LOCATIONS

Neighborhood Initiative partners with McPherson Elementary School, Phillips Elementary School, Shearer Elementary School, Silverado Middle School & Napa High School

Contact Leadership Academy:

(707) 253-3488 ext. 4511

The founding project of the McPherson Neighborhood Initiative was the establishment of a Leadership Academy: Youth Leaders in Action (LAYLA) at Napa High School and Silverado Middle School in 2007. What began as a small program serving only 25 youth now serves more than 220 young people across fours schools serving elementary, middle school and high schools students. The project was developed to teach students the skills necessary to connect to, and succeed, in school, build their capacity as community leaders and learn and demonstrate the value of local civic engagement. The LAYLA program consists of three main pillars: Leadership, Connections, and College & Career Readiness. The coaches/teachers focus all of the curriculum around these three pillars to comprehensively provide youth with practical tools they can apply in their everyday life. Throughout the year the coaches/teachers work closely with these young leaders to create meaningful connections, projects and activities that will impact their views of themselves and the world around them.

The coaches/teachers collaborate with the youth to create safe spaces in order to shine light on critical and personal challenges the youth face day to day. These safe spaces are created in order to progressively develop the young people’s capacity to collaborate, think critically, communicate and be creative. Ultimately, the goal is to prepare youth to be college ready.

After launching the program across 8th grade and 12th grade, On The Move (OTM) recognized that in order to have the desired impact on the students, the program must begin much earlier in the student’s education. In order to ensure high school readiness students must begin garnering the skills and knowledge in elementary school.

For the past ten years OTM has worked to grow and develop this program to ensure the highest level of effectiveness. When the Leadership Academies began in 2007 only 7% of graduating Latino youth were qualified to attend a four-year university; today over 28% of Latino youth are college ready. The first year of the Leadership Academies, only 50% of our students attended college or trade school; today 100% of students participating in this high impact program graduate and attend college.

LAYLA at McPherson, Phillips and Shearer Elementary School

Engaging 4th and 5th graders in projects that promote leadership skills.

LAYLA at Silverado Middle School

Engaging 7th and 8th graders in projects that promote civic engagement and leadership skills at an early age. 

LAYLA at Napa High School

Designed to prepare 9th, 10th, 11th & 12th graders to excel academically, strengthen their 21st Century Skills and raise up our next generation of leaders.