Engaging teens in leadership and education
Fifty middle and high school students from low-income families took part in a school-based program to learn how to become effective thinkers and engaged citizens, and increase their chances of going to college. The Youth Leadership Academies program weaves classroom instruction, college and career planning, and rigorous leadership training into each school day. Nearly 50 percent of the high school seniors in this program, which is run by the nonprofit On The Move, were eligible to enroll in California’s four-year public universities, compared to less than ten percent of their Latino peers. The $15,000 in seed funding from one of our Community Impact Funds helped attract another $300,000 in foundation and government grants. Youth Leadership Academies has doubled in size and now serves 120 students.
