REACH Stories

Cordova High School celebrates student-led mural project

Katy Pasini — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:38:16 -0400

by Cordova High School Student Union staff

Nevada County students explore health careers

Katy Pasini — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:35:50 -0400

by Sharyn Turner, MA, RN
Coordinator of School Health,
Nevada County Superintendent of Schools

So you think you want to be a nurse? How do you know you don’t want to be a cardiac surgeon, a physical therapist, a nuclear radiologist or a forensic pathologist? These are just a few of the numerous health careers exposed to the 20 students in grades eight through 12 who participated in the Exploring Careers in Health Summer Institute, held July 28-31 at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital and sponsored by the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools Office.

Community Action coalitions experience REACH US Camp

Katy Pasini — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:29:29 -0400

by bel Reyes and Kindra Montgomery

Youth leaders needed for Sacramento Youth Commission

Katy Pasini — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:08:32 -0400

by Christina DeMoss-Giffin,
Youth Resource Coordinator,
City of Sacramento Office of Youth Development

The Food Bank of El Dorado County touches lives

Katy Pasini — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:06:09 -0400

by Arielle Baran,
Vision Coalition of El Dorado Hills member

Every morning, Food Bank trucks flock out, traveling to local grocery stores. The trucks return to the Food Bank’s Diamond Springs location three tons heavier, carrying products ranging from nutritious eggs to protein-packed meat, and donated foods ranging from canned vegetables to packaged breads.

Youth Media Workshop provides a voice for students

Katy Pasini — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:02:40 -0400

by Jessica Sandoval,
Vision Coalition of El Dorado Hills member

Capital-region youth projects receive Program Improvement grants

Katy Pasini — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:57:58 -0400

Since the REACH youth program began in early 2006, Sierra Health Foundation has awarded 65 Program Improvement grants ― totaling more than $630,000 ― to nonprofit organizations working to improve the quality of youth programs in the capital region. Congratulations to the following 11 grant recipients from the Spring 2008 funding cycle!

Amador County Recreation Agency
ACRA After School Program
Children’s Receiving Home of Sacramento
Reach the Youth — Youth Mentor Program
Mercy Housing California

read more

REACH conference focuses on youth-adult partnerships to create change

Katy Pasini — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:50:01 -0400

Hot temperatures and smoky air didn’t keep almost 500 youth and adults from attending Sierra Health Foundation’s second REACH Youth Development Conference on July 9 at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento. With a theme of Our Voices Creating a New World, the conference brought people together to talk about a myriad of ways youth and adults can work together to create a positive, healthy environment for young people in our region.

Quality Counts provides tools, training

Katy Pasini — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:08:14 -0400

by Bina Lefkovitz
Co-Director, Youth Development Network

Georgetown Divide Ready by 21™, Inc. and Youth Development Network (YDN) are partners in the Forum for Youth Investment’s national Quality Counts (QC) effort. Ten areas were selected to participate in this effort. QC brings a focus to why communities need to invest in supporting youth program quality, and supports communities in strengthening quality programming.

South Sacramento youth make first Art & Talent Show a success

Katy Pasini — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:04:18 -0400

by Emily Bender
Coordinator, South Sacramento Coalition for Future Leaders

Woodland Youth Council members lead park beautification project

Katy Pasini — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:02:51 -0400

by Lamar Heystek
Coordinator, Woodland Coalition for Youth

When the Woodland Youth Council, a group of two dozen young people working with adults to make positive community changes for youth, was asked how they would spend a $2,500 youth service grant, one member made a passing comment he thought no one would take seriously.

Youth Fun Fair a huge success in West Sacramento

Katy Pasini — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:01:19 -0400

by Michael Minnick
Coordinator, West Sacramento Youth Resource Coalition

More than 200 people came out to Bryte Park in West Sacramento on May 17 for the West Sacramento Youth Resource Coalition’s first Youth Fun Fair. The event combined information and activities by local agencies and businesses that support youth with exciting games for young people and their families.

Placerville youth experience SPIRIT Retreat

Katy Pasini — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:59:47 -0400

by Mikaelyn Praker
7th-grader, Herbert C. Green Middle School

REACH youth reclaim neighborhood park in Thornton

Katy Pasini — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:58:07 -0400

by John Durand
Coordinator, Galt Area Youth Coalition

On June 7, more than 50 youth and adults gathered to participate in a park cleanup and beautification campaign in the rural community of Thornton. The Mokelumne Park cleanup project marked the culmination of a year’s planning and the first phase of a larger effort to address safety in the community.

