BALLARAT’S emerging and experienced leaders gathered last week to launch the seventh annual Leadership Ballarat and Western Region leadership program.This year, the program has 28 participants from Ballarat, Beaufort, Ararat, Moorabool and Hepburn.Executive officer Sofia Fiusco said the program offered a platform for people to learn from each other.“There is a lot of diversity in terms of the ages of the people involved and the variety of life experiences people bring and the previous training and education programs they’ve had,” Ms Fiusco said.Ms Fiusco said participants were selected from a formal recruitment process held every year.“It’s open to anyone who’s interested, usually in consultation with their employer,” she said.“For us, the program really focuses on not only personal and social development, but leadership development and understanding how we can go about making a difference to the community in which we live, which is the aim by the end of the program.”