As
the only non-profit training and leadership development
institute of its kind in California (and, perhaps
the United States), our AfterSchool Leadership
Academy is also our signature program to
which we devote most, if not all, of our resources.
Through our Academy, we bring together Executive Directors
and staff from our City Scholars AfterSchool
Network® (CSAN), a
growing partnership of emerging and established neighborhood
after-school programs, ten times each year (January
- October) to learn and share best practices and discover
creative solutions to common challenges with leadership,
management and program development. Selected through
a formal application process, CSAN member agencies
may renew their membership annually. However, continued
membership is based upon active participation AND
the degree to which each CSAN Executive Director and
his/her staff have actually used what they have learned
or reached out to new contacts made through their
involvement.
As
a tuition-free program, our Academy provides our CSAN
members with exactly the on-going professional training,
coaching and support beyond the classroom and unparalled
networking opportunities in a small group with peers,
grantmakers and community leaders that they need,
but could otherwise not afford. In fact, similar
training sessions are at least $75 per person, do
not focus specifically on the unique challenges and
needs of neighborhood after-school programs and do
not provide much, if any, coaching and support after
the session.
By investing in long-term partnerships with our CSAN
members (currently 50+ program leaders and staff representing
10 non-profit, neighborhood after-school programs),
we are also able to challenge and inspire them to
turn learning into leadership and knowledge into action
that helps more than 11,000 low-income and at-risk
youth in the greater Los Angeles community stay safe,
be smart, live healthy and hold fast to their dreams
as inner - "City Scholars®."
Indeed, more than 70% of these kids are eligible
for the free or reduced-fee lunch program at their
schools.
With continued funding support, we look forward to
expanding CSAN from its current 10 member agencies
to include as many as 15 non-profit, after-school
programs that together would serve an estimated 15,000+
promising inner-city kids.
To learn more about our AfterSchool Leadership Academy
sessions,
click
here.
