How can elected leaders build a diverse pipeline of future leaders in SMC by educating and engaging the youth of today about leadership opportunities? ... How can we improve perceptions about temporary housing? ...

These are examples of the questions asked by leaders of San Mateo County agencies and nonprofits and addressed by Leadership Council SMC’s Community Acceleration Project (CAP) Teams during the 2023-2024 program. There are no simple answers, but these questions are important to the work of the SMC organizations posing them. CAP Teams augment an organization’s time and resources by bringing their expertise to a problem. CAP Teams are the perfect realization of Leadership Council SMC’s mission: To connect, inspire, and educate leaders in SMC to positively impact our communities.

What's a CAP?

A CAP is the hands-on component of Leadership Council SMC’s Immersion Programs: Emerging Leaders (EL) Program and the Leadership CORPS Program (CORPS). All participants complete a CAP, enabling them to make an immediate impact for organizations across San Mateo County, while applying skills they are learning in the program.

Our EL and CORPS programs are nine-month, immersive professional development experiences framed around countywide issues, and led by influential subject-matter experts. CORPS is designed for senior-level leaders and EL is for rising leaders. Both programs incorporate civic knowledge, leadership skill development, relationship building, and hands-on community engagement (through CAPs). See Programs on our website for more information.

Making a Difference -- An Example

Noelia Corzo, SMC Supervisor representing District 2, defined a CAP to investigate this question: “In what ways can elected leaders build a diverse pipeline of future leaders in SMC by educating and engaging the youth of today about leadership opportunities?” This CAP Team consisted of five Leadership CORPS Class of 2024 participants who, in consultation with Supervisor Corzo and her team, created this project to address it:

Mission: To interrupt inequity, promote representation and belonging, and create lasting change that serves ALL.

Project Goals:

• Research efforts currently underway to make youth aware of opportunities to become civic leaders.
• Identify gaps and possible solutions for extending youth engagement to ultimately increase the number of individuals with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences seeking elected office.

Process:

• Research and document youth leadership initiatives in a defined geographic area in SMC and best processes in youth outreach.
• Gain firsthand knowledge through meetings with youth and adults from several local youth leadership organizations such as SMC Youth Commission, Youth Leadership Institute, etc.

Deliverable:

• Create a "Resource List and Toolkit" containing the project findings that will enable Supervisor Corzo and her team to access the possibilities, resources, best practices, and key considerations identified.

During the presentation of findings, Supervisor Corzo expressed her thanks to the CAP Team:

Thank you so much for the many hours you put into your work. Your observations are very valid and I’m excited to use the Resource List and Toolkit to guide how we will engage with youth in the future.

Karen Pace, Director of the Ravenswood Early Childhood Collaborative and Leadership CORPS Class of 2024 graduate, described the benefits she witnessed:

Completing a CAP as part of my CORPS experience was one of the amazing things that Leadership Council SMC provides to San Mateo County. This opportunity matched people who were passionate about a topic, in this case our CAP Team's passion for equity in education and leadership, with an elected leader seeking to create real change for her community.

SMC Organizations Served in 2023-2024

Nonprofit and public organizations interested in participating in the Community Acceleration Program apply annually, and qualifying organizations and projects are selected by Leadership Council SMC. Once the slate of projects is complete, CAP Teams are formed through a matching process with class participants. Project Leads meet monthly with their CAP Teams. 

The Class of 2024 CAP Teams served these organizations:

Nonprofits:

• El Concilio
• LifeMoves
• REACH Coalition of SMC
• Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center
• Senior Coastsiders/Thrive Alliance
• Women's Coaching Alliance (WCA)

Public Agencies:

• City of South San Francisco, Economic & Community Development Dept.
• SMC Executive’s Office
• SMC Chief Equity Office (within SMC Executive’s Office) ... Read "Making SMC Boards and Commissions Accessible to All"
• SMC Sheriff’s Office
• SMC Supervisory District 1
• SMC Supervisory District 2
• SMC Supervisory District 3
• SMC Supervisory District 5

Here's what several Project Leads from the SMC organizations had to say about the 2023-2024 CAPs:

The CAP Team provided us with some interesting policy suggestions, which we have begun to study for possible implementation.

We appreciated the collaboration! We are planning to implement the ideas developed by our group!

We found the different perspectives and experiences the CAP Team brought to the issue most valuable.

Thank you! We are very happy with the results!

How Do SMC Organizations Apply for a CAP for 2024-2025?

Community Acceleration Program Applications for 2024-2025 are now open. The application deadline is Friday, September 20, 2024, at 5 p.m.

Interested parties can watch our CAP Information Session for more details or email questions Leadership Council SMC Co-President Kaarin Hardy at kaarin.hardy@leadershipcouncilsmc.org.

CAP Program Timeline 2024 - 2025

• 8/20, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.: CAP Information Session via Zoom
• 9/20, 5:00 p.m.: Applications are closed.
• 10/4: Applicant Organizations notified of Project Selection no later than 10/4. 
• 10/14 or 10/23: Mandatory Orientation Session for the Organization's CAP Project Lead. 
• 1/24 or 1/31: Project Kick-Off: Organization Leads must be available to meet with their teams on 1/24 (Emerging Leaders Program CAP Projects) or 1/31(CORPS Program CAP Projects) 
• Monthly (from February to May): Meetings with CAP project teams 
• May 2025: Final Deliverables Completed ‍
• June 2025: Program Graduation