The Tunson Leadership Foundation (TLF) was formally founded in 2008, by a group of public school educators and small business owners with significant experience and contacts in various relevant industries including education, entertainment, social services and financial services.

 

In it’s first year of formal operation, TLF secured funding in the excess of $18,000 from Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks Sr., Loyola Marymount University and the Los Angeles Urban League to provide workshops and seminars for three inner city schools. The focus was to provide a cohesive leadership and life skills based curriculum in which the students would be able to develop a “Personal Roadmap©”- a blueprint to their life, as well as develop essential skills such as time management, team building and communication.

 

At the end of the 2008-2009 school year, TLF launched it’s “Fantastic 40” program offering a cohesive personal development training program to 40 students grades 9-12, at Crenshaw High School. To kick off the program, over 50 students and parents participated in a Saturday workshop and brunch while understanding the importance of parental support in an effort to personally develop students. To date, these students have participated in a trip to Los Angeles City Hall, hosted an event at the exclusive Tom Bradley Tower on the top of City Hall, received back to school supplies, SAT preparation and support, and two of our young ladies were selected out of over one hundred young women to participate in the Young Women of LADWP (Los Angeles Department of Water and Power) mentor / internship program. With the approaching of prom season, we will be providing our three senior ladies with Prom attire and accessories.

 

In 2010, TLF was involved in a community partnership with five other organizations in the formation of the P.I.E. Collaborative, under the mentorship of Councilman Bernard Parks Sr. and his 8th District City Council staff.  Our mission was to develop an interactive curriculum that focused on Prevention, Intervention and Education of Los Angeles area youth- particularly in the Crenshaw High School community.

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In addition to the grassroots work completed at Crenshaw High School, TLF has been able to serve students at Manchester Elementary School as well as a partner with the Loyola Marymount Family of Schools at Westchester High.

 

TLF Founder and Executive Director, Charné M. Tunson, was featured as a guest speaker and workshop presenter at the 2010 Western Regional Council on Educating Black Children’s Leadership Seminar in March. In the general session she had the pleasure of sharing the mission, vision and goals of TLF before prominent educators such as the late and great LAUSD Board member Marguerite LaMotte as well as George McKenna III.

 

More than ten years later, our goals include expanding our Fantastic 40 program to focus on youth with disabilities, a three-day summer retreat at Rosie's Ranch which will focus on enhancing self esteem and self efficacy, and a Parent Support Network with an aim to equip participants with the tools they need to support their children in and out of school.