We Get Results
Business/Education Career-Path Program
Leadership Vallejo class members worked with Vallejo high schools to launch the first biotech academy. Working with local biotech companies, including Touro and Kaiser, in partnership with the Vallejo City Unified School District, the program helps students learn about career opportunities in the field, get hands-on exposure, and learn marketable skills. The curriculum design, mentorship and internship model has now been expanded to create additional academies for Hospitality and Media Graphics.
Nationally, the academy structure has proven effective in increasing test scores, and more students are entering college and finding employment after graduation. The overall vision of the Vallejo team was to build a more positive perception of Vallejo Schools, and to create a viable educated workforce that will position Vallejo as a great place to raise children and build thriving businesses.
There are already over 100 students in the bio tech academy with enrollment projected to triple in the next two years.
Vallejo Youth Activities Coalition (VYAC)
Most youth programs in Vallejo are non-profit organizations -- run by parents and volunteers -- and face common issues of recruiting membership, raising capital, finding volunteers, facilities, development and public relations.
The Vallejo Youth Activities Coalition (VYAC) was formed by a Leadership Vallejo team to bring together representatives of all participating youth programs in the community, identify common interest projects, and eliminate duplication of effort. In a time of extremely limited city and school-system resources to support youth programs, VYAC is leveraging the volunteer spirit and community commitment of local citizens to benefit youth programs in the City of Vallejo.
Volunteer Vallejo
With initiative from Leadership Vallejo, a new website has been created (www.volunteervallejo.org) which enables those interested in volunteering in Vallejo to match up with area organizations looking for volunteers. The site allows organizations to post detailed descriptions of the skills and resources they need, and volunteers to quickly find those offerings best matching their interests, passions and skills.
Team Tennessee
With the goal of restoring Vallejo’s pride in its past and hopes for its future, a small group of Leadership Vallejo members formed Team Tennessee. Concentrating on an approximately one-mile stretch of Tennessee Street from the Mare Island Causeway to the I-80 intersection, team members surveyed business members and owners about their concerns, visiting each one personally.
Three committees were formed of business owners and LV members: Graffiti & Crime; Beautification; and Traffic & Pedestrian Safety. Following up on their surveys, team members helped business owners create a phone tree, showing block by block the businesses that agreed to participate and providing contact numbers for each. The phone tree allows businesses to alert each other of perceived dangers even prior to notifying local authorities. Through this practice, local business people were encouraged to band together in the interest of community and hopefully deter poor behavior and crime.
Other more visible results were a series of banners with positive words such as Dream, Enjoy, and Welcome, that were hung from lamp posts along Tennessee Street. Pedestrian Crosswalk signs were placed at five major intersections to improve pedestrian safety; a barrier was added in front of the bank at Tennessee and Broadway to prevent illegal and dangerous parking by people stopping to use the ATM. Also in the works are solar lights in the trees and repainting of curbs to highlight restricted parking areas.
Learn more about Team Tennessee at http://teamtennessee707.tripod.com/
|
