The Community Collaboration for Children’s Success is a youth and community engagement initiative, asking the community to help identify what youth need to succeed. Local Community Champions provide a crucial connection to the community, building relationships and asking probing questions. Champions will play a major role in outreach and data collection in each of the four CCCS neighborhoods –North Fair Oaks/Redwood City, South San Francisco, East Palo Alto, and Daly City. They’ll receive a stipend of $20/hr and will commit between 10 and 20 hours over the summer or fall. If you or a friend live in the focus cities and are enthusiastic about engaging with your neighbors and community members, it’s not too late to apply! Email mjohnston@smcgov.org for more info.

On July 21in North Fair Oaks, nine Champions-in-training gathered to practice giving surveys and holding community conversations on topics that will help us understand the assets, barriers and potential changes we can make to support youth success. Champions paired up and laughed as they tried to approach a partner playing an assigned role as a reluctant passerby or overly chatty neighbor. One champion practiced leading a focus group-style conversation, helping draw out her group’s thoughts on what barriers they faced and what opportunities could help them succeed. At the end of the training, Champions left with a packet of information and lots of thoughts on where and when they would go out to survey the community.