HOMEGROWN LEADERS PROGRAM Building community leaders by building bridges to community members
networks
relationships
skill-matching
local insight
WHAT IS IT? RETAINING TALENT During Covid-19, GenZ lost daily access to their teachers, mentors, coaches, clubs, and friends, making them especially vulnerable to falling off-track in education and employment advancement. The post-graduation time period is particularly hard to navigate without supports. We propose investing in our 17-19 year olds, bridging them to their community for personal and professional development through a Homegrown Leader certification program. We want to keep local youth living and working in the community they grew up in — with the belief that retaining talent builds leadership capacity and stability, allowing the next generation of leaders to be homegrown.
BUILDING EQUITY Private sector businesses and development are driving new industries, residents, and services to the Pasadena area. As the city demographics and economics shift, communities are grappling with rising housing prices, higher demand for jobs, and corporate investment into neighborhoods and business districts — pricing many low-income families out. The relationship between community members who have thrived in Pasadena in decades past and those who have just arrived is being navigated daily. Inequity and wealth gaps have existed within the area throughout its history, however we are seeing increasing disparities in economic, education, and health determinants for those populations with fewer resources and opportunities. By supporting our youth through the transition from high-school into employment, we are supporting a more equitable community overall. Thank you for spreading the word about this program. Sincerely, Kaya Plansker Executive Director Leadership Pasadena
WHAT THEY'RE UP AGAINST THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS PER JOB IS 250. The percentage of jobs found through networking is anywhere between 50–80%
80% OF MANAGERIAL POSITIONS ARE FILLED BY WHITES
83% of organizations acknowledge the importance of developing leaders at all levels, but...
ONLY 30% OF EMPLOYEES BELIEVE THAT FUTURE LEADERS ARE TRAINED TO MEET EVOLVING CHALLENGES.
2019 Global Human Capital Trends survey Leadership Development Trends 2019
WE GIVE THEM A HEADSTART LOCALIZED KNOWLEDGE Empowering youth to participate in the systems, sectors, and institutions driving their community starts with learning how they work— and who is innovating and leading advancement. Adding historical context and localized insights helps our participants to be better informed prospective employees and citizens within the greater Pasadena area.
CONNECTIONS Our leadership development curriculum emphasizes soft skills and strength-based assessments to help participants determine their unique personal leadership style. Small group work puts what they learn into practice. A facilitator guides iterative learning, while the mentor 1-on-1 selfpresentation sessions give insight and shape a personalized action plan for professional development.
INCLUSION The series is designed to reinforce lived experiences and perspectives, while pushing critical thinking. Facilitated peerand reflective-learning goes past academic understanding to more empathetic and inclusive thinking patterns. Workshops with community partners use applied learning and innovative solution-finding principles to push learning out of the classroom into the real world.
SAMPLE AGENDA Session 1
At the completion of all sessions, participants receive a certification to be leveraged in local internships and job placement.
Saturday, May 8th 12-5pm
Immersion into how the City works, including an overview of the municipal government, key culture and economy driving sectors (Public Health, Education, Science / Technology, Art, Business & Economics). Meet and greet with organizations actively engaged in community development. Guest speakers: City Manager, sector representatives
Session 2
Saturday, May 15th 12-5pm
Strength-based personal leadership development assessments and discussions focused on self-reflection, self-audit, and application of learning to optimize networks and self-presentation for professional advancement opportunities. Guest speakers: Mayor, workshop mentors
Session 3
Saturday, May 22nd 12-6pm
Small group work centered on critical thinking around complex community challenges. Led by community partners, participants use issue analysis, peer learning, and guided data inputs to gain insight and perspectives on communityled initiatives. Breakout room introductions to selected community organizations. Culmination in lessons learned and certificate presentation. Guest speakers: Community partners
To ensure equity in participation, the series is free to participants.
CERTIFICATION: HOMEGROWN LEADER Upon completion of the full series, participants receive a certificate and badge recognizing them as a homegrown leader. To support the certification in a real-world context, we will be:
Creating an "Ask me about my certification" landing page for online linking from social media badges
Communicating with City of Pasadena HR departments, local chambers of commerce, and other organizational networks explaining the program
Developing channels of personal and professional development individualized to participant interests
RECRUITMENT Recruitment will focus on providing opportunities for advancement for 17-19 year-old students and youth who are intending to continue their education or start their professional journey in Pasadena. Enrollment is limited to 20 participants to ensure personalized attention and relationship-building. To connect to existing local youth development programs, recruitment will target: Pasadena Unified School District High School Seniors At-risk and Transitional Age Youth programs Pasadena City College & Dual High School degree programs Existing youth leadership programs in the greater Pasadena area
OUTCOME GOALS Learning to effectively navigate larger systems and the private sector + Understanding longer-term opportunities within them Increased confidence with, and comprehension of, core leadership concepts, including soft skills & personal leadership strengths Increased visibility as prospective employee to local organizations & municipal government via completion certificate Engagement with community issues and community partners + Opportunities to build internships, mentorship, & employment
BUILDING ON OUR LEGACY OF COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP
20 YEARS OF COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
WE DEVELOP AND INSPIRE COLLABORATIVE, FORWARDTHINKING LEADERS WHO EMBRACE DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES AND BUILD RESILIENT, EQUITABLE COMMUNITIES & ORGANIZATIONS.
LEADERSHIPPASADENA.ORG “As a Leadership Pasadena Alum, and advocate for PUSD students, I am excited to see LP take their engaging training and leadership development into the realm of workforce development. I am always looking for ways to encourage students to build their social capital and this as a great resource for that to happen for our youth.” Kristina Turley, PUSD “Youth leadership training has been in our Leadership Pasadena sightlines for years. Its time has come. Young people in their upper teens find themselves at a new beginning in their lives. They stand at the entry point for secondary education or vocational training and their aspired careers. They are now voting members of our community. At this critical juncture it’s important for them to understand how things work, how to be decision-makers in their own lives and how to influence the world around them. Information, soft skills and learning to work with others are the positive outcomes of leadership training. With its legacy and experience, Leadership Pasadena is a perfect provider to help young people prepare themselves for the next steps in their journeys." Tom Coston, Founder Lightbringer Project