What is the Tallahassee Future Leaders Academy (TFLA)?
The Tallahassee Future Leaders Academy (TFLA) is the City of Tallahassee’s award-winning gem of a summer youth employment program. TFLA is led by the Department of Housing and Community Resilience, with support and help from a variety of individuals and organizations vested in the development and success of Tallahassee youth. Teens earn a paycheck working at a job placement and participating in weekly training/events.
TFLA keeps track of how many graduating program completers go on to attend higher education, trade school, certification programs, or military after high school graduation. Participating youth agree to respond to periodic surveys to share their path and plans post-graduation for a five-year period.
Trainings, visits, speakers, and opportunities are graciously provided by City of Tallahassee Professionals and TFLA Business and Community Partners who are vested in the development and success of Tallahassee youth. Activities vary, but include career exploration, exercising minds and bodies, everyday leadership, resume writing, digital storytelling and design, financial literacy, service learning, and college exposure through pioneering partnerships with Florida A&M University, Florida State University, and Tallahassee Community College, and Lively Technical College.
The Seven TFLA Pillars
Employment: Work all summer, earning minimum wage (higher for returning TFLA employees who completed the prior year). Put your job-readiness skills into practice at a Job Placement and meet with an on-site mentor weekly. TFLA is a great place to learn and practice job skills that can help you now and are transferrable to your future too!
Summer 2023: TFLA Youth Leaders work eight weeks from June 5 – July 28. You’ll work 16 hours/week at a Job Placement and 8 hours/week between TFLA Training and Events. TFLA Youth Ambassadors will begin a little earlier (preservice training), work 25 hours / week during the main program weeks, and work the week after to help close things down at the end of the summer.
Job-Readiness Skills: Learn great skills that can help you this summer and in future professions. Things like communication, body language, professionalism, and advocating are useful throughout your life.
Summer 2023: TFLA employees are paid for all scheduled work and training.
College and Career Exposure: Take part in campus tours and find out about different pathways and what higher education has to offer. Survey your interests and skills and learn about future careers and what types of problems you want to solve as a part of your future career.
Summer 2023: We’re so fortunate to receive VIP campus tours and experiences locally to help you think about what you want your future to look like. You’ll hear and learn from college students, faculty, and staff who know the ropes and have been where you are.
Financial Literacy: Learn what financial literacy and your money is all about. You’ll earn a paycheck every two weeks, and it’s yours to make decisions with. Save and spend wisely, keeping your short-term and long-term goals in focus.
Summer 2023: With the leadership of our sponsor, Prime Meridian Bank, you’ll practice “adulting” during a TFLA event where you make the decisions adults do: housing, transportation, clothing, entertainment, childcare, insurance, debt – Is your simulated job and salary enough to meet your needs and wants?
Community Impact: Discover how to impact your community positively. How does the City of Tallahassee strive to make a positive difference with citizens? How can you serve your City and be an active citizen?
Summer 2023: Learn from those who are doing it now, and find out where you fit in. There are impactful ways to do this through local government, through non-profits and organizations, and probably in ways that you can think of where solutions don’t yet exist.
Leadership: How can you lead from wherever you are? What are leadership qualities to promote and practice? What systems-thinking habits will help you to be your best as a leader and as a part of a group?
Summer 2023: How do you look at a situation? Are you reactive? Proactive? A gatherer? Where do ethics lie in your decision-making? Do you take everything on solo? What are advantages and disadvantages to your approach? What could be adjusted for the outcome that is best? Where is best to lead? Where should you follow – and who should you follow?
Personal Health and Wellness: Begin or continue your path towards being healthy. Health and wellness impacts work, school, and both our present and future selves. Your future starts today!
Summer 2023: How can mindfulness be used on the job and other parts of your life? How does your current brain, not yet fully developed until age 24, operate – and how can you use that information as an employee and in life? Your physical and mental health and all-around wellness are important at all stages of life. You’ll learn how small habits can spark big changes.
Roles for Youth
Teens looking for more information about TFLA should also click on the “For Youth” button, below. For all positions, Youth apply through the City of Tallahassee employment website and complete ALL hiring requirements, including living in the City of Tallahassee and being age-eligible based on the related job description.
TFLA Youth Ambassadors
Youth Ambassadors have been a successful TFLA Youth Leader employees, completing one or more prior summers, who are now interested in being a positive role model for and leader within TFLA.
Youth Ambassadors, employed by the City of Tallahassee, take part in pre-service training (start sooner) and help to close the program down at the end of the summer (end later), work more hours and more weeks at a higher salary, have greater responsibilities, challenge themselves in a variety of ways, and step up to take their leadership and personal growth to a new level. Ambassadors step up and lean in to their roles by taking a leader role in training and events (coming in early and ensuring things are cleaned up before leaving), and working in an assigned work placement.
Hourly salary is dependent upon year(s) of successful completion in the role. See the Ambassador job description 779 here.
TFLA Youth Leaders
Youth Leaders work as an active participant in training, events, and an assigned work placement, growing, earning, and learning as a City of Tallahassee employee.
Hourly salary is dependent upon year(s) of successful completion in the role. See the Youth Leader job description 764 here.
TFLA 2023 Information
We are hosting several TFLA Youth and Family Info Sessions to share plans for Summer 2023, remind youth what documents are needed if selected for hire, and answer questions you may have. Attendance by the TFLA Applicant (Youth Leader or Ambassador) and an adult family member (unless teen is 18 years old) is mandatory for consideration for employment.
Please register to attend an Info Session (click here to register).
Interested in applying for an Ambassador position and want to learn more? We are hosting additional sessions specific to the Ambassador position. Sign up here.
Attendance by the TFLA Applicant (teen) and a parent/guardian (unless teen is 18 years old) is mandatory for consideration for employment.
For more information about Tallahassee Future Leaders Academy, please contact Dr. Tara Huls at tara.huls@talgov.com.