Vacaville REACH Coalition

The Community

Located in northern Solano County in a beautiful rural valley along the I-80 corridor and midway between Sacramento and San Francisco, Vacaville is a bedroom community with a small-town feel and identity, despite its nearly 96,000 permanent residents. Vacaville is a growing biotechnology/pharmaceutical hub with facilities operated by Genentech, Alza Corporation and Novartis International Group AG. The California Medical Facility and CSP Solano are also located in Vacaville. Vacaville has one of the largest shopping outlets in California. In Vacaville, there are approximately 22,500 youth under the age of 18. Two school districts operate public schools in Vacaville, the Vacaville Unified School District and the Travis Unified School District. There are also five faith-based private schools in Vacaville, as well as numerous home-school groups.

The Coalition

The Vacaville REACH Coalition is currently made up of two parts, the Vacaville Youth Roundtable and the Vacaville REACH Youth Coalition.

The Vacaville Youth Roundtable is an 18-year-old collaborative of approximately 30 adults who are key leaders and stakeholders in the community. The Vacaville city manager facilitates the monthly meetings and provides direction for the group. Youth Roundtable participants include the police chief, representatives of the Vacaville City Council, the Vacaville Unified School District, the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club, the Solano Probation Department and other city and nonprofit agencies that provide services to youth in Vacaville. The Vacaville Youth Roundtable promotes a healthy community by engaging all community members, organizations and leaders to develop, support and nurture positive assets in our youth.

The Vacaville REACH Youth Coalition is a subcommittee of the Vacaville Youth Roundtable and is a group of 15 core youth and up to 30 total youth who regularly participate in REACH meetings. Youth Coalition members are supported by Vacaville Youth Roundtable participants and other youth-minded individuals in the community.

The Vacaville REACH Coalition is driven by a mission, a six-part vision, and three guiding principles.

Our Mission
The Vacaville REACH Coalition promotes the physical, emotional and social well-being of all youth by advocating for policies and systems changes that unleash the power and potential of all youth to succeed.

Our Vision

• Youth are valued.
• Youth are safe at all times in all places.
• Schools offer a variety of youth-centered educational opportunities that prepare youth for graduation and provide them with the knowledge necessary to experience a successful future.
• There are leadership opportunities for youth in the community.
• Youth live in neighborhoods that are clean and environmentally friendly.
• All youth have healthy relationships with trusted adults.

Our Guiding Principles

• We recognize the importance of youth in our community.
• We place a high value on diversity.
• We believe that all youth have the ability to make a positive impact in our community.

It is our hope as a coalition that the work of REACH will begin to bridge the gap between youth and adults in the community so that youth-adult partnerships become a reality and the value of youth in the community is appreciated by all of Vacaville’s citizens.

For more information about the Vacaville REACH Coalition or to become a part of the work we do in the community, please contact:

REACH Coordinator: Carrie Dettmer
Phone: 707-469-6619
E-mail: cdettmer@cityofvacaville.com