Woodland Youth Council receives anonymous yuletide surprise
by Lamar Heystek,
Coordinator, Woodland Coalition for Youth
An elderly man of modest means stopped by the Yolo Family Resource Center on Dec. 17 bearing what he called “a little Christmas gift” — a $500 check made out to the Woodland Youth Council, a group of two dozen young people dedicated to working with adults to make positive community changes for youth.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, is a four-year Woodland resident who was moved to share his modest savings after reading about the Woodland Youth Council's recent canned-food drive in The Daily Democrat. He found more information about the Woodland Youth Council at www.woodlandyouth.org, the Web site of the Woodland Coalition for Youth, the organization that supports the youth council through a grant from Sierra Health Foundation's REACH program.
The yuletide benefactor earmarked his donation for the Woodland Youth Council's Access Mini-Grant Fund, which sponsors youth of lesser means who wish to partake in various activities that promote youth development, including recreational, cultural and educational activities. Every month, the Woodland Youth Council board issues grants from $30 to $100 to eligible youth, who must then report to the board on their involvement within a month of completing the activity. More information on the program can be found on the Woodland Coalition For Youth Web site.
We are simply grateful that people are aware of the work of our youth. Our heartfelt appreciation for this generous act of benevolence cannot be expressed in words.
As a REACH Community Action coalition, the Woodland Coalition for Youth will make community-wide changes for youth to ensure they are safe and healthy, have positive relationships with caring adults, have meaningful opportunities to participate in the community and develop the skills they need to be successful. The coalition will facilitate these changes through the creation and coordination of a youth leadership center, mentoring programs, policy development, service learning and other youth-led opportunities.
back to top
GABY members to award Youth HOPE grants
by Kristy Venrick-Mardon,
GABY member
Grants Advisory Board for Youth members met on Dec. 10 and 11 at Sierra Health Foundation to hear presentations by potential Youth HOPE grantees. Twenty-eight youth-led projects in Sacramento and Yolo counties that qualified for the Youth HOPE (Youth Helping Other People Excel) grant met a Dec. 3 deadline for their applications. The 21 board members (ages 12 to 17) broke into smaller groups of three and reviewed four applications each to get a better understanding of the projects.
Woodland Coalition for Youth members Crystal Gasca and Jaime Cárdenas present a Youth HOPE grant proposal for a park improvement project in Knights Landing.
On Dec. 10 and 11, once again in the small groups, board members prepared to hear presentations by the grant hopefuls. A schedule was established and a list of questions for the presenters was prepared. Each group was given 15 minutes to stand before the board and make a case for their organization. The board members asked their questions and answered questions from presenters about GABY and the grant process. The groups were thanked for their time, and were given instructions for the next step in the procedure.
The committees' job now is to evaluate these projects based on youth involvement and leadership, need for the projects in the community, and the applicants' ability to meet all of the requirements. At the next meeting in February, the small groups will present what they have found out about their applicants to the entire board. The board will then decide who will receive grants and in what amount. The Sacramento Region Community Foundation, which oversees GABY, will announce the grant awards on Feb. 25.
For information about GABY and Youth HOPE grants in Sacramento and Yolo counties, visit the Sacramento Region Community Foundation Web site. For information about GABY and Youth HOPE grants in El Dorado and Placer counties, visit the UC Cooperative Extension's El Dorado County Web site and the Placer Community Foundation Web site. Sierra Health Foundation provides support to the region's three GABY programs through the REACH program.
back to top
Youth learn the power of policy
by Bina Lefkovitz,
Director, Youth Development Network
On Dec. 2 and 3, the Capital Region Ready by 21 Coalition held a policy training for youth leaders and their adult allies to mobilize teams to bring more youth voice in policy arenas that impact the lives of youth. Forty youth and adult leaders representing 10 organizations from Sacramento, El Dorado and Yolo counties came together to learn about the factors that most influence how youth develop, and what communities can do to support every young person to be ready for college, work and life.
The teams learned about different ways to impact and influence policies, and developed policy recommendations around four topic areas: Nutrition and Obesity, Youth Violence, Youth Development, and Social and Emotional Health, especially related to the Mental Health Services Act. The teams had a chance to interview community experts who work in each field to test their ideas and to refine their platforms on each issue. The teams then presented their platforms in the hearing chambers of the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency Commission to get a feel for what a presentation in front of an elected body might be like.
