RLA Background

The Resident Leadership Academy is a curriculum-based, public health leadership program that empowers residents from under-served and under-resourced communities to make positive changes in their neighborhoods, especially as it relates to improving food and physical activity environments, and public safety in high need communities. The initial RLA Program was piloted in the communities of Lemon Grove, National City, Southeastern San Diego and Eastside Oceanside.

RLA was created in partnership and with funding from County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency Public Health Services and Communities Putting Prevention to Work, Healthy Works federal funding efforts. A 25-30 person External Review Committee made up of public and private sector representatives oversaw the development and implementation of the curriculum. Ultimately, CHIP produced a 450-page RLA Participant manual consisting of 10 – 2.5 hour sessions & 10 prep articles translated in Spanish and a Trainer Guide to go with it. In 2011, CHIP staff successfully facilitated 4 RLAs in North, Central, East, and South regions of the San Diego County. The RLA Pilot Program ended in March 2012 but the success made it imperative to create a business development and marketing plan that consisted of creating RLA marketing materials, and a defined cost structure for RLA replication at new sites. CHIP worked with CCPA and Prevention Institute to complete community engagement in public health trainings across California in 2012 (Fortuna, Oakland, Santa Ana, South LA, Sacramento, showcasing RLA as a replicable model of Authentic Community Engagement (ACE). In the process we earned new contracts for RLA implementation in other areas of California:  Central Santa Ana, CA (Madison Park); San Diego – City Heights; and again in Lemon Grove, CA.

NEW!! Most recently, in 2013 CHIP was commissioned by County of San Diego HHSA – Community Action Partnership (CAP) to create a RLA Train the Trainer Workshop Series, and now we have a 4 non-consecutive days (8 hours/day) T4T that are offered 1-2 per year. To date CHIP has graduated 7 RLA Train the Trainer Workshop Seminars (Cohorts) in San Diego County with a total certified: 101 RLA Trainers, Amassed 800+ RLA graduates since 2011. In addition, we have established a RLA Council that spans participation of CBOs, residents and supporters across all 6 regions of San Diego County, we host 6 RLA Supplemental Trainings per year and provide Technical Assistance for RLA’s and their Community Improvement Projects (CIP). RLA has been replicated 65+ times in San Diego (urban/rural areas), directly impacting 800+ residents that have become the driving forces behind implementation of dozens of community improvement project campaigns to improve health in underserved communities. In fact, 30% of certified RLA Trainers speak a language other than English and are providing the RLA in these other languages as well (Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic, etc.). A tool like the RLA, catalyzes sustainability, and inspires real leadership but the greatest blessing has been experiencing the transformative feeling of building real trust across a wide diversity of leaders

Pilot Communities

The Resident Leadership Academy empowers people with the knowledge, tools, strategies and commitment to make positive changes at the neighborhood level, increasing the quality of life for all residents in these initial pilot communities: Lemon Grove, National City, Southeastern San Diego and Oceanside. Click on each community below to learn more.