Rooted and Rising: Youth Leaders

A healthy democracy depends on active participation — volunteering, dialogue, collective problem-solving, and shared leadership. 

Yet too often, young people are positioned as recipients of services rather than contributors to solutions. Access to meaningful civic engagement remains uneven. By supporting existing youth leadership programs that combine skill-building, real-world civic action, and authentic youth voice, we invest in youth as partners, problem-solvers, and community leaders. Additionally, we prepare the next generation to use their voices to shape the communities they live in.

San Diego’s youth bring resilience, creativity, and a strong desire to contribute. Investing in their leadership today not only addresses current civic challenges but also supports the long-term strategy to strengthen the region’s social fabric and future vitality. 

The Vision:

To cultivate a generation of young people who are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to participate fully in civic life, shape their future, and contribute to a more inclusive and equitable future for all San Diegans.

The goal of this initiative is to invest in youth leadership programs that cultivate skills, confidence, and pathways for civic engagement* through real-world problem-solving and sustained participation. 

*For this initiative, civic engagement is defined as nonpartisan efforts that strengthen democracy by fostering dialogue, participation, collaboration, and shared action for the common good. 

The initiative supports programs that: 

• Prepare middle and high school-aged youth with leadership, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• Offer experiential learning tied to real community issues (e.g., health and well-being, arts and culture, climate resilience, democratic participation).
• Build supportive networks connecting youth to mentors, civic leaders, and workforce pathways.
• Center and elevate youth voice through storytelling, content creation, and visible leadership roles. 

Programs must provide ongoing engagement and culminate in an action project where youth actively contribute to community solutions. Priority will be given to programs that meaningfully engage youth across all forms of differences. 

By strengthening the ecosystem of youth leadership development, the initiative ensures that young people across San Diego see themselves as stakeholders — and are prepared to lead positive change.