Memorandum of Understanding
Modern Life Skills Mentoring Project:
S.O.A.R. Youth Ambassadors - Asset Mapping Pilot
Regional Youth Civic Engagement & Leadership Development 1 I. INTRODUCTION & GENERAL INFORMATION
This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is provided to memorialize and formalize agreements reached between the Hartnell College Foundation and the City of Gonzales regarding collaborating to advance positive outcomes of the Modern Life Skills Mentoring Initiative.
Key Points of Contact:
City of Gonzales:
147 Fourth St. Gonzales, Ca. 93926
Primary Contact – Program Implementation
Jessica Olmedo-Albor, Recreation Coordinator/Administrative Analyst [email protected]
831-675-5000
Formal Approval Authority – Professional Services Agreement Carmen Gil, City Manager
Main: (831) 675-5000 | email [email protected]
Hartnell College Foundation:
411 Central Avenue, Salinas, CA 93901
Formal Approval Authority - Professional Services Agreements Jacqueline Cruz - Executive Director, Hartnell College Foundation Main: (831) 755-6810 | [email protected] Invoicing
Kira Bona - Accounting Manager, Hartnell College Foundation Direct: (831) 755-6908 | [email protected] II. PROJECT SUMMARY
A. Purpose:
KEY PARTNER will serve as a Core Partner advancing positive outcomes related to Modern Life Skills Mentoring (MLSM) Project to achieve two primary goals:
1. Engage youth leaders in the S.O.A.R. Ambassadors - Asset Mapping pilot (see Exhibit A); and
MOU_ModernLifeSkillsMentoring_AssetMapping_SOARAmbassadors_YCELD 2
2. Support ongoing youth civic engagement and leadership development, with special emphasis on addressing middle to high school youth interests related to career exploration and readiness, workforce development, and economic mobility.
B. Context:
A coalition of education and workforce system practitioners convened throughout 2020-2021, in the midst of a global pandemic, to discover local workforce gaps and connect youth to career pathways leading to well-paying jobs on the Central Coast of California. This coalition evolved to form the “Team Central Coast - Better Careers Design Group” anchored by Hartnell College, the Hartnell College Foundation, Monterey County Workforce Development Board, and the Santa Cruz Human Services Department and its Workforce Development Board. With leadership and technical assistance from Third Sector and funding support from the James Irvine Foundation, the team went through a human-centered design process to engage youth & their families, community-based organizations, and school staff on the Central Coast to develop a solution to local challenges.
As a result of these community engagement efforts, the need for first-generation immigrant youth to receive more guidance on career pathways to well-paying jobs, contributing to upward economic mobility for these youth and their families surfaced.
Additionally, the programmatic focus on engaging youth earlier in the cradle-to-career pipeline, when they are in middle school, was an important finding from community engagement. This local context is also affirmed by national research: A national career development and work-based learning leader with 25 years of related experience remarked: “CTE students start in middle school exploring and discovering career interests and inventories so that by the high school years, a more defined and concrete pathway can be built. This well-defined “road map” or “GPS” allows students to zoom in on the needed education and industry prerequisites, allowing for a successful, lucrative, and purposeful career.”
In response and further building upon engagement insights, the initial design phase culminated in bringing forward the Modern Life Skills Mentoring framework and pilot now ready for further development, implementation, and alignment for greater collective impact.
The pilot Modern Life Skills Mentoring Initiative implementation brought forward positive outcomes for youth involved, and insights leading to further investment from the Wallace Foundation. This investment includes support for Asset Mapping from a youth perspective to aid further insights of existing assets and opportunities to fortify C. Performance Period: City of Gonzales through its Gonzales Youth Council will provide services as outlined within this MOU through June 30, 2025.
MOU_ModernLifeSkillsMentoring_AssetMapping_SOARAmbassadors_YCELD 3 D. Roles & Responsibilities: Following are the roles and responsibilities each partner will provide to ensure Project success:
City of Gonzales agrees to:
1. Foster and Support Youth Civic Engagement & Leadership Development:
a. Foundational Approaches: Apply equity-grounded, age-appropriate positive youth development approach with special emphasis on effective civic engagement and leadership development.
b. Core Activities
1. Recruit and support the accountable engagement of Youth Leaders in the S.O.A.R. Ambassadors - Asset Mapping pilot experience.
2. Mentor and advise Youth Leaders to address insights, findings, and recommendations from their S.O.A.R. Ambassadors - Asset Mapping pilot experience.
