LEAD Announces Leadership Action Team Partner Agencies for 2012 IMPACT Class
November 21, 2011 (San Diego, Calif.) — LEAD San Diego annually renews its commitment to community service through its Leadership Action Team Initiative, the service learning component of its 10-month signature regional issues-based program, IMPACT San Diego.
This year, 60 talented, community service-minded individuals will not only learn about key issues related to our interdependent bi-national region, but they also have the opportunity to help local nonprofits first-hand, as a part of the initiative, creating a powerful and meaningful experience for all involved.
IMPACT participants are divided into Leadership Action Teams (LAT) and then matched with local nonprofits that need the kind of help and expertise that these individuals can provide, establishing a mutually beneficial relationship. Class members have a first-hand view into the world of an underserved or under-resourced community while enhancing their leadership, teambuilding, relationship building, and collaborative skills. The partner agencies not only benefit by receiving valuable deliverables, but oftentimes builds long-lasting relationships with team members. Former LAT members have been known to become board members, volunteers and supporters of their partner agencies long after the project has concluded.
The following are the partner agencies selected for the 2012 IMPACT class:
Community HousingWorks helps people and neighborhoods move up in the world by providing a full range of housing options combined with training and support. Their LAT team will undertake a significant analysis and make recommendations to their board regarding implementing a fitness and nutrition program at each of their residential facilities.
Just in Time for Foster Youth provides transitioning foster youth with opportunities for self-sufficiency through emergency support, essential resources, and caring personal guidance at critical junctures on their path to independence. Their LAT team will undertake a comprehensive communications audit of marketing materials and vehicles, will create a set of recommendations to enhance organization’s communications and effectiveness, and suggest strategies to develop the necessary resources to support and sustain those recommendations in the future.
Postpartum Health Alliance (PHA) is dedicated to raising awareness about postpartum emotional disorders and providing support and treatment referrals to women who are struggling with them. PHA has identified low-income women in underrepresented and underserved communities who are acutely vulnerable to postpartum disorders as a population in chronic need for services. Their team will develop a business plan outlining its transition from a volunteer-run organization to a sustainable organization that includes permanent paid staff.
Reality Changers provides inner-city youth from disadvantaged backgrounds with the resources to become first generation college students by supplying academic support, financial assistance, and leadership training. Their team will develop a targeted marketing strategy and plan for social enterprise purposes to expand the organization’s brand of the College Apps Academy which helps students navigate the college application process.
San DiegoZoo Global is a conservation, education and recreation organization dedicated to the reproduction, protection and exhibition of animals, plants and their habitats. Their LAT team will develop a strategic marketing plan to diversify their high-end civic and community ambassadors to young professionals between the ages of 25 and 45, who can follow in the footsteps of the current support base.
South Bay Community Services (SBCS) provide children, adolescence, and families with services that reinforce the family’s role in our community and assist individuals to aspire realistically to lives of self-fulfillment. Their LAT team will consult with SBCS on for-profit business practices, including development, marketing and management in an effort to enhance and expand its current social enterprises.
Results of the LAT projects will be presented at a special sharecase event on Friday, June 8, 2012.
If you know of a deserving organization in our region that would benefit from a Leadership Action Team Initiative next year, please contact Vice President Sherrie-Lyn Thompson at 619.280.5323 or smthompson@leadsandiego.com.
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