Author: Terri Foster, Administrative Analyst, County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency – Office of Strategy & Innovation

Resident Leadership Academy (RLA) is a leadership training program that teaches residents from underserved neighborhoods how to advocate for positive changes through skills and knowledge. This monthly blog is part of a series highlighting the accomplishments of the individuals and organizations participating in Resident Leadership Academies throughout San Diego. So far, Resident Leadership Academy has been replicated 55 times and has graduated over 700 residents in San Diego County.

RLA Highlight of the Month:

In December 2018, the Bayside Community Center successfully completed their 8^th RLA cohort. This was Bayside’s third youth RLA and consisted of students from 5^th to 9^th grade representing seven schools throughout San Diego.

The students presented community improvement project ideas during a graduation ceremony attended by nearly 50 community members, parents, funders and supporters. This included representatives from the offices of Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Councilmember Scott Sherman. The graduates identified projects that would encourage residents to take ownership of their local community space, Kelly Park. It included volunteer projects to pick up trash, remove graffiti and improve lighting. They also identified the need for a full access community pool and plan to collect signatures in support of their project. These projects will have real life impact on the quality of life in their community and will address residents’ needs.

“The RLA class taught me how to communicate my ideas effectively to a larger group of people. It taught me that I could make a difference in my community.” – A Recent RLA Youth Graduate

Other exciting accomplishments from Bayside’s Youth RLA cohorts included a joint Financial Literacy workshop held in November 2018.  Several graduates from Bayside’s first two Youth RLA cohorts had participated in a “Financial Literacy: Train the Trainer” workshop hosted by Jewish Family Service and then facilitated their own Financial Literacy workshop to more than 15 current and prior Youth RLA students. The workshop covered materials relevant to their personal financial concerns and addressed the financial needs of their community improvement projects. Topics included debt, credit, savings and fundraising. Bayside had never previously engaged all three Youth RLA cohorts in one setting!

Congratulations to the Bayside Community Center Resident Leadership Academy graduates of 2018!

• Janice Reynoso (Class of 2015 RLA Facilitator Graduate) graduated from the RISE Urban Leadership Fellows Program Cohort IV on December 12, 2018.
• Mohammed Tuoma’s (Class of 2013 RLA Facilitator Graduate) nonprofit Newcomers Support & Development is participating with the San Diego River Park Foundation’s Forester Creek Stakeholder Committee in creating a Recreation Access Plan for a tributary of the San Diego River in El Cajon. This leadership role in his community will enable Mohammed to advocate for a community space that meets the needs of underserved residents in El Cajon.
• Steve Brown (Class of 2018 RLA Facilitator Graduate) was named to the City of Lemon Grove Planning Commission in 2018. This leadership position in local government will contribute to important decisions in his community regarding the use of public land.