Portfolio - CRAHD Home - Public Health Institute

Y
E
S
Youth
Empowerment
Strategies
A Portfolio
2004 - 2005
Introduction
T
he Youth Empowerment Strategies (YES!) Project has
worked with students from five schools in the West
Contra Costa Unified School District since 2002. This
school year you began as nine groups of sixth and seventh
graders, whose winter social action project was to design
and host neighborhood or school forums. Some of the
groups combined in the spring. All groups completed their
spring social action projects in May.
This booklet has three main purposes. First, it celebrates
the work of each of this year’sYES! groups. Second, it gives
YES! group members a chance to find out about the social
action projects of the other YES! groups. Third, because
many of you said you would like to continue doing social
action, we included a list of people, local organizations,
youth clubs in Richmond and San Pablo, and a list of
websites that you can use as resources. We hope you will
contact them! If you have any questions, or if we can be
of any help, please call the YES! office (510-665-1937).
We congratulate you on your accomplishments in YES!
We wish you good health and happiness, and hope that
working with YES! has inspired you to be active in your
life and in your community.
The YES! staff
Nance Wilson Stefan Dasho Javier Ruiz Anna Martin
The opportunity for our work together has been provided
by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant
# R06/CCR921439.
2
Bayview
Elementary
School
A
t Bayview, the girls and boys from last year
started out in separate groups, but by the
time of the forum they joined together. In addition to interviewing their families, group members interviewed the school principal, a police
officer and three firefighters. YES! group members identified several problems in the neighborhood, including gangs, alcohol and drugs, fights,
car chases, pollution and trash. At their neighborhood forum, the guests agreed with these
issues and discussed them seriously. The forum
discussion also revealed positive things that could
be done, especially
organizing some
sports activities once
the school construction makes fields
available again.
behind the school, had become a neighborhood
dumping place for unwanted trash. The group
decided to lead a community clean-up of the
creek. They consulted with a representative of
the San Pablo Public Works Department, who
has previously organized neighborhood cleanups,
to find out about how to put an event together.
Unfortunately, the group was not able to do the
creek cleanup because of School District regulations and Water District insurance requirements.
Because the issue was important to them, the
group wanted to stay with the same topic, but
use a different approach:
They decided to publicize the need to keep
the area’s creeks clean,
and to do an awareness
campaign with fliers and
presentations about legal
and free places to dispose
of furniture, appliances
and hazardous materials.
The YES! group presented
their ideas, accompanied
by raps and posters, at
the Bayview School Multicultural Fair in May.
After the forum, the
group settled on the
issue of pollution
and littering for their
spring social action
project. They observed that Rheem
Creek, which runs
Younger children visited the YES! booth staffed
by group members at Bayview.
3
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Don't be Weak,
Save Our
Creeks!
Do you need to get rid of old furniture,
appliances or other things that are too big
for your trash can?
Please DON’T dump them in a creek, or anywhere else!
You can get free vouchers to use at the dump
by calling 215-3030 or stopping by City Hall Building
3 if you live in San Pablo. If you have other things
you don’t know how to get rid of, please call
215-3057 to get help.
Richmond residents: there are also two
extra pickups a year when you can have up to 15
large trash bags picked up.
Motor Oil: Take to Kragen, Auto Zone or most
other car repair shops, or call Richmond Sanitary
Service at 262-1610 for a free recycling used
oil kit.
Paint, Chemicals, Pesticides and Computer Parts:
Take these things to the West Contra Costa
County Household Hazardous Waste Facility on any
Thursday or Friday, or on the first Saturday of the
month, between 9 am – 4 pm (closed for lunch from
12 – 12:30). Location: 101 Pittsburg Avenue.
Telephone: (888) 412-9277.
Thank you for keeping our creeks
and neighborhoods safe and clean
and please recycle this paper.
In the creek behind Bayview school we’ve found TVs,
scooters, a shopping cart, a barrel and this motorcycle.
Created by:
Bayview Elementary School YES! Group
The Youth Empowerment Strategies (YES!)
program was funded by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention Grant # R06/CCR921439.
Group members at Bayview distributed in their school and
community to raise awareness of waste materials.
T
Lincoln
Elementary
School
4
he year began with a seventh grade
group and a small sixth grade group.
Although the students attend DeJean
Middle School, both groups met at
Lincoln Elementary. The two groups
combined in January and collaborated
to produce the forum.
The gathering at the forum was small
but enthusiastic and included two of the
community assets, the librarian from
DeJean Middle School and Officer Deborah Noonan of the Richmond Police.
