Live Well San Diego
Home MenuHeader Search Box - Custom Content
Resident Leadership Academies
Resident Leadership Academies (RLAs) are multi-week training programs for San Diego County residents who want to learn how to improve their local communities. Training sessions focus on topics such as community leadership, crime prevention and safety, land use and active transportation, and healthy food systems.
Residents learn skills and best practices to address the issues that most affect their communities, and they work alongside their neighbors to help improve quality of life where they live. Upon graduation, attendees have new knowledge and access to a support network to help them lead community improvement projects.
RLA Updates and Opportunities
Many individuals and organizations are involved in Resident Leadership Academies across the County. The latest updates can be found on social media.
RLA Curriculum
Those who would like to facilitate an RLA can find the Facilitator/Train the Trainer and Participant materials below. The RLA Curriculum consists of a Participant Manual, modifiable PowerPoints, and various templates and handouts. The curriculum covers subjects such as Community Building Principles, Social Determinants of Health, Land Use and Community Planning, and more.
The County of San Diego currently has two approved RLA curriculums available. For groups funded for a particular RLA session or project, the version of the curriculum to be used will be determined by your funder (see links below). For all other groups, either version, or elements from both, may be used for the trainings.
- 1st Edition Curriculum
1st edition curriculum covers resident-driven community improvement efforts, including community building principles, neighborhood assessment activities and strategies for stakeholder engagement. - 2nd Edition Curriculum
2nd edition curriculum expands on the 1st edition to include embedded activities, reflection questions and content on smoke-free environments and climate change.
Additional RLA Curriculum
- Heat Risk Education Curriculum
The Heat Risk Education Curriculum is a set of PowerPoints and facilitator guides meant to support community leaders and residents involved in community engagement work. The curriculum covers strategies for communicating about global warming and heat risk to the community to motivate behavior change, and covers topics such as global warming, heat illnesses, at-risk groups, prevention, and taking action.
RLA Resources & Opportunities
View the Community Health Improvement Partner's Resident Leadership Academy page for the latest on meetings and trainings.
Bi-Monthly RLA Council Meetings
Meetings to provide additional training, discuss RLA updates, and to engage with other RLA practitioners. Anyone in the RLA network (graduates/residents, facilitators, CBOs and agencies supporting RLA) is welcome and encouraged to attend.
Technical Assistance (TA) for RLA Practitioners
TA is provided by the County to any RLA Practitioner involved with RLAs. TA may consist of assistance with planning of future RLAs, and development, refining, and implementation of Community Improvement Projects (CIPs), for example. For groups funded for a particular RLA session or project, the TA provider will be determined by your funder.
RLA Network Supplemental Training Workshops for Current RLA Practitioners
Supplemental trainings are available to anyone in the RLA network (graduates/residents, facilitators). These trainings focus on expanding leadership skills and offering opportunities for current RLA practitioners to engage with one another. The supplemental trainings may cover, but are not limited to, such topics as: Presentation Skills, Meeting Facilitation, and/or Applying for Resources.
New Facilitator Training/Train the Trainer Seminars
Seminar participants attend 3-4 full days of training, which consist of a detailed review of the curriculum, facilitation practice and tips for RLA planning and coordination. One or more new facilitator trainings per year will be offered through 2019.
Contact us for additional information on any of the resources listed above, or to learn about RLAs happening in your community.
RLA Success Stories
Community Through Hope Provides more than 500 showers to the Unsheltered Homeless Community Through New Program Project ReFresh
Deion Williams, Director of Programs, Community Through Hope
A shower. Basic nutrition. A toothbrush. Clean socks. For the unsheltered homeless clients of Community Through Hope, the simple things make a major difference in the lives of those living on the street.
Community Through Hope launched Project ReFresh last summer thanks to the generosity of the Community Congregational Church of Chula Vista. Project ReFresh exists to provide a safe space for the unsheltered community to reset and get connected to services that can help them along their path to self-sufficiency. The program offers 3-hour events, held weekly on Tuesdays throughout the South Bay and provides access to mobile showers, hot food, haircuts, clothing, hygiene kits, and services. The events give individuals a place to check in with each other, have meaningful conversations, and a chance to feel human again.
“Clients often tell us that Project ReFresh is the highlight of their week because it’s something they’ve come to rely on that improves their mental health, physical wellness and also lifts their spirits,” said Sebastian Martinez, Executive Director.
In May, Project ReFresh reached a milestone when they surpassed 500 showers for the unsheltered homeless community.
“Project ReFresh is an outreach event that serves the community with basic necessities that many of us take for granted,” said Deion Williams, Director of Programs. “We know this population is growing and we want to ensure we're providing the best services we can to meet their immediate needs.”
The program is the only one of its kind offering mobile showers to unsheltered homeless individuals living on the street in the South Bay. It offers them hope, while simultaneously building trust in the community.
Last year’s data shows that the majority of clients participating in Project ReFresh were White males (approximately 77%) with an average age of 52, with the youngest being 22 and the oldest, 83.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Community Through Hope had a unique opportunity to partner with the Chula Vista Fire Department to vaccinate up to 50 individuals at one of its Project ReFresh events. The organization would simply not have as big of an impact without its ongoing partnerships with the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, The San Diego Humane Society, South Bay Pioneers, and many others. In particular, the partnership with the County’s Office of Homeless Solutions has allowed Community Through Hope to have large-scale events that tackle some of the critical medical needs within the community.
“Our team and volunteers at Community Through Hope work to minimize the unsheltered crisis by collaborating with community partners, such as HHSA to support client needs,” said Rosy Vasquez, President and CEO, Community Through Hope. “The model we use is centered around clients to offer them dignity and respect.”
To learn more about this program or to volunteer, visit: www.communitythroughhope.org.