3. Support ongoing youth civic engagement and leadership development, with special emphasis on addressing middle to high school youth interests related to career exploration and readiness, workforce development, and economic mobility (e.g., continuing the regional South County Youth Summit, additional community service-learning action projects, policy advocacy, etc.) c. Youth Outcomes: Programming contributes to youth acquiring developmental assets related to the following Five Key Success Elements:
1. Social-Emotional Development - Positive self-identity, intrapersonal and interpersonal relationship skills including selfawareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, and resilience.
2. Financial Literacy - Development of foundational knowledge, understanding, and skills necessary for smart money
management.
3. Career Readiness - Career exploration and pre-employment skills development connected to well-paying regional opportunities and understanding of the evolving world of work including
entrepreneurship.
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4. Civic Engagement & Leadership Development - Experiential opportunities to deepen capacity to be a contributing community member and leader.
5. Academic Success - Supporting on-time grade progression. d. Timeline: Following is a general timeline for this essential element:
1. S.O.A.R. Ambassadors - Asset Mapping Pilot
● August 2024 - November 2024
2. Ongoing Youth Civic Engagement & Leadership
■ August 2024 - June 2024
2. Contribute to Share Learning, Continuous Improvement, & Sustainability:
a. Participate in the Caring Connections Network and Community of Practice:
1. Attend and contribute to monthly gatherings (generally 2-3 hours) to enable networking, sharing approaches, learnings, and resources to support best practices as well as continuous improvement and evaluation.
2. Host a Caring Connections Network and Community of Practice gathering (collaborating with Project Manager to finalize Agenda). b. Submit a Written Report: Provide a written report documenting key activities and outcomes, including how funds were used.
E. Roles & Responsibilities - HARTNELL COLLEGE FOUNDATION: Following are the roles and responsibilities Hartnell College Foundation will fulfill as the backbone organization and fiscal agent for this project, including:
1. Distributing funds;
2. Making available resources as appropriate to support Project success (e.g., inkind facilities use, technology tools supporting virtual collaboration, copies of materials, etc.);
3. Seeking additional funding to support program reach, impact, and sustainability;
4. Raising awareness and visibility of Project and Partners; and
5. Convening, coordinating, fostering connection, and facilitating continuous improvement through the assignment of Staff primary points of contact throughout the Project, including a Project Manager.
A. Mutual Hold Harmless: Hartnell College Foundation agrees to hold harmless City, including its elected and appointed councils, boards, commissions, officers, agents, MOU_ModernLifeSkillsMentoring_AssetMapping_SOARAmbassadors_YCELD 5 employees, and representatives from any and all claims, costs and liability for any personal injury or property damage which may arise directly or indirectly as a result of Hartnell’s activities related to this Agreement. City agrees to hold harmless Hartnell College Foundation, and its elected and appointed councils, boards, commissions, officers, agents, employees and representatives from any and all claims, costs and liability for any personal injury or property damage which may arise directly or indirectly as a result of City’s activities related to this Agreement.
IV. FUNDING, BUDGET, & PAYMENT INFORMATION
In exchange for services provided as outlined in this SOW, the Hartnell College Foundation will sub-grant $10,000 to the City of Gonzales. These funds are to be used to:
1. Provide stipends &/or incentives for Youth Leaders participating in the SOAR Ambassadors - Asset Mapping pilot.
2. Support ongoing youth civic engagement and leadership development, with special emphasis on addressing middle to high school youth interests related to career exploration and readiness, workforce development, and economic mobility (e.g., continuing the regional South County Youth Summit, additional community service learning action projects, policy advocacy, etc.).
3. Host a Caring Connections Network and Community of Practice gathering.
Disbursement of funds will be made within 30 days of approval of MOU as indicated by signing and submission of this MOU by authorized parties, accompanied by Invoice from the City of Gonzales.
V. ADDITIONAL TERMS & CONDITIONS
VI. ACCEPTANCE AND AUTHORIZATION
As indicated by their signatures below and upon the authority of their respective organizations, the following parties agree to the scope, terms and conditions defined in this MOU:
X_______________________________________________________ Date: ___________ Carmen Gil, City Manager
City of Gonzales
X_______________________________________________________ Date: ____________ Jacqueline Cruz, Executive Director
Hartnell College Foundation
MOU_ModernLifeSkillsMentoring_AssetMapping_SOARAmbassadors_YCELD 6 EXHIBIT A: S.O.A.R. Youth Ambassadors Pilot: Asset Mapping Project S.O.A.R. Youth Ambassadors Pilot: ASSET MAPPING PROJECT Student Opportunity and Achievement Rising across the Salinas Valley Who are S.O.A.R. Youth Ambassadors?