Key recommendations from the youth teams included:
- more jobs/internships for youth
- schools incorporating volunteer, work and college experiences during the school day
- more clubs after school, especially to promote arts and creative voice of youth
- life skills and job training classes offered both in school and after school
- more leadership training for youth
- ensure youth are graduating school
- start intervening in middle school more
- more mentoring programs
- increase funding for prevention programs
- provide health information about foods at checkout stands
- more healthy food choices at schools
- school gardens
- more noncompetitive sports/physical activity programs
- have youth serve on mental health steering committees
- create places for youth in crisis to go for information on mental health issues and supports
- increase peer counseling programs and have more counselors accessible to youth
- more training on how to work with youth
- efforts to reduce the stigma of mental health issues
The recommendations of the youth teams will be incorporated into the Children's Compact being developed by the Capital Region Ready by 21 Coalition. The compact will ask leaders in the region to agree on common outcomes for youth to ensure they will be ready for college, work and life, and it will promote key strategies that all stakeholders will be asked to commit to support. The youth who participated at the training will present their platforms and ideas at the Compact Convening to be held April 7.
“It is essential when policy decisions are made by officials that the voice of the youth is involved,” said Nick Rojas, Ready by 21 youth organizer. “To try and legislate without knowing the opinions and needs of the youth is like a doctor trying to diagnose a patient when he hasn't asked him anything. Effective policies and laws must be the work of youth and adults collaborating together.”
Ready by 21 will reconvene youth who are interested in getting involved in policy advocacy, and will support youth who want to make their communities better through policy by offering networking, problem solving and continued training. For more information about Ready by 21, the Children's Compact or the youth policy effort, contact Bina Lefkovitz at (916) 213-9679 or bina@ydnetwork.org, Youth Organizer Nick Rojas at (916) 813-5172 or Youth Organizer Lily Rankins at (916) 207-5998.
Ready by 21 is part of a national effort sponsored by the Forum for Youth Investment to mobilize communities to ensure all youth are ready by 21 for college, work and life. Capital Region Ready by 21 is an emerging coalition bringing together stakeholders to increase public will and awareness, and to change policies to expand and improve the quality of supports and opportunities for all of our youth so they can become successful adults.
back to top
Youth conference set for July – mark your calendar!
Sierra Health Foundation's REACH youth program will sponsor its second youth conference July 9 in Sacramento. At last summer's conference, nearly 350 enthusiastic youth and adults spent an energizing day learning from each other and invited guests about creating a positive environment for youth in our communities. Details and registration information for this year's conference will be posted on the Sierra Health Web site and the REACH Web site as they become available.
back to top
Helpful Tips
Advice for Effective Community Development Education is a collection of helpful advice for community development practitioners written and compiled by James Grieshop at the UC Cooperative Extension. Topics include group work, effective communication, problem solving and leadership.
back to top
Funding Opportunities
REACH Program Improvement grants up to $10,000 are available to nonprofit organizations in the California Capital Region to improve the quality of youth programs or increase the number of youth who participate in quality programs. Applications for the Winter 2008 funding cycle are due Jan. 15. Download application materials and instructions on the REACH Web site. Applicants are required to have participated in a proposers' conference call within 12 months of the application due date. A conference call for the Winter 2008 grant cycle was held on Dec. 12; this was the only call for this grant cycle. Applications for the Spring 2008 grant cycle will be due May 15. See the REACH Web site for more information.
Funding is available through the California Department of Education's 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program for elementary and middle schools and the 21st Century High School After School Safety and Enrichment for Teens Program to create before- and after-school enrichment programs that partner schools and communities to provide academic support and safe, constructive alternatives for youth. Applications are due Feb. 15.
back to top
Resources and Opportunities
The Preteen Alliance is a collaborative of the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health that promotes the positive emotional and behavioral health of preteens. Resources from the initiative include an October 2007 report titled Collecting Data from Preteens, which looks at the best way to get good information from children ages 9 to 13.
The Nonprofit Resource Center in Sacramento offers workshops such as Developing Powerful Grant Proposals and Basics for Grant Seekers, and provides many other resources for local nonprofit organizations.
Do you want to make a difference in the lives of children and families? Can you dedicate a year to national service? The Folsom Cordova Community Partnership is accepting applications for three AmeriCorps positions: Parent Education Specialist, Home Visitor and Volunteer Coordinator. For information, call (916) 361-8684 or e-mail hr@fccommunitypartnership.org.
back to top
Calendar
Jan. 15, 2008
5 p.m.
REACH Program Improvement grant applications are due to Sierra Health Foundation. Get information and application materials on the REACH Web site.
March 3-5, 2008
The 2008 California Service-Learning Leadership Institute, sponsored by Youth Service California, will be held in San Jose. Get information on the Youth Service California Web site.
E-mail story ideas, helpful tips, resources and calendar items to us at REACH.
back to top
|
