Youth Leadership Sought
|
 Silicon Valley Independent Living Center is proud to announce the second class of its newly established Youth Leadership and Outreach Program. SVILC is ecstatic to be the first locally-based leadership training for youth with disabilities in California. Eliza Riley, SVILC’s Youth Leadership and Outreach Coordinator, a person with a disability herself, knows how important it is for disabled youth to have peer support and role models to identify with. “I want to be a role model for working in a new and different way,” Riley says. The program includes an 8-week training session that will teach the youth about disability history, disability culture, their rights under disability laws such as the Americans With Disabilities Act, how to handle disability-based discrimination and disability pride. The training sessions will repeat throughout the year, each providing its own “graduating class.” Other components of the Youth Leadership Program include a Youth Advisory Board and Peer Mentoring. The Youth Advisory Board will provide youth-based leadership and direction for the program. Peer Mentors will provide support and guidance to the younger participants coming up through the program. This program was made possible from a California Department of Rehabilitation grant, awarded to SVILC in partnership with the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers. Riley is still looking for participants ages 14-25, and there is no deadline to apply. There is no cost to participate or apply. For more information contact her at 408-894-9041 Ext. 222. SVILC is a disability social justice and advocacy organization that provides comprehensive services to individuals with any and all types of disabilities in Santa Clara County. For more information go to www.svilc.org. Eliza Riley |