REACH youth from El Dorado Hills and Galt perform at MLK, Jr. Day event
by Raeann Jones
Project Coordinator, Vision Coalition of El Dorado Hills
On Jan. 21 at the Placerville Town Hall, residents of El Dorado County kicked off the Martin Luther King, Jr. Season for Nonviolence. Two REACH youth — Spencer Reed, a youth member of the Vision Coalition of El Dorado Hills, and John Johnson, a youth member of the Galt Area Youth Coalition — performed their slam poetry titled “Diversity” and “Unplugged,” addressing issues of racism and prejudice. The poetry was inspired by their experiences at last summer's REACH Youth Development Camp at Grizzly Creek Ranch.
Their poised and flawless presentations met with great applause, and later they were rushed by many interested adults and youth wanting to know more about them and their coalitions. Spencer and John enjoyed the attention, and patiently answered questions and promoted our youth development approach to bridge gaps between races, colors, creeds and ages.
Penny Lehrman, health promotions manager for Marshall Medical commented, “It is so refreshing to have the youth voice represented here tonight. It is rare that youth take part in these events. As a local activist, I am glad to know who to contact when we need a youth perspective, which is always!” Her sentiments were echoed throughout the evening.
The Vision Coalition of El Dorado Hills and the Galt Area Youth Coalition are REACH Community Action coalitions. Learn about all seven Community Action coalitions on the REACH Web site.
Download words to “Unplugged” and “Diversity” (PDF).
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El Dorado Hills celebrates Teen Center, Skate Park anniversary
by Raeann Jones
Project Coordinator, Vision Coalition of El Dorado Hills
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Jan. 19, the El Dorado Hills Community Services District Teen Center and Skate Park celebrated its one-year anniversary with a skate competition and barbecue. About 200 youth and 100 adults participated in festivities that included Wii Olympics, Guitar Hero, pingpong, pool, air hockey and, of course, extraordinary feats on skateboards!
The Squires, a middle school band, played several sets and performed a lot of new music. Many youth approached them with musical interests and applauded their performance. One mother said, “This is so inspiring to see these young kids making such great music. My son came to skate, but he hasn't left the stage all day. He's learning guitar.”
The El Dorado Hills Teen Advisory Council (TAC), sponsored by the Vision Coalition of El Dorado Hills, provided complimentary hot dogs and lemonade to the crowd. This was a great opportunity to promote the efforts of the TAC and to recruit new members to join and lend their voice to their community.
The event concluded with youth awards presented to teens for their outstanding contributions to the Teen Center, prizes for the winners of the various events, a word from the CSD board president, and a fabulous cake and candle ceremony.
The Vision Coalition of El Dorado Hills is a REACH Community Action coalition. Visit the Vision Coalition Web site. Learn about all seven Community Action coalitions on the REACH Web site.
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Nevada City youth promote literacy
by Dawn Zydonis
Parks and Recreation Coordinator, City of Nevada City
After some time off for the holidays, the doors are open at the Nevada City Youth Center, a joint project offered by Camp Fire USA and Nevada City Parks & Recreation. On Jan. 21, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, the youth started a fantastic service project. Thank you to B&C True Value Hardware for donating supplies that were used by the youth to build bookshelves that will be placed in public locations around town. The goal is to promote literacy by making books more easily accessible. The youth built these shelves with very little guidance, and their carpentry skills are quite impressive. Now that the bookshelves are built, the next step is to paint them and collect books to fill the shelves. Parents stopped by to check out the program, along with Richard Schwartz of the Juvenile Justice Commission and Douglas Hooper, who has volunteered to teach a photography class.
 The
Youth Center is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3
p.m. to 6 p.m. with a variety of activities for youth ages 10
to 15, such as photography and beginning art. Future program plans
include ski trips and summer activities. Anyone interested in
learning more about the program, donating books or sponsoring
a youth can contact Camp Fire USA at (916) 635-3435, www.campfireusa-sac.org
or Nevada City Parks & Recreation at (530) 265-2496; www.nevadacityca.gov.
The City of Nevada City/Nevada City Youth Center is a Fall 2007 REACH Program Improvement grantee.
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R-Spot youth walk red carpet at film festival
from Harmony Health Family Resource Center
R-Spot, Harmony Health Family Resource Center's self-named youth group, attended a film festival held by a local environmental group known as the South Yuba River Citizens League on Jan. 11 and 12 in Nevada City. The film festival showed documentaries on various environmental issues, such as basic recycling practices.
At the festival, R-Spot also went to a workshop that talked about young people making films, in hopes of getting ideas for when they make their own documentary about the history of Marysville.
