M A Y 2 0 1 3

2013 Series Schedule

Cultural Competency Youth Impact Series: Expanding Cultural Reach

Developed through a special partnership between YDN and FYI

The Journey Foundation for Youth Investment (FYI) – YDN partnership

2009 -2013 California Statewide – Cultural Relevancy in outdoor programming discussion forums

April – Nov 2011 Cultural Relevancy Report Published – sponsored by FYI - download report

January 2012 Cultural Competency Youth Impact Series Project outlined and developed

2012-2013 First Cultural Competency Series scheduled in Sacramento for Feb 2013

2012 Project promotion and application submission process

Nov-Dec 2012 Organization application submissions

Dec 2012 deadline Candidate organization interviews

January 2013 Participating organizations selected

January 25, 2013 Letters of commitment processed

January – February 2013 Four half-day day sessions

Feb. 13, Mar. 6, Apr. 3 & 24, 2013

Action plans created by organizations during sessions

March 2013 One-to-one organization coaching sessions

(virtual) Feb. 30, Mar. 20 & Apr.

10, 2013 Cultural Competency Impact Series Project Alumni Networking Event

October 16, 2013

What is the Cultural Competency Youth Impact Series

This project series was developed by YDN out of their continuing work with cultural competency, safe supportive climates, and the convening of the G.O. (Get Outdoors) network. This opportunity has helped participating organizations create lasting and noticeable change within programs, policies, and procedures to improve engagement with traditionally hard-to-reach youth.

The project includes a series of comprehensive workshops, paired with coaching, for organizations who work with youth and the outdoors and who are striving to improve their ability to reach and engage young people of color or low-income youth.

The goal of this series of workshops is to showcase a process whereby agencies can design and “fast track” shifts in policies, procedures and programs to optimize the way they reach a more diverse population.

Four ½ day Workshops February - April

Coaching February - April

Forty (40) participants representing eight (8) organizations attended the four (4) half-day workshops facilitated by Adrian Ruiz and Andy Paul of the YDN.

Each of the eight (8) organizations received four (4) hours of coaching to support their cultural competency plan of action.

Program Overview  Coaching  YDN  held  regularly  scheduled  coaching  sessions  with  every  team.  These  sessions  were  scheduled  to  occur  every  two  or  three  weeks  (between  workshop  sessions).  During  these  sessions,  each  team  had  30  minutes  of  focused  time  with  YDN  coaches  to  share  their  agency’s  progress  on  their  action  plan  and  to  seek  help  in  troubleshooting  places  where  they  were  struggling.    Outcomes  As  you’ll  read  below  in  detail,  each  team  made  progress  towards  shifting  their  organizations  in  a  way  that  would  help  them  reach  more  underserved  youth  in  the  short  and  long  term.  At  the  close  of  the  process,  the  teams  were  able  to  celebrate  their  work  by  presenting  to  the  rest  of  the  group  on  their  progress.  Spurred  on  by  their  initial  successes,  all  of  these  teams  are  now  focused  on  continuing  their  progress  towards  what  they  see  as  a  much  larger  goal—significant  long-­‐term  organizational  change  that  helps  their  agency,  and  indeed,  even  their  entire  sector,  reach  more  underserved  youth  so  that  the  outdoors  is  more  fully  utilized  by  youth  from  all  backgrounds.    