● S.O.A.R. Youth Ambassadors are youth aged 15-18 residing in the Salinas Valley* who are civically engaged in their community.
o Opportunities for youth residing in additional rural regions in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties will be extended contingent upon partner agreement and resource availability. o For this pilot, this opportunity is being extended to partners directly involved with the Modern Life Skills Mentoring Initiative and/or the Salinas Valley 5 Cities Rising Initiatives who have established youth civic engagement and leadership development programs.
What do S.O.A.R. Youth Ambassadors do?
● S.O.A.R. Youth Ambassadors:
o Uplift youth voice, power, and influence to catalyze, shape, and bring about positive change in their communities;
o Collaborate within and across their communities as they organize and lead to improve conditions and outcomes; and
o Activate other stakeholders including other youth, community members, and adult leaders (e.g., policy makers, electeds, and across sectors such as government, education, non-profit, and business) on issues critical to their communities’ well-being. These include: workforce readiness and economic mobility, education, housing, healthcare, digital access and connection, sustainability, transportation, public safety, childcare, uplifting community celebratory events or milestones through arts and enrichment and other issues.
What are the S.O.A.R. Youth Ambassadors Objectives?
1. Increasing Knowledge & Skill Development: To increase youth knowledge and ability to expand access to the developmental assets and resources necessary for youth success and positive change;
2. Expanding Caring Connections & Resources: To increase connectivity and collaboration amongst youth leaders while also developing the capacity of communities to be responsive to youth interests, advocacy for co-created more effective, lasting solutions;
MOU_ModernLifeSkillsMentoring_AssetMapping_SOARAmbassadors_YCELD 7
3. Activating Youth Agency in Generating Solutions: To increase critical thinking and problem solving skills that strengthen youth’s positive self-identity, capacity and confidence in bringing about positive change; and
4. Expanding Experiential & Work-based/Linked Learning Opportunities: To provide our youth meaningful experiential/applied learning opportunities to connect to the world of work while also supporting their career and college readiness goals with a supportive mentor.
PILOT COHORT - REGIONAL ACTION PROJECT: ASSET MAPPING
Building upon insights and successes of the Modern Life Skills Mentoring pilot, this initial S.O.A.R. project focuses on youth engagement and leadership for community asset mapping of resources that support workforce readiness of our region's youth. Initial data suggested a need for improved resources for middle schoolers in Monterey County related to workforce development, economic mobility, and civic engagement.
Community asset mapping is a strengths-based approach that identifies a community’s existing resources.
This pilot cohort of S.O.A.R. Ambassadors will be engaged in an Asset Mapping project to better understand existing and needed resources that support youth readiness for in-demand, livable wage career opportunities that support their economic mobility and robust, inclusive economic development within our region. The goal of this project is to help “tell the story”of what is currently happening in rural Monterey County that supports youth development, and specifically work-based learning with special attention to crucial developmental supports for middle school to high school youth. Centering youth voices within this initiative helps to leverage their expertise and knowledge about community strengths. More specifically, our youth will:
1. Identify existing assets: Engage peers to ensure additional youth input and voices about organizations and services they use and find helpful.
2. Map and analyze resources, including relationships and networks: As youth map these resources, they will receive support in the analysis of data.
3. Highlight opportunities and gaps, advocate for data-informed action, solutions: Collaboratively identify recommendations and areas for growth and collaboratively showcase preliminary findings.
INITIAL RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Following are representative initial research questions the youth will explore:
1. What organizations and groups do youth find supportive and useful in their community?
2. Where are there work-based learning opportunities for youth? a. Examples of specific categories include: job shadowing, work tours; career panels; informational interviews - adults who share career info; volunteer opportunities; people/orgs/agencies that help youth with developing resumes and preparing for interviews, etc.
This asset mapping project will provide grant collaborators and the community with a clearer understanding of existing resources and relationships based on youth perspectives. Youth will also collaboratively identify actionable recommendations for enhancing the impact of youth-serving organizations within the rural corridor of Monterey County. By leveraging youth insights, collective impact initiatives and local organizations can better serve youth.