The youth group is a place where youth ages 8 to 15 come to learn, develop, plan and serve their community. After a brief hiatus due to the holidays, R-Spot is now meeting again on Tuesday evenings from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Allyn Scott Youth Center in Marysville. The Youth Center has pool tables, a big screen TV, couches and arcade games, as well as archery and dance classes in the works. For more information about R-Spot, please call Liz York or Gloria Figuhr at the Resource Center at (530) 742-5049.
Harmony Health Family Resource Center/R-Spot youth group is a Fall 2007 Program Improvement grantee.
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GABY members let their voices be heard
from Sacramento Region Community Foundation
This month, the Sacramento Region Community Foundation's Grants Advisory Board for Youth (GABY), which is comprised of young individuals between the ages of 12 and 19, will have the important task of evaluating and awarding Youth HOPE grants for projects impacting young people in the areas of arts and culture, children and youth, education, environment, health and wellness, neighborhood development, poverty and human assistance and voter education. We are proud to share with you the thoughts and dreams of our returning board members.
In our society, kids are continually seeking answers through adult figures. However, GABY is entirely youth-led, leading us to discover that we not only have the power to answer our own questions but shape our own world. Jessica, 16
It changed my entire outlook on community service. At first it was just a boring requirement for school, but now it's much more. GABY is a defining part of my life. Greg, 15
Even though we all come from different backgrounds and have different beliefs, we all strive for a common goal. We all want to help each other out and we realize it's up to us, today's youth, to make sure that our country goes in the right direction. Zach, 17
Being a part of GABY will allow me to take a strong leadership position in the community. It has given me the tools I need to achieve my goals for the future. Marissa, 16
GABY is great because we are working in the community in small but important ways. Hillary, 17
I've had the opportunity to make real-life decisions that can greatly make a difference in the community. Julia, 15
My involvement has encouraged me to develop a good sense of responsibility. Marika, 15
Facilitation and management skills are just some of the things I've learned by participating in the GABY program. Rohan, 16
25 years from now, I see myself passing on the love for my community to my children and family. Kristy, 17
What roles and responsibilities do I see myself fulfilling 25 years from now? I'll probably be a businessman or a lawyer. Patrick, 16
It's good for today's youth to become involved with GABY because it's a great way to learn how to become a leader in a fun way! Wyatt, 14
To learn more about GABY, visit Sacramento Region Community Foundation's Web site.
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Youth Development Network offers training for youth and adults
by Andy Paul
Youth Development Trainer, Youth Development Network
and a proud papa of two sweet, young girls
It's that time of year again: The Youth Development Network (formerly the YSPN) is offering two of its most popular trainings — Group Facilitation on Feb. 28 and 29, and Youth Development 101 on March 20 and 21. You can expect these trainings to be both fun and thought-provoking. They also will, of course, feature icebreakers and plenty of small-group discussion to keep things engaging and interactive. Youth are welcome to participate, as all of our trainings are youth-friendly and benefit from the additional perspective that youth bring. Sign up for a spot today, as these trainings almost always fill up.
The Group Facilitation training is designed for staff who would like strategies for working with groups of youth. This training offers ideas for structuring group time and discussion, consensus building, project planning, how to be an excellent group facilitator and more. So are you seeking tools to help you work with a challenging group of youth (or even adults)? Then join us on Feb. 28 and 29.
Youth Development 101 is for staff from youth-serving programs (line staff or managers) who are seeking an introduction to the key concepts of youth development. This interactive and experiential training walks through the five youth development supports and opportunities that youth need to experience in order to become successful and healthy adults. If youth development is a new concept to you, or you want to discuss youth development with other dedicated professionals in the field, check us out on March 20 and 21. Note: This is not a YDI (Youth Development Institute) training; however, it is an excellent introduction to the concepts and activities we cover in our well-known four- and 10-day YDI.
All trainings are held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and include a light breakfast, a hearty catered lunch, and lots of helpful materials and tools to take back to your program. The cost of either training is $150 for adults and $100 for youth, but YDN offers a $25 discount for early registration. To register, contact Jennifer Cotton at jcotton@ydnetwork.org, (916) 231-5333, ext. 13. Visit the YDN Web site.
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Capital Region Ready By 21 Coalition sets goals and course of action
by Jay Schenirer
Consultant, Capital Region Ready by 21 Coalition
Imagine a community where all young people are safe, have caring adults in their lives, are doing well in school and have a marketable skill, have access to basic needs and health services, and have opportunities to lead and give back to their community. Although this may be a reality for some of our youth, it is not a reality for many. National research tells us that only 4 in 10 youth are doing well by age 20 in terms of attending college, healthy habits and volunteering or being engaged in civic activities. According to the California Healthy Kids Survey, in Sacramento County 5,000 youth are in foster care, between 30 percent and 50 percent of youth will not graduate high school, 66 percent of 11th-graders report trying alcohol, and less than 61 percent of juniors in public schools report having a high level of meaningful opportunities to participate.