The  Cultural  Competency  Youth  Impact  Series  is  an  exciting  project,  which  demonstrates  that  agencies  can  “fast-­‐track”  organizational  change,  even  in  an  area  as  potentially  complex  as  culturally  competent  organizational  practices,  with  proper  incentives  and  support.    At  the  beginning  of  this  project,  eight  agencies  chose  concrete  actions  that  they  hoped  would  improve  their  organization’s  ability  to  reach  traditionally  hard-­‐to-­‐reach  youth.  This  is  a  widely  accepted  challenge  of  the  outdoor  sector  as  a  whole,  and  yet  most  agencies  report  they  struggle  with  making  any  progress  in  this  area,  though  not  for  lack  of  trying.  Over  the  course  of  the  series,  these  agencies  were  able  to  network  and  troubleshoot  their  strategies  within  a  dynamic  learning  community  of  their  peers,  as  well  as  with  guidance  from  regular  one-­‐on-­‐one  YDN  coaching.  As  a  result,  most  agencies  felt  they  were  able  to  accomplish  meaningful  change  within  their  organizations  (and  make  steps  towards  long-­‐term  change  as  well)  that  will  help  them  reach  and  impact  more  diverse  youth  than  they  did  previously.    Selection  Process  Each  of  the  eight  agencies  selected  to  participate  demonstrated  their  initial  commitment  through  an  application  and  interview  process,  allowing  YDN  staff  to  determine  whether  their  team  and  organization  was  prepared  to  follow  through  with  all  of  the  components  of  the  project.  The  participating  agencies  were:  City  of  Sacramento  Parks  and  Recreation  Teen  Services,  Sacramento  SPLASH,  Bureau  of  Land  Management,  Outdoor  Youth  Connection,  GEO  Academy  (Grant  High  School),  RISE  Inc.,  Tuolumne  River  Trust,  and  the  Center  for  Land  Based  Learning.  Agencies  had  to  commit  to:  attending  all  four  of  the  workshop  sessions,  participating  in  30-­‐minute  team  coaching  sessions  with  YDN  every  other  week,  and  completing  specific  items  on  their  action  plan  in-­‐between  sessions.        Workshops  Over  the  course  of  the  four  workshops,  teams  had  the  opportunity  to  build  a  safe,  supportive  learning  community,  in  order  to  network,  strategize,  learn  about  their  own  assumptions  and  knowledge,  and  to  create  action  plans  that  capture  what  they  hoped  to  accomplish  during  the  series  and  beyond.  YDN  facilitated  these  workshops  with  an  equal  focus  on  cultural  competency  content,  action  planning,  and  cross-­‐agency  sharing.      

Program Benefits to Participating Organizations

Applications of Interest

Through this Youth Impact Series, participating organizations and staff will:

• Experience four powerful half-day workshops focused on learning from peer organizations, listening to youth, and celebrating progress made as a group in shaping policies, procedures and programs

• Connect with a professional community of outdoor youth service providers

• Focus on implementing new policies, procedures and programs that broaden the organization’s impact on youth of diverse backgrounds

• Receive weekly virtual coaching sessions with YDN staff to support implementation of new policies, procedures and programs based on learnings from the workshops

The following organizations submitted applications of Interest to participate in the first Sacramento Cultural Competency Youth Impact Series:

• Bureau of Land Management • Center for Land Based Learning • City of Sacramento – Teen Services • GEO Academy @ Grant Union HS • Outdoor Youth Connection • RISE, Inc. • Sacramento SPLASH • Tuolumne River Trust • Sutter / Yuba Friday Night Live**

**Unforeseen circumstances caused organization to decline participation in project.

Series Workshop Content • Workshop 1, Youth Learning Circle Conversation

Hear young people share their candid thoughts and opinions about outdoor experiences programs. What are barriers to participate? What engages them? The concluding discussion will spark what organizations can do differently to engage young people, and help agencies identify what changes they’d like to focus on for the duration of the project.

• Workshop 2, Making It Happen

Take part in a process that focuses your organization on the key strategies that will create maximum impact for your goals. Learn key pieces of the Switch framework that help strategize the change, then utilize a SMART Goal planning process to lay out a clear and practical plan for making your desired change happen.

• Workshop 3, Works in Progress

Finish learning the Switch framework, then use that lens in a “shareshop” where participants have the opportunity to share what they’re working on (progress and challenges), as well as receive valuable peer coaching and troubleshooting.

• Workshop 4, Celebrate the Work!

Celebration with your learning community participants at a showcase that will feature each group and the organizational changes they have made as part of this process.

  Organizational Coaching

Plan To better reach communities who have low participation rates in the our agency’s workforce, BLM will:

• Build bridges that strengthen communication networks for youth and youth serving organizations (with a focus on organizations that target minority youth).

• Grow capacity through partnerships with youth organizations to better serve young people.

• Extend natural resources education, engagement, and employment to underserved youth in California.

• Diversify the BLM-California workforce to be more representative of the population it serves. Goal: Assist incoming National Fish and Wildlife Foundation interns and BLM – California State Office Pathways Interns in feeling welcomed and supported while at the BLM.

