Community Scholars, Inc.
Community Scholars is a non-profit organization established in El Paso, Texas. The youth leadership development program hires high school sophomores/juniors and college students to study public policy and economic development topics in the Paso del Norte Region. The program offers paid internships to students who academically rank in the top 20 percent in their class and who also have demonstrated a record of academic rigor and community service. By offering paid internships, the organization seeks to address El Paso's "brain drain," and begin to attract young talent back to their hometown to help move  the community forward. Interns analyze all policy matters in small groups, ultimately understanding how policy comes to fruition and how numerous policy decisions affect the community. Topics generally focus on the areas of healthcare, education, workforce development, infrastructure, transportation and any other issue that is affecting the region. The organization is well known for its 1999 report regarding El Paso branch financial institution's lending practices, analyzing whether the banks were meeting the credit and depository needs of El Paso. The report was received negatively by local financial and business institutions, including the chambers of commerce and some of the  University of Texas at El Paso's business department professors. Funding. The organization has received constant criticism for its reliance on local school districts to provide a majority of its funding. It annually approaches school districts to partner with the organization to provide youth leadership skills to its students. The organization reports back to the districts on an annual basis to allow participants in the program to discuss the impact the internship experience has had on them.