Community Engagement: Creating Programs that Connect with Youth and their Local Government

One constant reoccurring theme in my life is giving opportunities; whether that's with internships, lessons at the dojo, or otherwise allowing for people to grow and learn, I have always identified opportunities to grow the experiences for our youth. In 2016, the Mayor's Office in San Bernardino set out to create an inclusive Mayor's Youth Academy whereby students would gain insight on what it takes to be a Mayor, learn about public service, and then be provided the opportunity to intern with the Mayor's Office with direct supervision from full time staff.

Mayor R. Carey Davis with some of the initial students that went through the Mayor's Youth Academy were presented with certificates of recognition for their involvement and completion of the program.

High school years are pivotal moments for many; the choice of college, majors, and potential careers go through the minds of many, and we felt we could help.

We wanted to create an opportunity to expose students who would have otherwise not considered local government an opportunity to learn about what a Mayor does, and what a career in the public sector might entail.

Establishing the Need for Engagement

School districts are the perfect opportunity for partnerships. Every superintendent I've ever worked with has always jumped at the opportunity to partner and always desired a positive working relationship with the local jurisdiction. Based on the adoption of the City's Strategic Plan, Community Engagement was a priority goal so this concept was a no-brainer. We knew that the Council had rallied around the priority goals, so this was a match made in heaven. Just because you don't have a strategic plan does not mean you should not move on the concept. It's perfect opportunity to provide career training, develop your workforce, and provide job skills necessary in today's workforce.

Develop the Program Parameters

One of the first steps includes identifying the program parameters. Who is your target? Do you have preferences for a college aged program, or one geared towards high school students? What is it that you're trying to accomplish? Are you going to offer any payment at the conclusion of the program? Why would someone want to join the program you've developed? All of these questions will help you refine what you are trying to accomplish and what it means.

It would also be wise to work with your Human Resources team early on to work through any agreements you might need to develop, and work through any sort of clearances you will need to mitigate any type of risk exposure. This isn't meant to scare you off, but you just want to do your due diligence on the front side.

Pitch the Idea

You've identified the program parameters and set out your expectations. Now it's time to pitch the idea!

Work with the appropriate agency who will partner with you. That can be a school district, community college, university, or trade school. You want this to be a success, so you will want to ask them about what they think is needed to make the program a success and ask them what's the best way in getting students into the initial pilot group.

You'll want to work through an application process, scoring criteria, and other details necessary to get the program moving and operational.

Launch the Program

Now that you've identified the program, you've secured your partners and you've worked with HR along the way, you are ready to launch! This is going to be an exciting time. Don't worry if everything isn't perfect. Even though you've laid out all the steps and thought of as many scenarios as possible, there will be things you didn't think of and that's perfectly ok.

Run with it. Have fun with it. You will gain as much if not more than the students who are a part of your program, so know that it will be refined and made better through future iterations.

Feedback, Feedback, Feedback

Your first cohort is completed. Take some time to run through what worked, what didn't work, and what could be done better. Get feedback from your team, and make sure you are getting feedback from the participants. Make sure you are asking them what they liked, what could have been done better, and how to take it to the next level.

For us in San Bernardino, we felt it was important to document the program and to share the experiences of the students with the community.

Check out some of the exciting things the students got to experience.

At the end of the day, be bold, do something different, and give back. #CityManager #YouthDevelopment