OBJECTIVE: Design a pilot mentorship program to provide ongoing support, supervision, and monitoring of mentoring relationships. • Get formal managerial approval of mentorship program • Research existing mentorship programs • Interview current interns to determine what would help them be successful • Use research data and interviews to craft a mentorship program to meet the needs of BLM CA

Interns and design a handbook • Identify mentors • Provide training to mentors • Design a survey to determine program effectiveness • Provide mentors for the majority of new Intern Hires • Increase training opportunities for mentors • Increase the retention rate of Pathways Interns

Coaching o Very specific and measurable tasks and outcomes

Outcomes o Received formal managerial approval o Researched existing programs and interviewed current interns o Working on crafting a new mentorship program based on the data they collected

Bureau of Land Management Action Planning

  Organizational Coaching

 Plan This cultural competency implementation plan will be focusing on our WIA Youth Employment Program and three After School Program (ASP) sites on middle school campuses. The participants in all of the programs are traditionally from “high risk” populations, underserved regions, and low socio-economic backgrounds. Our goals are to expose program youth to increased outdoor education and enrichment experiences that connect to and enhance existing programming. OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES and CULTURAL COMPETENCY INITIATIVES This proposal includes four strategies that will strengthen outdoor opportunities and /or increase cultural competency for program staff and youth. The first three strategies identified involve “tweaks” and enhancements to existing programming; thus, are readily achievable. The fourth strategy, Leadership Camp, is more involved. This proposal focuses primarily on the Leadership Camp. Strategies:

• Expand on existing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) curriculum and programming to include outdoor activities and career exploration in relevant fields (i.e. scientist, biologist, etc.).

• Expand and enhance existing WIA career exploration curriculum and activities to include outdoor careers.

• Expand WIA recruitment strategies to attract a more culturally diverse youth population. • Youth Leadership Camp – Twelve WIA students will spend a weekend at Camp

Sacramento in the Sierras engaged in outdoor activities and learning leadership skills. Additionally, approximately 30 middle school youth will engage in a weekend leadership camp held at a City of Sacramento community center and the CSUS Ropes Course.

Outcomes

o Developed  expanded  WIA  student  recruitment  strategies  and  locations  o Secured  location  for  camp  o Developed  curriculum  and  activities,  including  potential  guest  speakers  o Working  on:  

o Final  plans  for  camp  o Internships/job  placements  for  camp  participants  

City Of Sacramento – Teen Services Action Planning

Plan Long term outcome: Increased ethnic diversity in agricultural and environmental science professions. Short term outcome: We aim to develop procedures and tools for recruiting and engaging the “new target audience” to be involved in our programs as mentors. These procedures and tools will be designed for Sacramento Valley FARMS and SLEWS programs with the intention that are replicable to our other programs and regions.

Create new procedures and tools that will position CLBL to do the following for the 2013-2014 Sac Valley SLEWS and FARMS Program:

o Stage 1: Recruit mentors who represent the “new target audience” o Stage2: Prepare all mentors to engage with students- to be role models who share the

stories of their education, training, experiences, path, and goals with the students, as well as advise and encouragement.

o Stage 3: Throughout the program year, provide opportunities for engagement between students and mentors, so the students may view mentors as role models. Provide opportunities for students and role models have a positive program experience together.

(Stages 1-3 are going to set the stage for students to be open to thinking about careers in agriculture and environmental science because they are having positive experiences doing outdoor activities and activities related to these fields with role models.) Stage 4: Show students that their positive program experiences relate to careers in agriculture and environmental science. Showcase careers and people in these jobs who represent the “new target audience.” Share information about how to get into these careers, including information and invitation for continued support from CLBL. Outcomes Designed a new-and-improved mentor program that:

o recruits more mentors who reflect the diverse backgrounds of the youth participants, o provides more opportunities for meaningful interactions between mentors and students o piloted new ways to involve mentors in field days o includes mentor and youth survey that captures indicators from action plan o Working on:

o Implementing new recruiting practices & revised marketing materials

  Organizational Coaching

Center for Land Based Learning Action Planning

Plan Through the Cultural Competency Trainings and planning sessions, our GEO Academy team will expand our efforts by focusing on increasing our students' knowledge of environmental careers and their connection to culturally diverse professionals who work in environmental careers.

1. Involve adult mentors from culturally diverse backgrounds to participate in the students' outdoor field trips which are organized to connect youth to nature and to gain an appreciation for the importance of preserving natural resources,

2. Connect our students to culturally diverse professionals who work in environmental careers

3. Build partnerships with local businesses and agencies to create internship opportunities for seniors in environmental careers,

4. Create recruiting materials for the GEO Academy to better inform students of the professional career options in environmental fields.

