiative library...read more