Future Leaders of America - Ventura County Chapter

A Program of Future Leaders of America, Inc.

• BUSINESS ADDRESS: 2021 Sperry Ave. Ste. 11, Ventura, CA, 93003; 805-642-6208, ext. 5; Fax: 805-642-6483
  
• EMAIL:FLAinfo@latinoleaders.org
  
• WEB SITE:www.latinoleaders.org/regions/ventura.php
  
• SPECIAL ITEMS: Spanish
  
• DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES: FLA-Ventura County partners with other community organizations such as Planned Parenthood, Ventura County Department of Behavioral Health, Oxnard College, Ventura College, Central Coast Alliance United for A Sustainable Economy, Ventura County Government Center, and the Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Office to collaborate on projects. Oxnard Unified School District, Fillmore High School District, and Santa Paula Union High School District provide participant referrals to the FLA project. FLA-Ventura County supports two county-wide clubs that meet twice a month at the Old Oxnard High School. The first group is called FLAMA (Future Leaders of America Master Achievers) and runs its meetings in English on Monday nights at 7 pm. Anyone can join FLAMA, which is made up of over nine high school FLA clubs in the county. A representative from each club (usually the president) attends officer meetings along with the FLAMA Council chair and co-chair of the county-wide group. Each president then goes back to their respective high schools to run weekly meetings and coordinate projects locally and county-wide. Associate membership at the high school level is also available for peers who did not attend the Leadership Camp experience in the summer. FLA is a volunteer organization in which all programs are organized and run by the students themselves. This model has proven highly successful for not only the participants who have positive peer role models to inspire, support and guide them, but also for the student staff who have the opportunity to practice leadership skills and to give back to the community that nurtured them. A typical program consists of 100 participants and 30 volunteer staff. FLA offers over thirty formal and informal programs per year, which include but are not limited to: Leadership Camp - introduction to public speaking, facilitation of groups and meetings, assertiveness training, self-esteem workshops, community empowerment workshops, goal setting for college and teambuilding exercises. FLA School Clubs - students meet weekly in their school clubs, attend quarterly workshops run by FLA mentors, and practice their leadership skills through various community service projects during they year. Enrichment Workshops - to address issues that adversely affect the Latino population, such as teen pregnancy, STDs, drug awareness, immigrant legislation, education, and more. University Seminars - these seminars bring together FLA youth from all six FLA chapters across the state to network, meet new role models, explore new career opportunities, and better access higher education. Staff Training - trains youth to become "peer mentors" to run numerous programs and develop civic engagement projects to benefit their community. Parent Leadership Component - these camps are held in Spanish and have been successful in involving the entire family, from infants to grandparents, to help them bond, increase communication, and demonstrate support to one another. Parents learn to seek new resources, advocate for their children and be open minded to the vast range of opportunities available for their children and family in America in an effort to increase parental involvement and academic achievement in Latino communities. California Issues Initiative - engages students in participatory research to become informed citizens and problem solvers in the community. Leadership Conference - the Leadership Conference is FLA's flagship program. During the summer after 8th and 9th grade, students participate in this six-day program. Interactive workshops and activities led by FLA volunteer staff include public speaking, assertiveness training, team work, self-esteem, communication tools, skills for conflict management, and goal setting for college. Students return to their communities as more resilient individuals, capable of making healthy decisions and following a plan for success in high school, college, and beyond. Furthermore, students who feel more comfortable expressing themselves in Spanish can join FLA through a three-day Empowerment Conference tailored to the needs of recent immigrant youth. This camp builds a healthy level of self esteem in youth and is followed up by another three day "Peer Helper Camp," where students learn to assist their friends and family by asking for help and tapping into resources available in their school or community. FLA School Clubs - youth who complete the Leadership Camp or Empowerment Camp, stay involved in FLA through participation in FLA clubs at school and county-wide activities. Students meet weekly in their school clubs, attend quarterly workshops run by FLA mentors, and practice their leadership skills through various community service projects during the year. These projects include one day community service opportunities such as Toys for Tots, Food Share, El Dia del Nino Community Festival, and interactive workshops for