In Sacramento, La Familia provides recreation, tutoring, mentoring and job placement assistance to scores of teens each year. Civic participation Get youth and adults involved in creating positive changes in their communities through community assessment, policy development, and education of policy makers. In Escondido, youth from the EYE project convinced the Escondido Mayor and other city officials to establish a youth commission that engages youth from the community and encourages their participation in establishing goals and policies that will directly affect the lives of all youth in Escondido. Then hire young people. In Santa Cruz, Barrios Unidos has developed several profitable enterprises, including a silkscreening shop, where young people can learn all aspects of running a successful and demanding business.
Youth recruit new clients, manage the contracts, manufacture the products and train other youth.
Conflict resolution Train middle school and high school youth as peer mediators to help their peers resolve disputes without resorting to violence. Whether as mediators or disputants, young people develop valuable communications and problem solving skills and learn to understand themselves and each other. Mapping community potential Engage youth in identifying potential areas where, with public investment and community support, community resources could be developed. In Riverside, students with People Reaching Out created a map identifying potential areas for civic investment. They secured the mayor s commitment to improving the Cesar Chavez Community Center, so Eastside Youth will have a safe place to spend time.