“Officer Debbie” proved to be a valuable ally when the group decided that
the key issue they wanted to address in
the community was keeping kids off of
drugs. The YES! group saw drugs as the
source of many of the troubles in the Iron
Triangle neighborhood. They decided
that the main reason kids take drugs is
the belief that doing so is necessary to be
seen as “cool.” They built an anti-drug
campaign around the idea that drugs
aren’t cool. They decided that doing a
photonovella, (a comic book-style story
illustrated with photographs) would be
a good way to do outreach to 3rd to 5th
graders. The Healthy Neighborhoods
Project arranged for students from Helms
Middle School, who have been working
on an anti-drug campaign, to present to
the group. The YES! group wrote a script,
acted out and photographed each scene,
and then wrote dialogue for the story
“The Mistake: What Drugs Cost.” The
photonovellas were produced as booklets by YES! and were distributed by the
group to classrooms at Lincoln Elementary School and to the Richmond Police.
The Mistake
What Drugs Cost
Above: Cover of photonovella
on how to stay off of drugs.
Left: Officer “Debbie”
observes the group’s work at
the Community Forum.
5
B
Grant
Elementary
School
ecause only five students returned
from last year, the first challenge of
the Grant group was to recruit new members. They succeeded in bringing five new
students on–board. Because the group
was largely composed of new members,
their focus at the forum was on the school
community. They identified many members of the school staff as assets and made
a poster gallery in the multipurpose room
that included family interviews, school
assets and school issues. The principal, Dr.
Berrington, was in complete agreement
about the main issues the group raised:
graffiti, poor school food, filthy bathrooms
and the need for better supervision.
After the forum, the group began to
discuss its plans for the spring social action
project. What emerged was a concern for
vandalism, with graffiti being the most
obvious form of damage being done to the
school. The YES! group decided that they
could set an example by repainting one of
the campus murals, which had been
graffitied, and do a campaign to let
students know about the problem.
The principal had already started to
address this issue by sending fliers to the
surrounding homes and getting the school
district to paint the most defaced mural.
The group restored another mural to look
as good as new and added a new slogan:
“Don’t take Grant for granted!” They also
distributed fliers to all the intermediate
students to raise awareness of how graffiti
hurts the school’s reputation.
Grant group repainting the mural
6
The restored “Peace
in the Community”
mural at Grant.
Montalvin
Manor T
Elementary
School
7
he girls’ and boys’ sixth grade groups
worked separately this year. The
seventh graders, who had moved on to
Pinole Valley Jr. High, joined in with
the sixth graders to create the forum.
The well-attended evening event drew
families who met in groups to discuss the
neighborhood. While people identified
positive aspects of the neighborhood,
including family, children who don’t fight
a lot, schools and parks, they also were
concerned about the things previously
t
he YES! group members: speeding cars, litter, gangs and drug
dealers. The ideas included having
more quality time with kids, traffic
remedies like speed bumps, stop
signs, one way streets and more
street lights, and ways for people
to get more recreation—a field at
school, more parks, playgrounds
and equipment. Although the 7th
grade boys no longer participated,
the 6th grade boys’ group focused
their spring social action project on
the issue of quality time between
parents and kids as the best
solution to the issue of stopping
kids from wanting to take drugs.
Meanwhile the 6th grade girls took
up the topic of recreational
opportunities and realized that the
underlying issue was the fact that
people would be healthier if they
ate nutritious food, got exercise,
and stayed away from becoming
couch potatoes in front of the TV.
Above: Community members
at the Montalvin Forum.
Right: The Montalvin girls’
group
8
Both YES! groups decided to do
outreach to the community by
having a family festival. The two
groups combined their efforts with
the idea that they could have
physically challenging games,
prizes and nutritional information, and make presentations to
explain the goals to their forum.
The boys wrote a skit to show the
difference between what
happens when kids don’t get
enough attention from their
parents and what happens when
they do. The girls did a presentation and designed a health quiz
with informative answers about
nutrition. The festival in May was
enjoyed by all who came.
The Montalvin boys group
Montalvin boys present their skits at the Family Festival.
9
Washington
Elementary
School
A
new group was formed this year
which eventually consisted of six girls.
Because only one person was able to
continue from last year, the focus of the
social action was the school. The afternoon forum was attended by teachers,
school staff, students, guests, and parents.
The group identified many positive assets
at the school including staff and facilities,
and also pointed out issues like the unhealthy food, fighting, and the condition
of the bathrooms.
When it came time to think about the
topic for their spring social action project,
the girls focused on fighting. They analyzed the problem and decided that they
The Washington girls’ group
Group members during their presentation
at the Washington Forum
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wanted to promote kids having self control to avoid fighting. To convey the idea
of managing anger, they came up with
the catchy phrase “Just breathe, stretch,
shake, and let it go!” The group designed
a presentation with three skits that
showed how fights start and how friends
can help remind their own friends to “let
it go” rather than to hit someone. The
YES! group arranged with teachers to
schedule presentations in every classroom,
since Washington doesn’t have a multipurpose room during the reconstruction.
