The Resident Leadership Academy (RLA) facilitated by Community Health Improvement Partners (CHIP) recently graduated its newest group of RLA Facilitators who were also the first to experience the RLA Train the Trainer Workshop virtually via the NEW RLA Train the Trainer Workshop Online Course.

The RLA is a curriculum based public health leadership program that teaches residents from underserved areas how to be a health advocate for a lifetime, especially as it relates to addressing the issues of public safety, healthy food access and increasing the quality of physical activity opportunities in the community. The RLA was co-founded in 2011 by Dana Richardson, CHIP President & CEO, and Yeni L. Palomino, CHIP Vice President in partnership with the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency Public Health Services. 10 years later, the RLA has been replicated over 80 times and has amassed over 900 graduates of the program. In 2013, CHIP introduced the first of its kind RLA Train-the-Trainer Workshop (RLA T4T) workshop to help certify individuals as RLA Facilitators to successfully replicate the community-based Resident Leadership Academy. Despite the current COVID-19 times, many RLA groups have continued to work together and do the essential work to support residents and communities.

This past April 2021, the RLA graduated 14 new individuals from across San Diego County as part of its ninth cohort of T4T Certified RLA Facilitators. Unlike its previous eight cohorts where instruction was in person across 4- eight hour non-consecutive days, this workshop was done entirely online through virtual platforms to keep everyone safe from COVID-19 risks. This was the first time the RLA T4T workshop was conducted virtually and the RLA T4T students were able to participate in the course through Google Classroom, Zoom “Connect Days,” and virtual presentation submissions. This intensive workshop teaches participants how to conduct their very own RLA group and covers important session topics ranging from Community Building Principles, Healthy Food Systems, Land Use Community Planning to  Leadership, Advocacy, and Policy Development. Previously recorded video instruction on how to conduct the 10-course curriculum was also available to the students via Google Classroom.

The first-of-its-kind online classroom environment provided a combination of independent study and interactive discussion between students and instructors. RLA co-creators, Dana and Yeni, also provided opportunities for one-to-one advisement and support’. “Instructors of the RLA T4T are definitely leaders and experts within the community. They provided real time examples and encouraged participants to share their experiences,” shared one RLA T4T Spring 2021 graduate.

On the final day of virtual Zoom instruction, the students expressed their gratitude for this invaluable opportunity to lead and inspire communities. “I have really enjoyed getting to know everyone and how to move issues of importance up to decision makers. I am so in love with the process and bringing a better quality life to communities that haven’t gotten an equitable seat (or even a place in the room) at the table,” shared one RLA T4T Spring 2021 graduate. The graduates are now equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to help lead residents to make a positive impact on community health in their own communities.

The first virtual RLA Train-the-Trainer Cohort proved to be a great success! The RLA hopes to continue providing more opportunities for others to become certified RLA Instructors whether that be in-person or online, so long as there are students eager to learn how to be health advocates and leaders for life there is an RLA Train the Trainer Workshop option for you!

For More Information

To learn more about the Resident Leadership Academy, please email Yeni L. Palomino at ypalomino@sdchip.org. You can also visit CHIP’s RLA website at https://www.sdchip.org/initiatives/resident-leadership-academy/