elementary school students. Through the annual "Cinco de mayo con orgullo" project, students develop community-wide strategies to eliminate youth access to alcohol and drugs and learn about their Latino heritage and how it is used to market products. FLAMA ("FLAME") and Chispas ("Sparks") club members raise all their group funds for educational excursions and year round incentives for participation. Students meet regularly to participate in the planning and coordination of all events and community service projects along with the support of FLA adult mentors. Enrichment Workshops - in addition to leadership training, FLA believes in a holistic approach to empower individuals and groups to create personal and social change. FLA partners with other community organizations and community colleges to offer Enrichment Workshops, such as the "Latina Superwoman" conference. FLA participants, students and parents become engaged in topics such as getting involved in school clubs, understanding the challenges that face their communities, visiting courthouses to avoid the pitfalls of victimization, and learning to manage inter-generational communication issues. University Seminars - FLA alumni who are currently enrolled at universities (such as Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of San Diego, Westmont), gather to plan, coordinate and implement 2-day seminars addressing social and academic issues relevant to Latino youth. These over night visits introduce youth to university life and FLA students who are enrolled there. Topics include civic engagement, career opportunities, human sexuality and health education, family issues, arts and culture. These seminars bring together FLA youth from all six FLA chapters across the state to network, meet new role models, explore new career opportunities, and better access higher education. Staff Training For Volunteers - the Staff Training Camp trains students to mentor others, lead groups, and move up the various levels of volunteer duties/positions: A-team, Peer Facilitator, Facilitator, Intern, and Director. Because students are so committed to FLA for giving them a future, they stay involved through high school and college and even while they are beginning their careers. As a result, there are always peers, one or two years older to support and guide those younger to navigate the system and access opportunities. These trainings build upon the skills implemented at the Leadership and Empowerment Conferences as well as other skills that transfer into their daily lives: STD and HIV Awareness, College Essay Writing, Running for Student Government, and Presentation Skills. Parent Leadership Component - these camps are held in Spanish and have been successful in involving the entire family, from infants to grandparents, to help them bond, increase communication, and demonstrate support to one another. This is a 3-day camp for parents and siblings of FLAers who have participated in the Leadership or Empowerment camps in years prior. Parents learn to seek new resources, advocate for their children and be open minded to the vast range of opportunities available for their children and family in America. This program for families has been successful for over five years in Ventura County and has been deemed a model program by the UCSB - School of Education - ENLACE Program, for increasing parental involvement and academic achievement in Latino communities. FLA is very proud to be one of the few programs that effectively involves Latino parents in the education of their children by developing the skills and confidence needed to step foot into the schools with questions and expectations. California Issues Initiative - FLA partners with a variety of community based organizations geared towards public policy research and advocacy around health issues, living wage coalitions, and sustainable development. FLA is piloting a nine month (June - March) "California Issues Initiative" for 35 seniors in high school and community college students that trains them to conduct participatory research, organize youth around social justice projects, and introduce globalization and environmental issues through community service projects that engage youth. Students who complete the Leadership Camp can experience collaborating with youth from diverse socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds who have a commitment to better the lives of all people locally and world wide. Evaluation - an independent evaluator, Dr. Peter Ellis, Executive Director of Crime Prevention Associates, has designed a Performance Logic Model Evaluation System for all FLA programs. The FLA Evaluation System incorporates the latest research and recommendations of researchers and evaluators that call for a "Theory of Change Logic Model" approach to evaluation designs. This model is implemented by FLA staff and volunteers to assess outcomes of programs and club activities. This outcomes-based system has been deemed effective by the United Way, County Alcohol and Drug Prevention Programs, and the California Youth Authority.
  
• LIST OF SERVICES: Advocacy | Community Services | Leadership Development | Life Skills Training | Mentors | Self Esteem | Self Sufficiency | Testing and Assessment | Volunteer Opportunities | Youth | Youth Programs and Clubs