Coaching

o Taking this opportunity to take up agencies on their offer to give us diverse staff to speak at, or volunteer with, the program

o Utilized a survey with alumni and partners to capture bright spots and also to gather information from alumni for possible recruitment

o Pulling from the Switch model (Heath Brothers), want to increase their focus on the emotional side of making change (in order to reach youth), not just the rational side

Outcomes o Worked with partner agencies to set up field trips and new guest speaker list that

incorporates more diverse environmental staff and agencies o Designed survey for youth to identify which kinds of outdoor careers they are interested

in. o Revised marketing materials and brochures that better inform students of their

professional career options in the environmental field o Working on more partnerships with business and agencies for environmental careers

including through a partnership with City of Sacramento

  Organizational Coaching

GEO Academy – Grant High School Action Planning

  Organizational Coaching

Plan To develop effective ways to improve and increase our outreach to more ethnically diverse populations from underserved communities throughout California.

1. Review current organizations and the cities/counties they come from 2. Compile statistics of participant’s ethnic backgrounds 3. Identify and engage new community based organizations 4. Identify and engage community organizations that serve Native American and Pacific Islander

youth. 5. Retain past community based organizations that currently serve our targeted population 6. Marketing OYC more effectively 7. Tapping into participating organizations for referral

Coaching o Fine tuning action plan to be specific and measurable, especially for setting goals and the

“finish line” o Marketing and funding are big issues emerging

Outcomes

o Completed review of current organizations and cities, compiled statistics o Identified and engaged new organizations o Renewed focus on how to reach, and market to, specific populations

Outdoor Youth Connection Action Planning

  Organizational Coaching

Plan Short term Goal #1: Splash Elementary Program field trips are accessible, relevant, and engaging for English Learners and students from diverse backgrounds

§ Literature review of resources on California Tomorrow website § Identify people who are skilled in experiential outdoor education and/or

communicating with English learners and bring them out to observe and evaluate our current field trips

§ Work with them to revise vernal pool field trip methodology to make it more accessible to English learners and non-auditory learners

§ Offer experiential trainings for Splash field guides § Post new Spanish-language version of the curriculum online § Roll out new-and-improved field trips

Short term Goal #2: Splash diversifies board and staff by bringing on two trustees and two staff members from minority communities within the next 12 months.

o Investigate where to find potential board candidates and staff members o Investigate where to find potential staff members o Write policy to support the recruitment of diverse staff and trustees

Coaching

o Exploring the implications of a policy that is essentially affirmative action o Progress with creating an advisory group for the curriculum o Questions about facilitating their own youth listening circle

Outcomes

o Brought entire staff on board with concept of cultural competency o Assembled crew to evaluate field trips o Engaged new partners and advisors through the learning community o In progress:

o Retooling field trips o Maintaining organization-wide commitment to examining what we do and how we

can do it better for youth

Sacramento SPLASH Action Planning

Action Plan

Objective: Create new partnerships with agencies that provide outdoor programs, therefore increasing RISE’s capacity to serve youth. We will target youth that have previously been unengaged with RISE’s outdoor programs with a focus on the racial minority in our community. Consider and implement new processes for outreach to previously unengaged youth. Past participants will be trained to be youth ambassadors that recruit new participants to RISE outdoor programs.

Coaching o YDN pushed the team to document their processes and story. o YDN encouraged RISE to build the skills of their lead youth so that they would be effective

at helping them recruit other youth. o RISE reported moving along with most action items on their plan. RISE requested a YDN

Handbook to pull from as a model for their work o RISE requested a list from another agency of the types of positions that are available within

state recreation o Coaching sessions kept the team on track and kept the Action Plan moving in a forward

direction.

