Registration is now open for SCAG’s new Future Leaders Initiative, a six-month civic leadership pilot program for young Southern Californians interested in learning how regional and local governments collaborate for long-term change. The Future Leaders Initiative is designed to prepare the next generation to shape the future of the region.

The program consists of monthly interactive online sessions led by regional experts, thought leaders, and SCAG staff, in which participants can explore planning, policy, collaboration, and advocacy. The final session will be held in person at SCAG’s downtown Los Angeles office.

Program participants will also contribute to the development of the region’s next long-term plan: Connect SoCal 2050.

Curriculum will include the following topics:

• • Community Planning 101: The role of cities and local jurisdictions in Connect SoCal and regional planning.

• • Where regional planning fits into the national planning and policy landscape.

• • Connections between long-range planning and local communities and neighborhoods.

• • Intersectional issues: The relationship between land use, transportation, public health, sustainable development, equity, and justice.

• • Policy development and advocacy: Knowledge and skill-building.

• • Changemaking: From planning to implementation.

Participants will receive a $500 stipend upon program completion.The application process for the Future Leaders Initiative opened on Oct. 14, and will be open through Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025 by 11:59pm. Individuals between 18-26 who live in one of the six-counties in the SCAG region— Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura—are invited to apply.  More information available at www.scag.ca.gov/future-leaders.