A new program at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), Leadership Development and Capacity Building, has helped Spanish-speaking citizens involved in volunteer-based organizations enhance their leadership skills and bolster their ability to address pressing issues within their communities.
More than 70 Spanish-speaking citizens from three organizations, Families and Communities Together Orange County (FaCT), the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, and the Delhi Community Center, developed individual leadership skills, learned how to manage small group dynamics, and worked on creating organizational purpose and structure during the 30-hour non-credit course held on Saturdays in November.
“Many Spanish-speaking residents are taking on leadership positions at volunteer organizations, such as soccer clubs, churches and neighborhood associations. Yet few programs provide comprehensive and effective leadership development for them,” said Juan Benitez, interim director of the Center for Community Engagement (CCE), which coordinated the program with Professor Rigoberto Rodriguez and 16 students from his Chicano and Latino Studies Senior Colloquium class.
Participants received a certificate in Leadership Development and Capacity Building from CSULB’s University College and Extension Services. They also have the opportunity to enroll in two additional non-credit courses offered later in the year focusing on designing and implementing a community project, and advocating for policy and systems change.