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EXPECTATIONS OF YOUTH
Youth leaders who sign-on to this exciting opportunity are expected to fulfill the following:
● Commit to participating in the full duration of the Project no later than Wednesday, September 2nd. ● Participate in Project Orientation & Training on Saturday, September 14th between 9am - 1pm. ● Complete assignments, communicating progress and gaining support as needed throughout the Project. ● Participate in weekly Project Team webinar/conference call. ● Make at least one presentation of initial &/ or final findings and recommendations. ● Participate in Project Debrief & Celebration (likely last week of October up to first week in November) S.O.A.R. Ambassadors
Youth from the rural communities have expertise in their own experiences and have knowledge of youth assets, needs, interests, and opportunities within their communities. Their voices and perspectives are essential when assessing current assets and identifying areas for growth. Youth can leverage their social capital with other youth in the community to gather genuine reactions and data. Youth interns will be awarded stipends to participate in an introductory workshop (4 hours), research planning workshops (~3 @ 2 hour each), data collection (~4 hours), data analysis and interpretation workshops (~3 @ 2 hour each), and report writing and presentation (~2 @ 1 hour each) as well as project Debrief & Celebration.
Total anticipated time commitment is approximately 25 hours per youth.
SUPPORT TEAM FOR OUR YOUTH
In addition to support from their current Advisors, our youth will benefit from direct training and support from two additional Adult Allies with a proven track record of nurturing and honoring youth voice, power, and influence and special subject matter expertise necessary for this project’s success. Following is an overview of Support Team Key Roles & Responsibilities:
SUPPORT TEAM of ADULT ALLIES FOR OUR YOUTH
Trainers & Mentors
Jennifer L. Lovell, Ph. D, has a doctorate in Clinical
Child Psychology, with a specialization in
multicultural psychology and pediatric psychology.
Her primary areas of scholarly interest are
community-engaged research informing child and
family health and wellness.
She has served as an adult collaborator and
supporter for three projects with the Gonzales
Youth Council since February 2020. The youthparticipatory action research conducted with GYC has received regional and national attention, and
she has co-authored two publications with youth
from these projects in peer-reviewed journals.
Rosemary Soto, RYS Consulting
With nearly two decades experience initiating and
collaborating to develop and execute collective
impact in Monterey County, Rosemary’s extensive
knowledge of and experience successfully partnering
and collaborating across sectors to increase assets,
resources for our communities, especially members
most impacted by systemic inequities, Rosemary will
serve as a powerful connector and champion for our
youth leaders.
MOU_ModernLifeSkillsMentoring_AssetMapping_SOARAmbassadors_YCELD 9 ● Integrate best/promising practices of asset mapping and youth participatory action research ● Develop and facilitate Asset Mapping training to orient and enable the youth leaders to gain knowledge, understanding, and skills necessary to successfully achieve project outcomes ● Document and organize materials so training/approach can be used by partners within the Caring Connections Network as appropriate, relevant
● Mentor & coach youth throughout the Project to support their success at all phases of the project -- from direct asset mapping, partner outreach, to preparing presentation, public speaking, including positioning, advocating their interests/perspectives
● Connect youth, project team to resources -- warm introductions, share resources, context, etc. ● Aid the youth to present on Project -- 2-3 presentations to priority stakeholders/strategic opportunities (e.g., City Councils, Board of Supervisors, School Boards, Salinas Valley 5 Cities, Caring Connections Network, &/or Bright Futures Steering Cmte, etc.
Leadership Advisors
Youth Commissioners/Councils hosted by Salinas
Valley Cities*
City of Gonzales:
Jessica Olmedo-Albor
Recreation Coordinator/ Administrative
Analyst,
Community Engagement Department
831-675-4206
gonzalesca.gov
[email protected]
147 Fourth ST. Gonzales, CA 93926
Cindy Aguilar- Castañeda
Associate Strategist - Youth Leadership
Specialist
C
4 Consulting: Activating Talent * Igniting
Results
[email protected] |
www.myc4strategist.com
City of Greenfield:
Jose Chavez Medina
Community Engagement Specialist
[email protected]
Fabiola Lopez
Community Engagement Coordinator
[email protected]
(831) 304-0116
● Recruit youth leaders will strong probability
of follow-through - ideally two consistent
representatives from each partner (keeping in
mind, youth stipend allocation per partner is
currently $1000)
● Continue providing Advisement, Coaching,
and Supervision
● Remove barriers to participation, such as
transportation to in-person trainings/sessions
● Stay apprised of youth engagement, progress
- support follow through, direct
communication with the Mentors
● Communicate as part of support, success
team
● Steward MOU/Agreement process through
formal approval
● Ensure youth leaders receive their stipends
MOU_ModernLifeSkillsMentoring_AssetMapping_SOARAmbassadors_YCELD 10 City of Greenfield
599 El Camino Real
P.O. Box 127
Greenfield, CA 93927
City of Soledad:
Jesus Valenzuela
Community Engagement Manager
[email protected]
831-356-2825
Youth Councils hosted by Non-Profit Partners
CHISPA
Teen Leadership Council (TLC) - Castroville,
North County, Salinas focus
Yvette Padilla, TLC Advisor
[email protected]
831.229.4237
Project Leadership & Management
Michelle Slade
C
4 Consulting: Activating Talent * Igniting Results
Michelle Slade | Founder & Chief Strategist
(831) 521-8254 | P.O. Box 2135, Carmel Valley, CA
93924
[email protected] |
www.myc4strategist.com
Magaly Santos*
Assisting Associate
[email protected]
● Provide project management
● Facilitate partnership, collaboration and
coordination
● Advise, mentor, coach the Adult Allies
● Aid strategic positioning and visibility
● Report on project to Hartnell, and other
stakeholders including Wallace Foundation
which is providing the funding for this
project.
