This summer, Alliance San Diego took bold new steps in our efforts to mobilize for change through our new Neighborhoods Rising Institute (NRI). The goal of the NRI is to empower and educate community members and activists to move San Diego towards a progressive vision that helps all residents achieve their full potential.

In our inaugural year of the NRI, which took place this past July, we selected a cohort of 21 participants. This cohort was a multiethnic, intergenerational, multilingual, and progressive group of active community members who participated in a 9-day leadership program that included training on movement history, social justice issues, and best practices in civic engagement.

As part of the NRI, participants went out into underrepresented neighborhoods and talked to over 1,000 residents in City Heights and Southeast San Diego registering them to vote, surveying them on issues affecting their communities, and providing information on resources to assist them. You can see detailed results of our program here.