Paid Youth Volunteer Opportunity for High Performing Students in Southeastern San Diego

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Center for Neighborhood Innovation is launching a new youth driven community engagement program. Youth Engaging Southeast (YES) aims to engage local high achieving high-school students ages 16-18 in planning the future of their community. YES will offer students leadership development, hands-on civic engagement experience, public speaking experience, as well as direct access to Jacobs Center leadership to ensure the youth voice is heard when it comes to the revitalization of Southeastern San Diego.

YES’ first initiative is related to gathering input on the Jacobs Center’s Town Center Master Plan and will be used to inform future development opportunities that will bring housing, services, and amenities that increase the quality of life to the community.  

YES is currently seeking to recruit 25 high performing high-school students who live in Southeastern San Diego ages 16-18 to volunteer to engage with their neighbors, peers, co-workers, and others in their networks to collect surveys on what type of developments they would like to see more of in their community. For this initial initiative monetary stipends will be provided to students based on the number of completed surveys they collect. Students will have from June 24 – July 22 to collect 50 completed surveys or more. Students have the opportunity to earn up to $1,000.

Requirements

Students must be ages 16-18, have a 2.5 GPA or higher, live in Southeastern San Diego (City Council District 4), and be civically minded.

Orientation 

A mandatory orientation will be held Wednesday, June 22 from 6 – 7:30 pm at the Joe & Vi Jacobs Center (404 Euclid Ave., San Diego, CA 92114). Dinner will be provided. 

Students must bring proof of their GPA to the orientation. Proof can be in the form of any official school document (report card, transcript, letter from a teacher on school letterhead, etc.) Parents and guardians do not need to attend the orientation but are welcome to if they like. Students must attend the orientation in order to participate.

If you know of students who are invested in their community or looking to get more involved, have the student or their parents/guardian contact Alex Zaragoza at azaragoza@jacobscenter.org or (619) 527-6161 ext. 297 to register them for the orientation. 

There will be additional opportunities (paid and unpaid) in the future for these students to serve as advocates for their community as a part of the YES program.