People Advocating for Recreation in Communities (PARC)Youth Education for Community DevelopmentVista EzzatiPatrick BaghdasarianDeon ZiserTonicia TademyIntroduction{ People Advocating for Recreation in Communities (PARC){ We would like to create a Youth Education program that encourages Community Development.{ Our focus for this program involves the community of Pacoima in the City of Los Angeles. { The Agencies involved in this program would be:z Policez Parks and Recreationz City of Los AngelesIntroduction (cont’d){ We decided to implement this program because we recognize that Pacoima is a community that faces many problems, including high crime rates, pollution, a lack in community involvement, and a lack of concern from the government at all 3 levels: Local, State, and Federal. { Our program will focus on involving the community leaders to educate the youth on several issues within the community (i.e. police, mentors, teachers, parents).{ From the responses of the community, we recognized that they need a foundation to help them get started on community development seeing as how they are willing to participate for bettering their community. { By integrating our program we hope to better the community and solve the problems that afflict them. PARC{ The goal of PARC is to connect the local community with the government.{ Working with the police and local government authorities, PARC wants to create and implement youth crime prevention education programs that will help decrease the high crime rates in Pacoima.{ We want to advocate for the people that live in Pacoima, whose voices are being ignored by the government.z By bringing unity to Pacoima’s voices, PARC feels that the government will listen to them together rather than individually.Political Action { The History and Government Involvement History of Pacoima{ Pacoima’s populations consists mainly of Mexican-American immigrant working-class families. Then what makes up for the ethnic composition of Pacoima?z Restrictive Covenants: Contractual agreements that prohibited non-Whites from living in an area. Pacoima was one of the few places in Southern CA where non-whites were not restricted.{ 1964: Executive Order 10925 signed by JFK.{ Prohibits Federal Government contractors from discrimination based on race.Pacoima Today{ Pacoima is an area with many problems that afflict the community, the main one being pollution.{ Their needs for a better quality of life have often been ignored by government agencies. { Youth that live and grow up in Pacoima often feel that they are not important, because nobody is trying to help them.{ Youth often resort to acting out by joining gangs or partaking in other crime-related activities.The Pacoima Wash, which runs adjacent to the site would, once cleaned up, provide the perfect setting for a park.Focus-Group Questions{ We worked with Pacoima Beautiful to ask 11 members of the community the following four questions that follow the PARK (Preserve, Add, Remove, Keep Out) model used in community workshops. z What do you like about your neighborhood? (Preserve)z What would you like your neighborhood to have that does not currently exist? (Add)z What would you like to see eliminated in your neighborhood? (Remove)z What should never become part of your neighborhood? (Keep Out)Focus Group Responsesz What do you like about your neighborhood? (Preserve){ People in the neighborhood are fighting for change, fighting for a better quality of life. { The mom and pop shops; there has not been a lot of big box development, YET!z What would you like your neighborhood to have that does not currently exist? (Add){ Open Space- more parks for children.{ Community Center- one close to their neighborhood. z What would you like to see eliminated in your neighborhood? (Remove){ The industrial sites (Asphalt Recycling Center){ Pollution: air and water. z The industrial sites surrounding the neighborhood contribute to the air and water pollution in Pacoima. z What should never become part of your neighborhood? (Keep Out){ Keep out industrial manufacturers. { Keep out big box developers.PacoimaThe Asphalt Recycling Site located near single family residential houses would be ideal for developing a park and recreation facility in the center of the site, with other possible uses developed on the site. Asphalt Recycling SiteAsphalt Recycling SitePacoima{ The Asphalt Recycling Center site has caused many problems in the neighborhood, and its removal is one, community members have advocated for. { A Community Center and Park on this site would serve the neighborhood, because they do not have these uses available to them in close proximity to their homes. { The creation of Open Space (a park) has been advocated for by members of the community for a long time, but nothing has been done until now. Peer & Adult AdvisementSchool And Mentors involvementPeer & Adult Advisement{ As part of PARC, our division focuses on the youth education to better their communities. { By working with local officials and police action we want youth to know they can make a difference. { We will be contacting Pacoima schools and giving presentations on how to get involved in the city actions. { Some teachers we receive a program lay out as too how their students can get credit by getting involved. School involvement …{ We will work with the architect and the construction company that will be hired to develop this community land, and show how the youth can be taught vocational skills through being involved in the process. { Several important assets in youth development are z Showing the youth that they are important resources z Helping youth to serve others z Making sure they are safe within their communities.z But also making sure students have adult role models to show responsible behaviors.Best Practices…{ Taking the ideas of The National Big Brother and Big Sisters and The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) in Boston:z We plan on getting youth involved while learning skills and taking pride in what they do and where they live. Benefits of Youth Involvement{ Direct youth involvement offers potential benefits both to youth and to the organizations that serve them. Youth gain experience and confidence; organizations gain a fresh perspective on youth culture; and organizations develop more effective outreach.Involving young people may provide an organization with the following benefits:{ Fresh ideas, unshackled by the way