A La Leche League Leader: it could be the perfect volunteer activity for you! La Leche League (LLL) Leaders are volunteer breastfeeding counselors who have breastfed their own babies, and are active in providing breastfeeding support in their communities.
A Leader is someone who is currently accredited as a La Leche League International (LLLI) Leader, has fulfilled LLLI requirements for leadership, and subscribes to the purposes and policy of LLL. All Leaders bring their unique experience, warmth, empathy and other skills to their LLL work, whether they have had one baby or several.
Leaders may lead a local LLL Group and hold meetings. Leaders may also offer a variety of other support via phone, text, email and social media. Through their volunteer roles, Leaders learn valuable and transferrable skills.
How does someone become a La Leche League Leader?
As an international organization, La Leche League standards for Leader accreditation are the same worldwide. All future Leaders are expected to meet the prerequisites to applying for leadership and to value and role-model the organization’s philosophy in their own lives. La Leche League International is committed to serving everyone and seeks the equitable accreditation of a diverse body of Leaders.
Leaders know the importance of mother-to-mother and peer-to-peer support to help others discover the joy and satisfaction of breastfeeding. Leaders pass on what they have learned about the simple act of breastfeeding, so that parents can make decisions that are best for their own families.
The basic philosophy of La Leche League is expressed in The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and summarized in the ten concepts (read the ten concepts here: https://llli.org/about/philosophy/). Reading the book will help you become more familiar with the organization you might be interested in representing.
Prerequisites to apply for LLL Leadership include three main components (for the full version, click here: https://llli.org/get-involved/prerequisites/):
- Personal experience
- Organizational experience
- Personal Skills
The Leader Applicant completes her application with the guidance of a Group Leader (where available) and a member of the Leader Accreditation Department (LAD). Leaders are accredited in accordance with LLLI policies governing accreditation practices. Our goal is to accredit Leaders whose knowledge and skills reflect a balance of the practical, physical, and interpersonal aspects of helping others to experience parenting through breastfeeding. LLLI welcomes Leader Applicants who meet the criteria for leadership, regardless of how they self-identify.
Linda Wieser, a La Leche League Leader from Canada, has illustrated through videos the various steps for accreditation. These videos are available here: https://llli.org/get-involved/steps-to-accreditation/
That sounds like it might be a good fit for me! How do I get started?
To learn more about La Leche League Leadership, contact a Leader at your local La Leche League Group to begin with a pre-application dialogue. Or, if you are not already attending an LLL Group, find information about the closest one near you by checking here: https://llli.org/get-help/. In the event that there is no LLL Group near you, please contact the Leader Accreditation Department (LAD) at: LeaderAccreditation@llli.org
Further information can also be found here: https://llli.org/get-involved/.