Programs in Action: High School Students in Evidence-Based Roles

Near Peer Mentors Support Student Voice and Increase Civic Engagement

Indio High School, Desert Sands Unified School District

Indio High School in Coachella Valley, CA serves as a model for how community collaboration can lead to student success, and positively impact schools and communities. A 2024 Community Collaboration Challenge partner site, the school’s principal regularly convenes the Coachella Valley Leadership Team (CVLT) student advisors to expand student leadership potential and voice on various civic groups. Current student advisors serve as mentors to increase student voice, culminating in a June leadership training, led by students, for students.  The near peer pilot serves as a model to neighboring high schools for what is possible when students lead and support younger peers to find leadership opportunities to connect to their high school experience, as early as 9th grade. 

The school principal shared this bright spot: “Typically students in ninth grade coming into their freshman year do not pursue leadership until after school begins, and then it is usually a very few because of timidity or anxiety over the transition from middle to high school and a new setting. However, as a result of this project and the massive collaboration between middle and high schools that we saw, students were working together across those grades and high school for the sessions that were held. As a result, we had a full crew of ninth graders that participated in our June and August Leadership pre-service camp and ended up with a full slate of students running for office and applying for leadership class; we went from a class of 28 to 30 to almost 50!”