VALLEJO — The Hall of History at the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum buzzes with energy as 30 high schoolers gather around tables, talk excitedly, get up for interactive exercises and swarm the snacks table. It’s a beautiful Saturday morning but these youths have chosen to spend six hours indoors, learning how to be the leaders of tomorrow through the Future Leadership Solano program.
Future Leadership Solano is a nonprofit organization that offers a free six-month program to a select group of high schoolers. Throughout seven interactive sessions, students acquire leadership skills, learn about Vallejo’s proud history and current challenges, and take action to create positive change through community impact projects.
The youth come from different high schools in Vallejo and elsewhere in Solano County, and this diversity is one of the program’s highlights. “You get to see all these students’ perspectives and the different opportunities their schools have, and you see how you can implement them to better your school or to better your environment,” said Ibrahim Edais, one of the students in this year’s program.
In the first session, the students learn about different types of personalities, explained co-founders and coordinators Paul Lamb and Toni Condit. Each is assigned a color, according to their dominant personality trait, and from then on, Lamb and Condit form groups that include people of different colors to teach the youth how to interact effectively in a diverse environment.
The program highlights learning about Vallejo through talks with different leaders in the community and field trips to various environments, such as Touro University, Cal Maritime, the John F. Kennedy Library and the police and fire departments.
These visits can spark interest in future careers. “Before I went to Cal Maritime it wasn’t on my radar,” Edais said. “It opened a new window for me, so it’s definitely something I am considering.”
Learning about Vallejo’s illustrious citizens, like Hall of Fame pitcher CC Sabathia, was another highlight for Edais, as well as finding out the key role Mare Island played during World War II. “So many people from so many diverse backgrounds were able to flourish in their own fields, you know?” he said. “And that diversity is what really makes Vallejo unique.”
For Tatara Arbab, who took the program last year and has returned as a mentor in 2026, the highlight was the mock City Hall session. Students go to City Hall chambers, chat with council members and the mayor to understand what they do, and then re-enact a mock session. They choose a topic, take on the role of mayor, council members, staff and audience, and drive a discussion and a vote.
Arbab described her involvement in the program as a joyful experience that allowed her to know a wide range of people and become herself. “I unlocked my true potential in the program last school year,” she said, “and I returned as a mentor because I believe in giving back to the community and I wanted to see the new group of people shine.”
The nonprofit is an offshoot of Leadership Vallejo, a personal and professional development program for adults. Lamb and Condit were part of the 14th cohort of the adult program and developed the concept of a youth leadership branch as their own community impact project.
At the time it was called Future Leadership Vallejo, but in 2026, Lamb and Condit decided to form their own nonprofit, called Future Leadership Solano. This allowed them to focus only on the youth and on the program’s growth. In five years, they have gone from 8 to 30 students, which is their maximum capacity.
To promote the program they send flyers to high schools and sometimes go in person to present it but, by now, most highschoolers find it through word of mouth. “This year is our biggest class ever,” Condit said. “We had 50 applicants and chose 30.”
The culmination of the program is the community impact projects that students design and run.
“It's really meant to put into practice what they learned through leadership and give back to the community,” Lamb said. “We have kids doing everything, from working with the homeless to tutoring, community cleanups, and establishing community gardens. The idea is that they start a project while they're in the program and ideally continue it afterwards.”
Condit agreed. “I'm part of Vallejo Rotary. I'm also part of the Vallejo Chamber of Commerce. I'm also on the board for the Vallejo Waterfront Weekend,” she said. “We're hoping that after exposing the youth to all the different things in the city and the community, they'll actually start getting involved in all these organizations to keep them going.”
The program is achieving its intended results. Some of the youth have become part of the city’s commissions, others have implemented meaningful community projects, like a former student who set up a hair and nail salon at Faith Food Fridays, and others have pursued a career in public service.
That’s the case for Julio Vasquez, a former graduate of the program, who is now in his second year at the University of Southern California, where he is double majoring in Political Science and Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.
Vasquez participated in Future Leadership Solano during his junior year in high school. The program, he said, gave him his first real exposure to local government, community leadership, and the ways that young people can meaningfully contribute to their cities.
“Through the sessions, mentorship, and conversations with community leaders, I began to see how policy decisions directly affect people's daily lives,” Vasquez said. “That experience sparked a deeper interest in public service and governance that continues to shape my academic and professional goals.”
Vasquez has returned as a mentor, paying it forward and helping shape the leadership skills of the next cohorts.
Future Leadership Solano, an all-volunteer organization, runs thanks to monetary and in-kind donations, with several Vallejo businesses and organizations offering food, mentors or space for gatherings.
“We want to grow the program and have a paid staff, and really go to the next level, because we've all been contributing our time, talent and money to make it happen so far,” Lamb said. Their vision for the future includes developing a playbook for leadership programs targeting youth that other cities can use.
If you are or have a kid who is a high schooler, they can apply to the program through the Future Leadership Solano website.
“If you are curious about how cities function, interested in leadership, or simply want to grow as a person, the program can be extremely valuable,” Vasquez said.
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