In the city of Salinas, where 32% of residents are children and youth, outreach strategies that embrace participatory practices can enlarge young people’s perceptions and contribute to a more socially and environmentally just community. They can also provide young people with skills and a sense of empowerment to effect change in their communities.
This plan lays a framework for short- and long-term strategies for outreach to accomplish this. Long-term outreach lays a foundation for a process of how to connect with community across projects and time frames. It includes a model for neighborhood networks that support youth allies as leaders of outreach efforts, with support from community organizations, the city and CSUMB. Short-term outreach draws from a rich and extensive participation toolbox and presents a few examples of ways to engage community members at existing places and events. These include art-based methods for engagement and youth radio. A central tenant of this plan is that in order for outreach to be effective, it needs to meet people where they are. This means going to the places where people already gather, such as the Constitution soccer fields or the Take it Outside event. It also means meeting people where they are in language and desired approaches to engagement. This plan reflects ideas and interests we heard from people within Salinas as well as best practices in participatory research and community engagement. This plan reflects only 6 weeks of research and work in a CSUMB Environmental Studies course. We hope it plants seeds that can grow into sustained outreach efforts that can support our vision for a thriving and inclusive community that draws from cultural assets and community strengths.
Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.
Sustainable City Years Program Contact Info
University Faculty Contact
Victoria Derr
Natural Sciences
Assistant Professor, School of Natural Sciences
vderr@csumb.edu
Local Government / Community Contact
Donald Reynolds