The City of Goleta is excited to announce we are NOW accepting applications for our 2nd ever LEAD Goleta Community Academy.  LEAD stands for Learn, Empower, Advocate and Discuss. This free, interactive and eye-opening six week program is designed to help community members better understand the role that local government plays so that they can effectively participate, share that knowledge with others and possibly even consider a future role in city governance.

The upcoming LEAD Goleta Community Academy will run for six consecutive weeks every Wednesday evening from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. starting on January 8 and ending on February 12, 2020, with a celebratory graduation ceremony.  Most classes will be held at City Hall Council Chambers located at 130 Cremona Drive, Suite B, but some may be held out in the community.

Each class will be interactive and feature different key City departments giving a behind the scenes view of how City of Goleta is run.  Attendees will learn everything from how roads are maintained to what goes in to creating the City’s budget. Throughout the program, participants will be exposed to the role of local government.

The first LEAD Goleta was held earlier this year and of the 16 graduates, three now sit on Commissions.

LEAD Goleta is open to the first 25 people who submit a completed application. Priority will be given to Goleta residents, but the program is open to any resident of Santa Barbara County. The City believes that it is important to get young adults involved in the local government process and encourages teens and college students to fill out an application. Participants must be able to attend all six classes in order to be considered. Learn more and apply at https://tinyurl.com/LEADGoleta. Spots fill up quickly, so get your application in!