At the end of each performance they
encouraged all students to stand and
“breathe, stretch, shake and let it go.”
Resources
for
Staying
Engaged!
T
his resource booklet lists opportunities for continuing social action work in your community,
local resources for learning more about leadership,
and website resources from The Kid’s Guide to
Social Action (by Barbara Lewis). Funding
changes may mean that some of the places have
limited programs or that their programs are
currently on hold. Keep checking! It’s your life!
It’s your community! Stay involved!
Nance & Stefan
YES! – Youth Empowerment Strategies
Public Health Institute
2140 Shattuck Ave., Ste. #401
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 665-1937
The YES! project has been funded to the Public
Health Institute by grant number R06/CCR921439,
Community-Based Participatory Prevention
Research, from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
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Table of Contents
I. Local Opportunities for Social Action
Healthy Neighborhoods Project: If a group of
youth would like to meet over the summer to
get connected to Healthy Neighborhoods Project
activities or one of the other resources, they should
contact Dola Macaulay at 925-313-6862.
I. Local Opportunities for Social Action with the
Healthy Neighborhoods Project
1) North Richmond Neighborhood Action Team
2) Health Neighborhood Project’s West County
Alcohol Policy Working Group
3) Neighborhood Action Team
1) North Richmond Neighborhood Action Team
Dola Macaulay
925-313-6862
II. Other Local Projects for Social Action
The Health Advocates is planning a Multicultural
Children & Families Day for July 23rd. There will
be multicultural dancing, health resources, and
ethnic foods. This would be a great opportunity
for YES! youth to staff a booth and talk to community members about their social action projects.
(Call Nance or Stefan at the YES! office if you’re
interested. 665-1937.)
1) Tobacco Prevention Project & Tobacco Prevention Coalition
2) Neighborhood Violence
3) Main Street Initiatives
4) Eco Village
5) Juvenile Hall Auxiliary
6) Sojourn House
III. Other Local Resources
2) Healthy Neighborhood Project’s West County
Alcohol Policy Group
1) Richmond Youth Commission
2) San Pablo Youth Activities
3) Neighborhood Council Meeting
This is a Working Group which will meet with
youth and local activists to discuss how youth can
impact alcohol policy issues.
VI. Youth Clubs
1) Girls, Inc., of West Contra Costa County
2) Booker T. Anderson Community Center
3) Hilltop Family YMCA
4) West Contra Costa YMCA
3) Neighborhood Action Team
Youth may work with others to develop a new
Neighborhood Action Plan (social action) and
implement health advocacy strategies beginning
in fall 2005.
VII. Website Resources from The Kid’s Guide to
Social Action by Barbara Lewis, Free Spirit Publishing, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, c. 1998
II. Other Local Projects Identified by the
Healthy Neighborhoods Project
A. Environmental Groups
1) Kids Against Pollution
2) Kids for a Clean Environment
3) Sierra Club
1) Tobacco Prevention Project & Tobacco Prevention Coalition, Charlotte Dickson 925-313-6216
B. Civic Organizations
1) National Youth Leadership Council
Advocates for enforcement of tobacco sales laws
and reducing influences for youth in the community. TPP is developing a guide for youth organizing that will be on our Contra Costa Health
Services website, www.cchealth.org, on
September 1, 2005.
C. International Groups
1) Global Kids Inc.
2) Human Rights Web
D. Social Activism and Social Issues
1) Activism 2000 Project
2) Educators for Social Responsibility
3) National Network for Youth
4) Students Against Destructive Decisions
2) Neighborhood Violence
Fred Jackson
233-FRED
Fred provides youth mentorship by convening
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can use their positive energy in local recreational
activities.
3) Main Street Initiatives
Ramona Samuels
diverse population and neighborhoods. Applications
are available in the City Clerk’s Office. More info:
620-6801.
236-4050
2) San Pablo Youth Activities
This project’s main focus is to revitalize the City of
Richmond, including the historic downtown area,
reduce loitering in shopping mall areas, reduce
violence and illegal drug activity. It hopes that
these activities will increase safety, enhance the
downtown area, and reduce violence, graffiti and
drug activity. The project is seeking funding to
increase youth participation in voluntary work
that positively impacts the community.
4) Eco Village
Shayam Shabakka
The Youth Commission is an advisory body to the
City Council. The Commission provides information
on matters of youth needs, concerns, problems, and
social awareness. Matters of a general policy nature
pertaining to youth services presented to the City
Council may be referred to the Commission for its
consideration and recommendation. Members of
the Youth Commission must be 13 to 18 years of age.
Seven Commissioners must be residents of the City of
San Pablo and 3may be non-residents. Youth interested in becoming a member can request an application by contacting the City Clerk’s office at (510)
215-3207. This program is currently on-hold.
