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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
Resounding Joy Music Therapy Programs Bring Music to Those Who Need it the Most
Author: Jess Blaisus and Stacey Sargent, Engagement Team Resounding Joy
Resounding Joy offers music therapy in the hospital and within the community to help build resilience for children with medical conditions, service members , veterans, first responders, isolated older adults, and all of their families. For children in the hospital, life is full of uncertainty. A child's entire family may also be experiencing a variety of emotions - fear, hope, anxiety - that can become overwhelming. However, when a music therapist comes into the room with a guitar in hand and a beaming smile, the stress and fear often melt away. When everyone is drawn together, singing and playing instruments, it can give children and parents a much-needed break from worry. Often, allowing the child to just be a child, even if it’s just for a little while.
Hospital Impact
- 923 Hospital sessions
- 384 Pediatric patients served
- Patients with anxiety reported an average improvement of 68%
- Patients with depressed mood reported an average improvement of 85%
Read more about their impact in their 2021 Annual Report.
How does Resounding Joy help build resilience?
- Creative Expression
- Embracing music through learning an instrument, jamming out or drumming, writing lyrics, or composing songs are examples of ways to share what you are feeling without the words.
- Social Connectedness
- Encouraging others, working in groups toward a shared purpose, peer support, and mentorship are excellent ways to build your resilience by practicing your communication skills and developing a support network.
- Mental & Emotional Wellness
- We meet people where they are during challenging times and use the power of music to uplift and support them. Music’s unique ability to navigate damaged areas of the brain and transcend verbal communication makes it a powerful tool in the hands of a qualified professional.
Programs include:
- Healing Notes
- The Ariana Miller Healing Notes Program uses music therapy to improve the cognitive, physical, psychological and social well-being of children facing severe, complex, or chronic medical issues in a variety of settings.
- Sounds of Service
- A military-focused music program, Sounds of Service (formally Semper Sound) increases resiliency and quality of life through building musical skills, designing strategies for emotional and mental well-being, and creative collaboration.
- Sounds of Community
- Provides music therapy and music wellness programming to support local agencies, as well as individuals and families in the community. Music therapists customize programs to enhance quality of life, resilience, family bonding, stress relief, and community development. We also welcome and train volunteers to provide social wellness visits, especially for isolated older adults.
Deacon John Roberts of Father Joe’s Village says of their Sounds of Community program:
“The Hausmann Quartet and Resounding Joy have provided an invaluable service to the families residing in our temporary shelter in Golden Hall. Our resident families look forward each week to sharing this adventurous, exciting and educational time… [Family Jam Sessions] allow families to have fun together, to de-stress, and to learn a little about music… I highly recommend this program for families, adults and children of all ages.”
In service to the community, Resounding Joy partners with many organizations to improve lives in San Diego County, including these Live Well Partners:
- Chicano Federation
- North County Lifeline
- Rady Children’s Hospital
- Father Joes Villages
Resounding Joy has conducted individual and group programs with our community for almost two decades. The benefits of music therapy can be helpful to anyone, whether you are a child with medical challenges, a veteran, a senior living away from family, or another community member.
Learn more about how you can participate or help Resounding Joy further its mission using the power of music by visiting resoundingjoyinc.org.