Published in the February 18-March 3, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Bernice Aguilera
Bernice Aquilera
Some at-risk young people in the South Valley region need a place where they can feel safe and make friends. They can find it with the Late Night Gym program developed through the leadership of the South County Youth Task Force. As one young person participating in LNG said recently: “I come back because I feel like I matter here. Nobody judges me.”
In January 2012, the city of Gilroy, the city of Morgan Hill, and the Santa Clara County unincorporated area of San Martin created the SCYTF to address the effects of violence and gangs on our local youths and in our community. This collaboration is a cross-sector, multi-agency partnership intended to implement a multi-faceted, community-oriented approach to create culturally-responsive prevention and intervention practices. The SCYTF engaged in a community assessment and strategic planning process in 2012-2013 to define existing challenges South County youths might face. The goal is to reach youths where they are and provide safe and healthy opportunities for recreation and engagement in the community. In short, we want to help youths thrive.
Strategies under the SCYTF umbrella include collaborations for school-based interventions and evening pro-social activities, in partnership with the Gilroy and Morgan Hill Unified School districts and community-based champions, Community Solutions and The Youth Alliance. Under the CalGRIP funded South County REACH project and the new One Neighborhood Empowered Project, these and other agencies offer outreach and intensive programming. The goal of these new programs is to offer more services and build better relationships with disengaged youth and their families. The concept of LNG reaches out to youth and provides them with positive options during the evening. We want all of the youths in Morgan Hill to see themselves as resilient, empowered, active, connected and healthy with the acronym “REACH.”
LNGs provide a fun, safe and resources-filled free gym night for local youths once a week. This environment promotes good citizenship, character development, positive recreational activities, educational opportunities and connections to community resources. The first LNG, called Positive Calles (Spanish for “Streets”), opened its doors in late October at Morgan Hill’s Britton Middle School on Wednesday evenings. Community Solutions staff members Brandy Pereira and Saul Gonzales lead in engaging young people in recreational activities, games, field trips, holiday and cultural celebrations, educational and job preparation workshops, mediation and conflict resolution. Trained staff are available to problem-solve and offer one-to-one support and various forms of guidance, mentor-ship, tools and connections to community resources.
What makes Positive Calles effective is that reputable, community-based organizations work together to carry out a fun night where any teenager who is willing to display mutual respect to themselves and others can participate, let down their guard and just be a kid. The youths form a circle, before they share a meal together, ground themselves, express gratitude for a gift they have in their life and throw away a stressor that has been bothering them.
Various community members participate with the youths, such as the TeenForce program which provides job preparation workshops or an instructor who is voluntarily spends time teaching the girls the science behind personal safety and mixed-martial arts. Cecelia Ponzini, the founder of the Edward Boss Prado Foundation, came to visit Positive Calles when it first opened and she instantly fell in love with the surging energy. She adopted LNG and provides meals every month. She has even raffled a bike and a skateboard for those youths who showed regular attendance.
The SCYTF is committed to engaging disconnected and under-served youth and their families in social, recreational, educational and support programs that empower and enhance their quality of life. Together, we envision a community that is safe and provides youths with strong connections to their families, schools, and neighborhoods. Santa Clara County agency representatives participating in SCYTF efforts come from the Santa Clara County Juvenile Court, District Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, the Juvenile Justice Commission, Public Health Department and the Re-Entry Center. Funding comes from the city of Morgan Hill, city of Gilroy, the Morgan Hill and Gilroy Unified School Districts, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and the Board of State and Community Corrections’ CalGRIP.
For more information on how to get involved with SCYTF, contact SCYTF Coordinator, Bernice Aguilera at [email protected] or (408) 846-0337. For information related to Late Night Gym, contact Brandy Pereira at [email protected] or (408) 846-4743.