329-1314
Eco Village involves youth in community garden
projects, recreational field trips, food demonstrations, and engages youth in discussions about how
they can participate in positive activities and
education rather than gang involvement.
5) Juvenile Hall Auxiliary
Shannon Grosenhader
Check out this website http://www.ci.san-pablo.
ca.us/main/youthactivities.htm for youth programs
and activities that are now being designed.
3) Neighborhood Council Meetings www.ci.richmond.
ca.us/Public/affairs/richmond_neighborhood_councils.htm
925-646-4818
Shannon could speak to the youth on drugs and
juvenile delinquency prevention.
6) Sojourn House
Kevin Charles
This is a list of Neighborhood Council Meetings for
different neighborhoods. The list includes who to
contact, and dates and times of meetings.
IV. Youth Clubs
374-3609
1) Girls, Inc., of West Contra Costa County 232-5440
www.girlsinc.org
260 Broadway, Richmond, CA 94804
Sojourn House primarily works in the area of
alcohol abuse and its relationship to neighborhood
and domestic violence. Kevin oversees the youth
programs.
Youth development and services for girls and boys
ages 6-18. Membership fee required. Eight week
empowerment training program ($500, incl. breakfast, lunch, snack) beginning June 20th. Afterschool
basic training program (“Go Girl”) beginning in Fall
($50/month).
III. Other Local Resources
1) Richmond Youth Commission
The Youth Commissioners act as advisors to the
Richmond City Council and the Recreation &
Cultural Services Department. They share their
views and work to improve youth programs and
community recreation facilities. They also sponsor
various community projects. The 9 members are
between the ages of 14 to 18 years of age, serve
a term of one to two years, and represent the
2) Booker T. Anderson Community Center 620-6816
www.ci.richmond.ca.us/~recweb/bta.html
960 South 47th Street, Richmond, CA 94804
There are currently no programs here because of
budget cutbacks. Check again in the future!
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3) Hilltop Family YMCA www.hilltopymca.org
222-9622 4300 Lakeside Drive, Richmond, CA
94806
B. Civic Organizations
1) *National Youth Leadership Council www.nylc.
org
A repository of service projects and ideas.
They have many programs for youth and families.
There’s a “Tomorrow’s Leaders Today” class for
7th-10th graders August 8th – 12th.
C. International Groups
4) West Contra Costa YMCA www.ymcaeastbay.
org/WestCC/coronado.html 412-5647
263 S. 20th Street, Richmond, CA 94804
1) *Global Kids Inc. www.globalkids.org
A resource page for young people and a chance to
speak out.
Membership Fees: To participate in the array of
programs we offer, a small annual membership
fee is required. Many of the programs we offer
are free, but certain programs require a small
fee. Financial assistance is available to those who
qualify.
2) *Human Rights Web www.hrweb.org
Up-to-date information about human rights with
links to organizations. Includes “Getting Started: A
Primer for New Human Rights Activists.”
Teen Leadership. Our teen leadership just finished
visiting Sacramento State, UC Davis, Taft College,
and Saint Mary’s College. They also went to Magic
Mountain and Santa Cruz. Don’t miss out on our
Games Unlimited Night and other fun. Call
(510) 412-5647 for more details.
1) *Activism 2000 Project www.youthactivism.com
(1-800-KID Power)
This national clearinghouse encourages young
people to be pragmatic idealists and community
problem solvers.
D. Social Activism and Social Issues
2) *Educators for Social Responsibility www.esrnational.org
Information about how to involve your teachers
in creating new ways of education for active and
responsible participation in the world.
Youth & Government. Participants learn group
decision-making, public speaking skills, and gain
knowledge on how our State government works.
Call for details at (510) 412-5647.
3) *National Network for Youth www.nn4youth.
org
Network of services for youth, including delinquency, drug use, adolescent pregnancy prevention, crisis intervention, independent living, family
therapy, etc. Training for youth.
V. Website Resources
(*From the Kid’s Guide to Social Action by Barbara Lewis. Free Spirit Publishing, Inc. Minneapolis,
MN, c. 1998.)
A. Environmental Groups
4) *Students Against Destructive Decisions www.
saddonline.com
Student organization founded to combat drunk
driving and underage drinking. It also deals with
issues of poor decision-making and risk-taking such
as violence, suicide, sexually transmitted diseases,
and binge drinking.
1) *Kids Against Pollution (KAP) www.kidsagainstpollution.org
A kid’s networking group working to fight pollution.
2) *Kids for a Clean Environment (KidsFACE)
www.kidsface.org
Kids’ environmental action group. Sends out
newsletter.
3) *Sierra Club www.sierraclub.org
Environmental information. Ask about Inner City
Outings, wilderness adventures.
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