How are the Torchbearers and Legacy Classes SIMILAR and DIFFERENT?

Similar...

1. They both begin with an orientation, although the Torchbearers orientation covers more material than that for Legacy class. Therefore, the Torchbearers orientation is a half-day event.
   
2. They both include a two-day overnight retreat outside Montgomery.
   
3. They both encompass stimulating class days designed to challenge class members to learn, think, grow and form close relationships with people they probably never would have met outside their leadership class.
   
4. Both programs encompass a project in which class members work in teams throughout the entire class experience.  They differ, however, in the fact that the Torchbearers class members will engage in two class projects; whereas, the Legacy members will be involved in only one.
   

Different ...

1. The Legacy class experience lasts ten months and includes ten class days, while the Torchbearers class lasts eight months and covers eight class days.
   
2. With rare exception, the Legacy class is comprised of members who are already leaders within their organizations or within the community.  The Torchbearers class, on the other hand, attracts emerging young leaders whose skills have not been fully developed and who have the potential to become tomorrow’s community leaders.  Torchbearers class members generally lack the level of training in personal and professional visioning and goal setting, leadership development, business etiquette and networking, team work, and community awareness and understanding that their more seasoned counterparts in the Legacy classes possess.
   
3. More experiential learning opportunities are built into the Torchbearers classes than into the Legacy classes.  For example, the Torchbearers classes will participate in a ropes course designed to emphasize the value of team work and leadership skills, they will engage in an all-day simulated society exercise, and they will network with other young professionals from another city as part of their curriculum.
   
4. The objectives of the two programs also differ. The objective of the Legacy curriculum is to provide class members a comprehensive understanding of eight or nine complex issues facing the Montgomery community. To fulfill this objective, the curriculum addresses one critical issue each class day, followed by an exploration as to ways in which class members might be able impact some of these issues.
   
5. The objectives of the Torchbearers curriculum, on the other hand, is quite different.  The objectives of the Torchbearers classes are to provide students opportunities:
   • for self-discovery
   • for identifying the skill set that can most help them contribute to their own success and to the success of others
   • for learning - the characteristics of effective leaders
   • how best to contribute to and lead a team
   • how to delegate, prioritize, negotiate and resolve conflicts
   • personal visioning and goal setting
   • personal and professional etiquette, impression management and networking
   • about ethical and social responsibility
   • about inter-generational mixes in the work place
   • about avoiding common oral and written communication errors
   • for learning the most significant occurrences that have shaped the history of the Montgomery community, who the major players were, and what implications these occurrences had on Montgomery’s history
   • for examining the River Region as it is today, for studying an overview of major influences on the Montgomery community, and for hearing from those who are responsible for guiding Montgomery to its current position of growth and prosperity