Community leaders sign Compact for Children and Youth

Katy Pasini — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:12:38 -0400

by Suzanne Mayes
Project Consultant
Capital Region Ready by 21

Vision Coalition of El Dorado Hills addresses underage drinking

Katy Pasini — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:10:55 -0400

by DJ Peterson
Project Director
Vision Coalition of El Dorado Hills

South Sacramento youth to present Art & Talent Show

Katy Pasini — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:09:16 -0400

by Emily Bender
Coordinator
South Sacramento Coalition for Future Leaders

Rancho Cordova youth hold rally at Capitol

Katy Pasini — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:53:19 -0400

by Nicole Jarred
Community Collaborations Manager
Cordova Community Collaborative

Meadowview conference sets stage to "change the view"

Katy Pasini — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:51:03 -0400

by Shuntae Campbell
Youth Organizer
Sacramento ACT Meadowview Partnership

The Meadowview community is a place where many youth have experienced an increase in youth issues. Statistically, the Meadowview community is deemed to be a “bad” neighborhood. Sacramento Area Congregations Together took notice of this, thus, creating the ACT Meadowview Partnership.

El Dorado youth award GABY grants

Katy Pasini — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:02:54 -0400

from El Dorado Community Foundation

Since November 2007, members of the El Dorado County Grants Advisory Board for Youth (GABY) have been learning about what philanthropy is and how the grant making process works. They issued requests for grant proposals, reviewed all of the proposals submitted, interviewed the applicants and then spent an entire day making funding decisions. They presented a written summary of the 11 grants requested, along with their recommendations for funding of nine requests totaling $12,584.

Rancho Cordova youth present accomplishments, goals to city council

Katy Pasini — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:58:52 -0400

by Nicole Jarred
Community Collaborations Manager
Folsom Cordova Community Partnership

On the evening of March 17, two youth from the Rancho Cordova Youth Advisory Council, Danielle and Rheana, presented to the Rancho Cordova City Council about their 2007 accomplishments and 2008 goals ... and they were incredible! They gave a 10-minute presentation, including a screening of their photo-documentary from a recent Digital Storytelling Workshop.

Yolo youth plan and carry out successful youth leadership conference

Katy Pasini — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:54:20 -0400

by Lori Perez,
YCYLC Planning Team member, Woodland Coalition for Youth

On March 29 and 30, 77 youth and adults participated in the first Yolo County Youth Leadership Conference, held at Woodland Community College. The event was organized by the Woodland Coalition for Youth and was designed to inspire, motivate and give students practical knowledge about leadership development, attaining higher education and making career choices.

The leadership conference concept began when some local youth and adults attended a large youth leadership conference in Sacramento. The youth attending wondered why a leadership conference had never been held in Woodland, and the adults attending responded by saying that one had never been planned. The youth decided they would like to plan one.

Youth and adults address youth violence prevention, school improvement

Katy Pasini — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:26:33 -0400

by Jim Keddy
Director, PICO California

On Feb. 24 and 25, more than 130 youth leaders and 100 adults from throughout the state gathered in Sacramento to discuss strategies on youth violence prevention and school improvement, and to build relationships with some of the state's highest-ranking public officials. Young people and adults from the Meadowview Partnership, a REACH-funded initiative, participated and played key leadership roles in the two-day event.

On the first evening, youth and adult leaders came together to learn from one another regarding their efforts to reduce youth violence and to win the policies and resources necessary for long-term change. In Union City, for example, community leaders are urging their city council to set aside $1 million from a proposed $5 million public safety measure for youth prevention and intervention services. In Oakland, grassroots leaders are working with city officials to develop the Oakland Strategy, modeled after a successful effort in Boston in which outreach workers visit young people involved in gangs and violence and seek to help them create a way out through jobs and other services.

Youth approve $57,000 in grants to youth-led community projects

Katy Pasini — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:21:58 -0400

by Nela Reyes Lee
Philanthropic Services Officer, Sacramento Region Community Foundation

The Grants Advisory Board for Youth (GABY), a local grantmaking advisory board comprised of youth between the ages of 12 and 19, recently approved $57,000 in grants to youth-led community projects that will be carried out in Sacramento and Yolo counties. After reviewing all funding requests, the GABY awarded Youth HOPE grants to 24 youth-led projects. The funded projects address a range of issues impacting youth, including environmental education, cultural literacy, and health and wellness.

Voices

Katy Pasini — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:18:28 -0500

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.

Capital Region Ready by 21 Coalition sets goals and course of action

Katy Pasini — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:14:51 -0500

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.

Youth Development Network offers training for youth and adults

Katy Pasini — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:07:53 -0500

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.

GABY members let their voices be heard

Katy Pasini — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:53:58 -0500

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.

R-Spot youth walk red carpet at film festival

Katy Pasini — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:45:58 -0500

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.

Nevada City youth promote literacy

Katy Pasini — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:41:35 -0500

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.