Magaly may be available to provide insights on GIS as
resource for asset mapping visualization, etc. Also,
partner with Cindy for initial project management setup.
Rosie Armstrong
Director of Workforce Development: Agriculture and
Healthcare Sector Partnerships | Office of
Institutional Advancement
411 CENTRAL AVENUE | SALINAS, CA 93901
831.759.6050 Direct | 831.755.6810 Main |
831.759.6038 Fax
[email protected] | www.hartnell.edu
● Shepherd project through Hartnell policies
and standard operating procedures
● Elevate project to key stakeholders
MOU_ModernLifeSkillsMentoring_AssetMapping_SOARAmbassadors_YCELD 11
TIMELINE
Phase &
Timeframe*
KEY ACTIVITIES
Phase 1: Planning and Preparation with Core Partners
August
2024
● Affirm with Core Partner Adult Allies’ project goals, expectations, compensation, and timelines.
○ Subject Matter Experts - Training, Facilitation for Youth ○ Hosts & Advisors - S.O.A.R. Ambassadors
○ Project Management
■ Michelle Slade, C
4 Consulting - Coordination
■ Hartnell College Representative - Intermediary Director ● Finalize Youth Leader Roster
Initial Asset Search:
● Use current resources (e.g., United Way 211, Bright Futures) to create an initial list of local youth-serving organizations.
● Include citizen associations (e.g., boards, youth groups, clubs) and institutions/organizations (e.g., public programs, institutions) that support youth development in the county.
● Review resources for best practices for asset mapping. ● Conduct initial meetings with youth interns who have been selected/hired for the project.
Phase 2: Prep for Launch with Youth Leaders
September
2024
Youth-Led Project and Plan:
● Create and provide a 1-3 hour workshop for the youth on youth participatory action research and asset mapping.
● Support youth exploration of manageable project options to collect youth voices and input on youth-serving organizations for middle and high school students in the rural corridor of Monterey County.
● Support youth identification and clarification of project/research design and methodology.
Phase 3: Launch with Youth Leaders, Deep Dive into Data Collection & Analysis September -
October
2024
Engage Youth Leaders in Orientation & Training
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Data Collection:
● Support the youth interns to gather data based on their plan.
MOU_ModernLifeSkillsMentoring_AssetMapping_SOARAmbassadors_YCELD 12 Asset Identification:
● Work with grant collaborators to compile and organize data in a way that will be useful for goals of the project.
● Work with the youth and grant collaborators to develop a system for categorizing organizational assets (e.g., physical space, financial resources, and community relationships).
● Begin mapping relationships and interconnections between organizations/services.
Gap Analysis
● Identify gaps in resources and opportunities for improvement.
Phase 4: Sharing Findings
October
2024
Brief Report/Handout
● Provide and explore options for data visualization with the youth interns. ● Mentor youth to draft and edit a brief report/handout summarizing project findings. ● Share draft with grant collaborators and other stakeholders for feedback. ● Collaboratively generate actionable recommendations that will enhance the utilization of the asset list and address gaps.
● Reflect, incorporate feedback, and finalize the report/handout.
Presentation
● Collaboratively showcase findings and discuss with grant collaborators and/or community
Phase 5: Debrief Project & Celerate
End of October
2024 -
Beginning of
November
Join together to Debrief the Project and celebrate!