Youth In Focus
Youth In Focus promotes youth empowerment, organizational
learning, and social justice by supporting Youth-led
Research, Evaluation and Planning (Youth REP). Our work
is premised on the belief that youth can effectively
partner with adults to address social and organizational
challenges, and that these partnerships are crucial
to making just, democratic, and sustainable social change.
YIF works with youth-serving organizations in the San
Francisco Bay Area, Central Valley, and Sierra Nevada
regions. Current Youth REP projects fall into three
broad categories: Community/Youth Development, Public
Health, and Public School Improvement.
Services to promote and support Youth REP include:
•
Youth REP orientation workshops for youth groups, boards,
staff, funders, and policy-makers
• Intensive training
and coaching on Youth REP program development and implementation
using our field-tested curriculum
• Consulting on relevant
funder and policy initiatives
• Education and advocacy
through presentations, training workshops, conference
papers, publications, convening, and participation in
related networks
• Resource development
and dissemination to youth and adult practitioners,
policy-makers, researchers/evaluators, and funders through
our newsletter, website, and publications.
Our largest effort to date in the Central Valley has
been Youth GRO (Grassroots Regional Organizing)
Youth GRO (Grassroots Regional Organizing)
This project is a learning cohort of organizations engaged
in youth-led research on education and equity issues
in the Central Valley. Current partners are the Freedom
Bound Center in Sacramento, the Modesto Youth Center,
and The Hmong Student Advisory Committee of the Fresno
Unified School District.
Through a set of youth-led action research projects
youth leaders will document their educational aspirations
and the factors that support or prevent this achievement
for them and their peers. Youth will develop strategies
to address these issues, and collaborate in local and
regional efforts to improve educational equity throughout
the Central Valley. By engaging in action research on
this topic, youth will empower themselves to join the
discussions and decisions being made about their lives
and futures in meaningful ways.
Youth In Focus is also providing training and technical
assistance for the following Youth REP projects.
Teens Supporting Teens at Woodland
High School have developed a youth-led research project
on sexual health and community supports for youth. This
projects is informing their work on the Its Up to Me
Campaign to reduce teen pregnancy and numerous peer
education efforts.
The Big Mappers at La Familia Counseling
Center have surveyed youth development and employment
opportunities and challenges in South Sacramento for
the Sacramento Employment Training Agency.
The Freedom Bound Center is developing
a youth-led evaluation system for its youth health advocacy
project and its broader community and youth organizing
efforts in Sacramento.
Youth In Focus has recently released: Youth Empowerment
and Community Action in the Central Valley: Mapping
the Challenges and Opportunities based on research
on over 50 youth empowerment programs throughout the
Central Valley.
In August 2003, Youth In Focus will collaborate with
youth organizers throughout t he Central Valley to host
a Central Valley Youth Organizing Convening, sponsored
by the California Fund for Youth Organizing.
Central Valley Office Contact Information:
Jonathan London, Executive Director: jonathan@youthinfocus.net
Manuel Perez, Senior Program Manager: manuel@youthinfocus.net
Alison Young, Project Manager: Alison@youthinfocus.net
1930 East 8th Street, #300
Davis, CA 95616
Tel. 530-758-3688
Fax. 530-758-3550
Web: www.youthinfocus.net
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