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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
Sparking a Love of Learning So All Children Can Discover Their Passion
By Bridget Lee, San Diego Children's Discovery Museum
Inequities in science and math achievement start the moment students enter our school systems. Studies have shown that about 16% of White students versus just 4% of Black or Hispanic students display advanced science or math achievement during kindergarten. As students continue through elementary school, this gap persists. When children are provided opportunities at foundational developmental milestones (ages 0-5), they are more likely to develop stronger interests and abilities in math and science education.
San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum provides those opportunities. Our hands-on early childhood education museum sparks a love of learning, allowing all children to make new and exciting discoveries. For over 20 years, the museum has provided access to economically disadvantaged children and families through special membership and admission programs, school field trip scholarships, and Mobile Children’s Museum scholarships.
“Access for All” is at the core of our mission to make the museum accessible to all children, removing any financial or physical barriers to receiving access to a hands-on, early childhood education. The museum’s reduced membership allows families who need it most to enjoy the museum year-round for a fraction of the cost. In 2022, alone, 40% of children served onsite qualified for reduced admission/membership through the Access for All program. Thanks to the generosity of local corporations, donors, and foundations, the museum graciously receives funding for its Access for All programming, our STREAM (science, technology, reading, engineering, art, and math) programs and events that provide hands-on activities that lay the groundwork for countless subjects children will encounter in their daily lives.
These STREAM programs are often the only opportunity economically disadvantaged families have to introduce their children to science and engineering outside of school.
"At the museum, we pride ourselves on creating authentic hands-on learning experiences that spark a love of learning,” said Krishna Kabra, CEO of San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum. Through the lens of STEM education, we're providing families with opportunities to build foundational critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will prepare children for their adult lives. These programs are a terrific opportunity for children to engage in topics that fuel their curiosity and imagination."
For families who may not be able to travel to the museum or afford admission/membership, the museum comes to them. The Mobile Children’s Museum reaches children throughout San Diego County. Over 7,000 children are served through the Mobile Children’s Museum annually, 90% of whom come from racially marginalized and economically disadvantaged communities. Through partnerships with local school districts and libraries, such as Oceanside Public Library’s Bookmobile, the mobile museum can reach more kids and allow them to engage with hands-on, portable versions of the museum’s innovative exhibits.
San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum strives to be a resource that all families, no matter their economic status, can continue to rely on to provide STREAM education for their kids.
Learn more about the San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum’s Access for All Initiative at https://www.sdcdm.org/giving/access