The District 11 Community Action Youth Fellows Program

“Building a Stronger District 11, One Leader at a Time”

A Strategic Partnership between Sup. Ahsha Safai, the Neighborhood Empowerment Network, the Department of Children Youth and their Families and Coro Nor Cal.

The NEN D11 Leadership Academy Program Background

For 70+ years, Coro Northern California has helped thousands of participants build culturally competent, collaborative and results oriented leadership skills. In Coro programs, individuals of diverse backgrounds examine and engage in real-world community leadership challenges, interview actual leaders, and are given activities to stimulate discussions and self-governance. The methodology empowers participants to take responsibility for their own learning. Coro facilitators are experienced at working with a diverse array of learners which include high school and community college students, early-career professionals, community and nonprofit leaders, teachers and academic leaders, farm workers, and government managers.Sup. Safai is pleased to announce the creation of the District 11 Leadership Academy, a partnership with the Neighborhood Empowerment Network and Coro Northern California.

Program Overview

The District 11 Leadership Academy is a group-learning experience for cohorts of up to 20 community leaders. Participants meet over four months on four full-day Saturdays and four evenings. Program facilitators from Coro provide guidance, leadership training and create experiences equipping participants with:
Skills: To empower diverse, emerging community leaders with tools and skills to create high-performing volunteer teams that identify and achieve collective goals
Knowledge: To grow participant understanding of SF programs, processes and services that can help catalyze positive change
Trust: To increase the level of trust and reciprocity between neighborhood leaders and the agencies and institutions committed to their success to ensure mutual accountability
Networks: To cultivate a thriving network of San Francisco stewards that work across neighborhood and interest-group boundaries

The Academy is designed to be both intensive and at the same time easily fit into one’s schedule.

District 11 is easily one of the most unique and original neighborhoods in San Francisco. From the homes nestled along McLaren park to the hilltop cottages of Oceanview, this community has been under constant transformation since the first business opened up along Mission @ Geneva. All the while, this evolution has been stewarded by local leaders, such as the late May Wong, who tirelessly advocate for the health and well-being needs of families for decades. As many of you know, D11 is still undergoing a rounds of changes today and we need to expand the number of informed residents who have the capacity to bring their community together, identify their priorities and engage agencies and institutions on their behalf. This advocacy will help ensure that our district remains a thriving, inclusive and diverse place to live and work.

Sup. Safai announces the District 11 Leadership Academy

The Academy follows Coro’s 70-year model of developing diverse leaders to work together across differences to create solutions for the common good.

The model includes:

-Seminars and Focus Days: Seminars focus on building skills in a team setting and focus days provide understanding of city departments, people and processes.

-Leader Interviews: Participants interview San Francisco department leaders and elected officials to establish relationships and understanding.

-Community Clinics: Seminars include opportunities to share experiences, insights and advice in a confidential peer coaching setting.

-Group Project: At the end of the program, participants will give a public report to the community in response to a challenge provided by the District Supervisor for citizen input.