{"id":350,"date":"2025-07-01T20:24:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T20:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goldmark.com\/blog\/2025\/07\/01\/empowering-teens-through-leadership-nicki-sneed-completes-the-leadership-fmwf-program\/"},"modified":"2025-07-07T21:59:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T21:59:58","slug":"empowering-teens-through-leadership-nicki-sneed-completes-the-leadership-fmwf-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goldmark.com\/blog\/2025\/07\/01\/empowering-teens-through-leadership-nicki-sneed-completes-the-leadership-fmwf-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Empowering Teens Through Leadership: Nicki Sneed Completes the Leadership FMWF Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

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At Goldmark Property Management, we believe in growing leaders who make a difference. One of our own, Nicki Sneed, recently completed the prestigious Leadership Fargo Moorhead West Fargo (FMWF) program.<\/p>\n

The Fargo Moorhead West Fargo (FMWF) Chamber leadership program is a 10-month experience that helps people grow as leaders. Each month, the group meets to learn new skills, visit local sites, and collaborate on a project called the Community Change Initiative. The program shows that being a leader is about taking action. Nicki Sneed recently finished the 2024–25 program, and she shared what she learned from the experience and how her project, Love in Bounds Week, is helping teens in our community.
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Love In Bounds<\/b><\/h3>\n
Teenagers today face complex relationship challenges. Love in Bounds meets them where they are—on social media and in podcasts—with real talk about setting boundaries, practicing consent, recognizing red flags, safely ending unhealthy relationships, and supporting friends. Created in partnership with Dakota Family Services<\/a> and Fargo Public Schools<\/a>, this campaign empowers students to navigate relationships with safety, confidence, and respect. It’s not just prevention—it's preparation for real life.<\/p>\n
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Q: What were a couple of your biggest takeaways during this Leadership FMWF program?<\/b><\/p>\n
A key takeaway for me was realizing that meaningful change often starts from the ground up. You don’t need a big title to make a difference—you just need a clear vision, the right team, and the willingness to do the work. The program helped me see myself as someone who can help to drive meaningful change, no matter the environment.
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Q: What was the focus of your Community Change Initiative, and how was the project chosen?<\/b><\/p>\n
Our initiative, Love In Bounds Week<\/i>, was designed to promote healthy, respectful relationships among teens, especially around prom season when these dynamics are heightened. In August of 2024, our community felt a tragedy when a young woman's life was taken by an intimate partner. After this event, and seeing rising concerns around digital boundaries, emotional safety, and peer pressure in student relationships, we wanted to empower teens with the tools to navigate those situations.
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Q: What community need or gap were you trying to address through your initiative?<\/b><\/p>\n
We focused on addressing the lack of structured, teen-centered education around relationship health—especially in the digital age. There’s a huge gap in accessible, relatable content on topics like consent, boundaries, and social media safety. Our campaign filled that gap with expert-informed, student-friendly resources and activities.
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Q: What roles did you personally take on within the group during the project?<\/b><\/p>\n
I helped lead strategy and visioning—ensuring the project stayed true to its goals while being realistic for schools to implement. I also took on coordination roles, including drafting communications, shaping the pitch to schools, and integrating feedback to keep the campaign adaptable.
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Q: Can you describe the process your team used to develop and implement the project?<\/b><\/p>\n
We started by identifying the problem and narrowing our focus to teen relationship safety. From there, we mapped out the campaign timeline, consulted local experts (like Dakota Family Services), and created content schools could use, not build from scratch. We tailored it to be plug-and-play, with already created materials for maximum ease and impact. Flexibility and school-specific autonomy were built in from the start.
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Q: How did your group measure success for the initiative? <\/b><\/p>\n
Our group agreed that our biggest parameter for success was impact. If this campaign reached even one student who felt seen, empowered, or safer because of something we shared, that’s a success. Of course, we also tracked school participation and the use of our materials, but the heart of this work is knowing that one meaningful connection can change everything.
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Q: Was there a moment during the project that made you feel especially proud or connected to the community?<\/b><\/p>\n
A moment that really stuck with me was hearing directly from the therapists at Dakota Family Services. When they shared how common questions around self-worth, boundaries, and digital safety are for teens, it made me realize we weren’t just guessing—we were responding to real, ongoing needs. It felt like we were giving students a voice even before the campaign launched.<\/p>\n
Q: Is there anything else you would like to share about your time in this program?<\/b><\/p>\n
It’s empowering to see leadership defined not just by titles but by action. This program gave us room to lead with purpose, collaborate effectively, and build something that will last beyond our own involvement. That’s the kind of leadership I want to keep growing.
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About Nicki Sneed, Senior Community Engagement Coordinator<\/b><\/p>\n
Nicki Sneed is the Senior Community Engagement Coordinator at Goldmark. Before joining the team, she worked in the restaurant industry in various roles, including Kitchen Manager and Operations Manager. After spending time in Los Angeles, Nicki is excited to return to her hometown, where she can give back to the community that helped shape her. When she’s not working, you can usually find her cooking up something new, crafting, or spending time with her husband and their cat.<\/p>\n
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At Goldmark Property Management, we believe in growing leaders who make a difference. One of our own, Nicki Sneed, recently completed the prestigious Leadership Fargo Moorhead West Fargo (FMWF) program. The Fargo Moorhead West Fargo (FMWF) Chamber leadership program is a 10-month experience that helps people grow as leaders. Each month, the group meets to… <\/p>\n
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