To address these challenges, and with leadership from the city and county, school districts, neighborhood and community-based organizations, and Sacramento philanthropy, we have created the Capital Region Ready by 21 Coalition. The coalition is a nonpartisan collaboration of adults and youth dedicated to helping our region make sure all young people are Ready by 21™ — ready for college, work and life. The coalition's core beliefs, based on youth development research, are: everyone in the community has a role to play in developing youth; all youth deserve ongoing nurturing and support from caring adults and peers; all youth deserve high-quality, meaningful opportunities for involvement; all youth deserve to have challenging and engaging learning experiences; and all youth should be seen as valuable resources in the community.
To make these beliefs a reality, we have established four goals, each with accompanying implementation strategies:
- All capital-region youth maintain a quality of life that includes nurturing, safe neighborhoods; schools; housing; nutritious food; and health care.
- All capital-region youth are educated in a system that leads to high school graduation and post-secondary education.
- All capital-region youth are prepared to enter the workforce with the necessary skills to compete in the 21st-century economy.
- All capital-region youth are civically engaged and have the opportunity, knowledge and skills to positively impact their families and communities.
These goals require that young people have the supports, opportunities and services needed to prosper and contribute to where they live, learn, work, play and make a difference.
The coalition has embarked on a course of action that includes:
- An outreach effort to enlist government, school districts, business and nonprofits to sign a compact that includes the goals and strategies, and commits each organization to an annual reporting on how they are progressing on their strategies. The coalition will host a community convening around the signing of the compact and enlistment of organizational commitment to children and youth in the early spring.
- The development and dissemination of a resource guide to support parents in ensuring that their children are successful.
- Outreach and advocacy training for region youth to ensure they have an articulate voice in the development and implementation of policy.
- Discussions with other youth-serving policy bodies, such as the Sacramento County Children's Coalition, city and county youth commissions and Sacramento City Office of Youth Development, to ensure our efforts are aligned and build on one another. Our goal over time is to reach out to all entities in the region that are interested in the success of our children.
If you would like to learn more about the RB21 Coalition and its activities, please contact us at Readyby21cr@yahoo.com.
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Voices
Kelly (Margetts) Pennington,
Parent and member of the Galt Area Youth Coalition
“I sincerely believe that the Galt Area Youth Coalition has impacted our community in a positive way, because at every study session regarding school district issues, our youth have stood and been heard. They feel empowered. My son came to me a few weeks ago and asked if he could get signatures to send to a School Site Council meeting I attended that represented an opposing position to a school district issue. In one day he managed to collect 105 signatures. This was just a quick “pass something around” at lunch spiral-bound notebook, created by a student who really never had a vested interest in his community. I have always been a civic-minded individual, but I didn't know how to share this with my children. The youth coalition has taught me, as a parent, how to view my “child” as a young adult, and has taught my young adult how to step up and be HEARD. I have never been more proud.
“I frankly don't care what position a person takes politically — I simply care that people take a position!!! Thank you for giving many of our Galt area youth the opportunity to learn how to be heard in a productive and positive manner regardless of their positions. WAY TO GO! This, of course, has happened with the combined efforts of Galt Joint Union Elementary School District staff and the youth coalition working together for a better community!!! WOOOOOO WEEEEEE”
The Galt Area Youth Coalition is a REACH Community Action coalition. Learn about all seven Community Action coalitions on the REACH Web site.
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Funding Opportunities
The Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is accepting applications from coalitions for the Drug Free Communities Support Program. Grants are up to $125,000 per year for five years. Applications are due March 21. Get information and eligibility criteria on the SAMHSA Web site.
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 Spring 2008 funding cycle are due May 15. Application materials will be posted on the REACH Web site by mid-February.
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Resources
MENTOR is an advocate and resource for the expansion of mentoring initiatives nationwide, working with state and local mentoring partnerships to provide the support and tools mentoring organizations need to effectively serve young people in their communities. Download MENTOR's new Research in Action series.
Youth in Decision-Making from the Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development includes highlights from a study on the impacts of youth on adults and organizations.
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Calendar
May 15, 2008
5 p.m.
Spring 2008 Program Improvement grant applications due
Application materials will be posted on the REACH Web site by mid-February.
July 9, 2008
REACH Youth Development Conference
Save the date! See future issues of REACH e-news for details.
E-mail story ideas, helpful tips, resources and calendar items to us at REACH.
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