Examples of Good Practice from Coastline Community College

Kaleidoscope Leadership Institute

The Kaleidoscope Leadership Institute is a development workshop designed to help women of color advance in the field of higher education. The institute was designed to celebrate and enhance the achievements of primarily women of color in higher education. Here, women of color who are currently succeeding in roles as presidents and CEOs share their professional and personal experiences relating to leadership and achievement. This Institute also prepares other participants for similar leadership positions by exploring issues in higher education and analyzing barriers that prevent different cultural groups from connecting. Kaleidoscope provides guidance on setting and achieving personal and professional goals. In 2002, Coastline Community College brought Kaleidoscope to Orange County and now coordinates/hosts the leadership institute each fall. The overall goals for Kaleidoscope are to:

  • Strengthen women of color’s understanding and skills in dealing with issues of ethnicity and gender.
  • Empower women of color leaders so they can be builders of unity in their personal lives and professional lives in higher education.
  • Enhance the general awareness that such a need still exists in America today and advocate a “level playing field” for women of color by building a more inclusive campus environment.

Coastline Community College believes in the Kaleidoscope leadership institute and plans to continue hosting the workshops and expanding participation each year. As participants are inspired by this workshop, we hope to see an increase in women of color leaders throughout our own district, and nationwide. One day, we hope to see higher education leadership that is a true representation of the diverse student populations in which they serve, inclusive of men and women of every ethnic background.

The Africa Project

The Africa Project is an international cause adopted by Coastline’s student group, the Student Advisory Council. It all started with a film. After watching the 2003 BBC Documentary by Brian Woods and Deborah Shipley called The Orphans of Nkandla (which profiles a village of children orphaned by AIDS), Coastline’s Student Advisory Council (SAC) members knew for certain that they wanted to get involved with a cause known as The Africa Project.

SAC created events to raise funds for The Africa Project, knowing that 100% of what they raised would go directly to the village of Nkandla. In September of 2007, they hosted a benefit concert. In December 2007, they encouraged Coastline faculty and staff members to contribute as part of a holiday drive and numerous cards were exchanged with the kind words, “In honor of you this holiday season, I’ve donated to The Africa Project.”

Their first face-to-face experience with students living in Nkandla came in mid-December when the principal of Velangaye School, Mr. Ngogi Mahaye, visited Coastline with a recently-graduated member of the Velangaye Student Council. In March, three members of SAC flew to Africa to visit the Velangaye school and actively pursue their role as global citizens. Global citizens are those who understand and appreciate the heritage of their own culture and that of others, and Coastline’s general education philosophy emphasizes this.

After spending more than twenty hours on a plane, the SAC members boarded a bus for the three-hour trip to Nkandla, a small rural city where many children have been orphaned by the AIDS virus. Although the children of Nkandla face extreme adversity, Coastline students found that they share many of the same hopes and dreams as children in the U.S. They discovered that even in the most remote corners of the world, education is thought of as the pathway to success.

At Coastline, we believe it is not only a priority but our responsibility to emphasize the importance of creating “world citizens.” These are students that are aware of the world around them and are responsive to it. It helps them to see, for example, that the world is bigger than just Orange County and yet we are connected in some way or another. After all, the world is but one country and we are one people. We are responsible to each other, even if we are a half a world away. The SAC students’ journey to Africa is also symbolic of Coastline’s mission in helping our students to achieve success within and beyond the traditional classroom.

The Latino Youth Leadership Conference

The annual Latino Youth Leadership Conference is an event hosted by Coastline Community College and the local branch of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) for the purpose of engaging Latino youth and inspiring them to pursue higher education. Coastline has always been a prominent supporter of minority education, and this workshop showcases that support.

The one-day workshop, which attracts more than 200 students a year from three major high school districts, is focused on teaching leadership skills that students can apply to college or a career. Topics include: Leadership and Personal Capacity Building, Student Financial Aid Options, How to Succeed in College, Preparing for a College or Job Interview, and Lessons in Financial Education. Teens attending the no-charge event also receive a free lunch, enjoy live entertainment (music), and receive a gift bag filled with information on higher educational options plus educational tools such as flash drives, folders, notepads, pens, pencils, and more.

LULAC, Coastline’s partner for this event, is a well-known, national organization whose mission is to advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of the Hispanic population of the United States. “LULAC has always believed that the only way for our community to succeed is through education and what better partner than Coastline, a visionary institution which cares about the Latino community,” remarked Benny Diaz, LULAC’s Orange County Foundation President. “Our alliance is a win-win situation for all the partners involved but more importantly the ultimate winners are our youth.”

This page is part of a series of Examples of Good Practice.