LEWISTON – Student trainers from the University of Southern Maine/Lewiston-Auburn, in collaboration with the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce and USM’s Civic Leadership Institute, will present four free community workshops from 2 to 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4.

The workshop presenters are students in the Training and Development course at USM/L-A. Associate Professor Liz Fisher Turesky, Ph.D., describes the 90-minute workshops as valuable and timely for people in the community. “The workshops are an excellent learning opportunity for the students,” Turesky said, “who really benefit from the opportunity to develop and assess their training skills. In addition, the workshops offer topics that are of interest to anyone in the community who desires to improve their leadership capabilities.”

The workshops are as follows:

Valuing Diversity: Who Are We? Let’s Work Together!, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Participants will discover who they are and how they can appreciate others while learning how to identify types and forms of diversity, the benefits of diversity and accepting diversity.

Leadership: Finding the Leader Within You, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Participants will examine the roles of an effective leader, assess their own leadership skills and discover the leader within themselves.

Networking: Oh, the Webs We Weave!, from 3:45 to 5:15 p.m. This workshop is for individuals who are nervous when they meet new people or those who lack contacts to help them reach their goals. Participants will define the who, what, where, when, why and how of networking; recognize and explore concerns for meeting new people; and identify potential contacts.

Negotiating a Win-Win Situation: Building Positive Relationships, from 3:45 to 5:30 p.m. Negotiating collaboratively is a key to maintaining positive relationships. Participants will explore creative ways to address conflict, negotiate to realize a positive outcome, and develop skills to negotiate and communicate effectively.

These workshops will be held at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College, 51 Westminster St. To register or for more information, contact Laurie Hearne at 753-6547 or e-mail to lhearne@usm.maine.edu. Space is limited, so advance registration is required.

The Lewiston-Auburn Civic Leadership Institute is a collaborative effort of students, faculty and community leaders. It is in the process of becoming a not-for-profit civic organization with independent standing, operating under the aegis of the University of Southern Maine at Lewiston-Auburn College.