Organization: TOLA ORGANIZING ACADEMY
Mission: TO TRAIN INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS IN THE FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
Activities: TOLA ACCEPTED A NEW COHORT OF FELLOWS TO THE 2019 PROGRAM AND RECRUITED RETURNING STOCKTON YOUTH INTO LEADERSHIP POSITIONS TO EXPAND THE OUTREACH AND EDUCATION EFFORT. THE 2019 TOLA TRAINEES RECEIVED DAILY CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION AND WERE EXPOSED TO A SERIES OF TOPICS ON COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND SUGARY DRINK POLICIES. THE CURRICULUM LESSONS WERE ENHANCED BY A VARIETY OF GUEST SPEAKERS. OVER THE COURSE OF SEVERAL MONTHS, A TEAM OF 30 TOLA YOUTH ACTIVISTS CANVASSED THE STOCKTON COMMUNITY AND INFORMED RESIDENTS OF 1) THE TACTICS OF THE AMERICAN BEVERAGE ASSOCIATION TARGETING YOUTH AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND 2) THEIR STRATEGY OF LIMITING LOCAL COMMUNITIES FROM ASSESSING "SODA TAXES." YOUTH LEADERS COLLECTED LETTERS OF SUPPORT FOR A BYCOTT AGAINST COKE AND COLLECTED PLEDGE CARDS FROM INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS TO NOT PURCHASE OR DRINK COKE PRODUCTS.THE LIST OF SUPPORTERS CONTINUED TO GROW, AND TOLA BUILT RELATIONSHIPS WITH ORGANIZATIONS LIKE LITTLE MANILA RISING AND THE PRIDE CENTER OF SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY; EXPANDED OUR REACH INTO THE CITY OF LODI AND GAINED SUPPORT FROM RELIGIOUS CONGREGATIONS THERE; AND STRENGTHENED OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MAYOR OF STOCKTON, CA., AND HIS CITY STAFF. TOLA ALSO WORKED WITH THE STOCKTON SCHOLARS PROGRAM TO ENSURE THEY WERE VISITING ALL SCHOOLS AND DEVELOPING A NETWORK OF SUPPORT WITHIN THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY.THE BOYCOTT COKE RALLY ORGANIZED BY TOLA YOUTH ATTRACTED OVER 70 COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND RECEIVED GOOD PRESS COVERAGE. THEY ASKED EACH ATTENDEE TO SIGN A PLEDGE CARD TO BOYCOTT COKE. A VARIETY OF SPEAKERS INCLUDING A PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERT, A STOCKTON YOUTH WHO PRESENTED A POEM THEY WROTE, AND SOMEONE WHO SHARED THEIR PERSONAL STORY ABOUT THE IMPACT DIABETES HAD ON THEIR FATHER AND FAMILY ADDED COMMUNITY VOICES TO THE BOYCOTT COKE RALLY. THROUGHOUT THE OUTREACH AND IN ANTICIPATION OF THE RALLY, THEY DEVELOPED A WEBSITE FOR FOLKS TO GAIN ACCESS TO HEALTH INFORMATION IN THE COUNTY AND ALSO SIGN AN ONLINE PLEDGE CARD. AFTER THE RALLY, TOLA TOOK A TOTAL OF 6,500 LETTERS OF SUPPORT, HEALTH SURVEYS, AND LETTERS ASKING FOR A SODA TAX TO THE STATE CAPITOL AS A "HAND OFF" TO LEGISLATORS ASKING THEM TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT LOCAL FAMILIES. TOLA ALSO INVITED OVER THIRTY SUPPORTERS TO JOIN IN THEIR FACEBOOK LIVE BROADCAST. SINCE THE "HAND OFF," TOLA HAS JOINED FORCES WITH CALIFORNIANS FOR LESS SODA, A STATEWIDE COALITION LOOKING TO PASS A FUTURE STATEWIDE SODA TAX AND CONTINUE TO PUSH FOR THIS ISSUE WITH STATE LEGISLATORS AS A TOP PRIORITY. AS TOLA CONDUCTED THE DOOR-TO-DOOR WORK AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH, THEY CONTINUED TO BE IMPRESSED WITH THE LEVEL OF COMMITMENT FROM THE STOCKTON YOUTH ORGANIZERS. THROUGH THEIR INVOLVEMENT AND TRAINING THEY HAVE DEVELOPED A TRUE SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND ASSUMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR LEADING VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT EFFORTS; THEY HAD THE COURAGE TO SPEAK AT THE BOYCOTT COKE RALLY; THEY TRAINED UP TO 25 ADDITIONAL PEERS IN PHONE BANKING TECHNIQUES AND LEARNED HOW TO SET-UP AND MANAGE PHONE BANKS; AND THEY ALSO DEVELOPED THE CONFIDENCE TO CHALLENGE STATE LEGISLATORS TO TAKE ACTION ON THIS IMPORTANT COMMUNITY HEALTH ISSUE.
NTEE category: Community Improvement & Capacity Building
Secondary category: Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations