Since 2013, TLP has existed to help emerging and existing difference-makers develop the hard and soft skills needed to promote racial equity in their leadership. With over 180 alumni and growing, TLP leaders are radically changing the landscape of our community as influencers in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, as well as in grassroots movements, civic and voluntary board service, and as residents of metro Grand Rapids. For the past several years, TLP cohort participants have engaged in group experiential learning as part of their journey in the program. After identifying topics of interest, each group designs and implements a project related to their respective theme. At the final TLP session every group highlights their learnings through a presentation on their project. Check out the contributions that members of TLP Cohort 9 offered to the community through their group experiential learning below!

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‍Leadership and Ego

Amanda Villa, Hogla Bustos, Tamiko Teshima, Tea Sanders

The Leadership and Ego group opted to examine leadership skills from a different angle. They sought to investigate what leadership qualities actual workers in West Michigan value, examine leadership skills that may be undervalued, and how best to discover underutilized/undiscovered leadership talent. Through reading, research, and informal polling, they have identified sets of skills that can be used to inform future hiring processes. View presentation

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Financial Literacy and Generational Wealth

Alisa Flores, April Lagrone, Betsaida Valdivia, Jason King, Nikeidra DeBarge, Emma Renee Johnson

One of the biggest barriers to building and maintaining generational wealth for our communities is the lack of information and knowledge of resources that are available. Financial literacy is directly tied to our ability to build generational wealth.  This group's goal was to bring resources to the community and an opportunity for community members to hear about these resources in a direct way. They held a community event focused on the five steps to building generational wealth: budgeting, credit, insurance, investing, and homeownership.  They hosted resource tables and held a panel with five community members that were all tied to financial literacy: Staci Nichols, Oscar Rico-Alvarez, Cory Smith, Cesar Medina, and Antoinetta Freeman. 

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Education and Equity

Fredericka Brown, Jasmin Ranero-Lopez, Maximiliano Velasco, Melissa Xiong, Sharalle Ankrah, Tabitha Williams

The Education and Equity group created a podcast called Deep Impact centered around Equity in Education. They had conversations on what equity in education should look like, as well as their own life experiences dealing with inequities in education. They also discussed inequities that the refugee and immigrant community faces, and what we would like to see change. Their goal was to show the different disparities in education. What it is, and how to collectively work together to impact systems and create different outcomes.

Deep Impact Collective - Real Talk and Deep Impact Collective Episode 2