The James Irvine Foundation is excited to launch a new effort, called Leadership When it Matters Most, to spotlight Leadership Award recipients who have pivoted to address the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges. By highlighting the work of these leaders, we hope to help policymakers, funders, and practitioners learn about and advance effective solutions in six issue areas: education, environment, health, human services, public safety, and workforce and economic development.

Education

We spoke with five Leadership Award recipients who worked in their community to support students and their families as they navigated pandemic-caused disruptions to school and learning. Their efforts included:

  • Rapidly deploying technology to students and families where district resources lagged
  • Establishing food pantries to meet the growing needs of students and families
  • Creating a new community service corps to deploy youth’s technology skills to meet real-time community needs and to provide reading assistance for young learners
  • Developing new digital resources for youth recreation and virtual student engagement
  • Providing direct financial assistance to keep families in stable housing to allow for educational continuity

Environment

We spoke with five Leadership Award recipients who worked in their community to address a wide variety of challenges exposed by the pandemic. Their efforts included:

  • Launching new land restoration projects to provide low-barrier green jobs, build green infrastructure, and improve biodiversity and community resilience
  • Building inexpensive air filtration systems to improve air quality for rural Californians who are at increased risk of getting sick or dying from COVID-19
  • Providing direct financial assistance to vulnerable Californians, especially undocumented Asians, older adults, and families with young children
  • Helping low-income communities of color access online meetings and public hearings by providing devices and technology training
  • Distributing personal protective equipment to farmworkers and stopping utility shutoffs for inland Californians

Health

We spoke with four Leadership Award recipients who worked in their community to support students and their families as they navigated health-related challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their efforts included:

  • Providing a platform for young people of color to call for change in the social, economic, and environmental conditions that contribute to health inequities
  • Utilizing telehealth to provide vital health care to those who are medically or socially vulnerable or who lack access to providers or health insurance
  • Providing basic needs such as food and diapers to low-income individuals and families
  • Delivering prescription medicine and healthy food to patients’ homes
  • Providing virtual educational programming and advising to underserved students who aspire to be health care professionals

Human services

We spoke with seven Leadership Award recipients who worked in their community to support students and their families address challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Their efforts included:

  • Deploying large-capacity handwashing stations and hygiene kits to support unhoused people
  • Providing remote mental health care, including case management, therapy, and classes
  • Distributing financial assistance such as rent, utility payments, and gift cards
  • Supplying basic needs such as housing, diapers, personal protective equipment, and food
  • Providing hotel vouchers, hotel rooms, and safe sleeping spaces for youth experiencing homelessness
  • Launching an intergenerational vaccine corps of retired medical professionals and younger volunteers to help low-income and ethnically diverse populations get equal access to the vaccine
  • Developing a new technology literacy program for young people to ease the transition to virtual learning
  • Launching a youth-led and produced podcast series on policy

 

Public safety

We spoke with three Leadership Award recipients who worked in their community to help justice-involved individuals and people working in the criminal justice system navigate challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their efforts included:

  • Delivering care packages containing healthy snacks, toiletries, reading and writing materials, and accurate information about COVID-19 to incarcerated people
  • Securing food trucks and portable showers for prison staff to boost morale and promote their mental and physical health
  • Conducting legal representation and therapy by phone and written letter, and developing resources to help parole applicants navigate new technology while appearing in front of the Board of Parole Hearings
  • Providing virtual legal education, case management, and mentorship to youth involved or at risk of being involved in the juvenile justice system

 

 

Workforce and economic development

We spoke with four Leadership Award recipients who worked in their community to support people of all ages as they navigated the challenges of a disrupted workforce. Their efforts included:

  • Providing targeted financial support to minority- and women-owned businesses
  • Delivering monthly payments and financial capability services to low-income youth
  • Offering apprenticeship programs for people with significant barriers to employment
  • Providing employment opportunities while preserving the environment through recycling