Outcomes o Strengthened and maintained partnerships with Bureau of Land Management, Outdoor

Youth Connection, and Center for Land-Based Learning to ensure future outdoor opportunities

o Executive staff is creating culturally competent policy for staff recruitment that is sustainable and provides a focus for the agency.

o New youth group formed in Esparto with 5 Latino boys referred from the school district. During summer this group will be folded into outdoor programs and members will be participating for the first time. First day of new program with 5 students began in March.

o The Success program is planning a camping trip during the Winters High School Spring Break. A total of 14 students will be participating on this trip. Two Latino males will be attending this three day trip and will be experiencing camping for the very first time.

o SOS (Ski or Snowboard) Learn to ride program (April-May): 5 new participants experiencing snowboarding for the first time (from culturally diverse backgrounds)

  Organizational Coaching

RISE, Inc. Action Planning

Plan o To increase participation in TRT programs by a culturally diverse group of people. o To have Community Engagement work better integrated in overall environmental

mission, vision and image of organization. o Present Cultural Competency work to staff and board and have internal conversation

about what our work with riverside communities looks like and how it fits into the overall mission of TRT

o As an organization, discuss how engaging a diverse group of people and our current Community Engagement work leads to our Destination Postcard

Coaching

o Figured out they needed to have an internal conversation first, test organizational readiness and seek buy-in from staff and board

o Then, with clarified purpose and vision, staff could move ahead with new strategies for diverse civic engagement with the river

Outcomes

o Had initial conversation with Board and key staff. More required. o Increased communication with families in the community to investigate perceptions

and opinions about river and TRT events

  Organizational Coaching

The Tuolumne River Trust (TRT) Action Planning

The Foundation for Youth Investment Program Outcomes

• Increased participation from organizations that have a strong commitment, awareness, and knowledge on why improving their cultural relevancy practices are of critical importance.

• Increased awareness and knowledge of outdoor youth providers in understanding how incorporating youth voice and recommendations can build stronger cultural relevancy policies, practices and programs.

• Ensure youth voice will be key part of the process – meaningful opportunity for youth to share their views, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes about outdoor opportunities to an audience of key stakeholders.

• Allows youth opportunity to speak freely about an issue and for adults to listen attentively.

• Increased awareness and knowledge of young peoples needs’ and perceptions of the outdoors by youth service providers that work with youth in outdoor setting as evidenced by the products of the youth learning circles.

We are pleased to report that this project met and even exceeded all of the above outcomes. The participating agencies, while some had a high level of engagement before, may now all be classified as more committed to improving their cultural relevancy practices, as well as committed to sharing their practices within the field. The youth listening circle that served as the kickoff to the series brought youth voice, and indeed their presence, right to the front of this process for all of the participating agencies. Agency staff in attendance were so moved by this experience that many of them either incorporated either a listening circle into their action plan, or else structured in more intentional youth evaluation and surveys to ensure their program strategies were based on authentic youth voice.

Overall Summary

Successes Overall, the project was quite successful in motivating agencies to follow through on most of their action plan items.The application

process and stipends ensured that the participating agencies had a high level of commitment. Also, the cross-agency sharing created a

sense of collective responsibility that kept the bar high for everyone. In addition, there were many similarities across the

agencies’ action items. This helped them be better collaborators and more well-informed peers in the learning community.

Also regular coaching throughout the project helped keep groups on track and helped them feel accountable to working on their

action plans. This was clearly a reason why most groups were so

productive in between workshops.

Challenges The timeline of the series could be even more spread out. This would allow for more actions to be implemented within the scope of the series,

deepening the learning experience for all the teams. Adding an additional session would allow more time to network and build relationships

upfront, instead of throughout the series.

We also would have loved to have a more hands-on evaluator to capture

more of the growth stories from the agencies. The conversations in the

room, and during coaching were varied and rich.

Next Steps Most organizations expressed a strong interest in reconvening after six months. YDN will host this “alumni” gathering where we will check in with teams on their progress, celebrate ongoing accomplishments, and provide additional content that may be helpful in their journeys. It is our intention to follow-up with them and host a few more of these events, if possible, over the next 18 months where we expect to hear about even more improvements taking place. Also, almost all of these organizations have discovered new partnerships with each other through this process. It is clear that their collaborative work will continue beyond this project, with or without us.

This process has begun a ripple effect but our ultimate goal is long

term: continuing to cultivate, and sustain, the change.

Participant Evaluations

 Strongly  Agree   Agree   Neutral   Disagree  

Strongly  Disagree  

Question  1:  The  content  presented  by  YDN  at  the  workshops  was  useful.   17   14   1   0   0  

Question  2:  The  format  of  the  workshops  (activities,  small  groups,  sharing)  was  engaging.   21   10   1   0   0  Question  3:  We  learned  things  from  the  other  organizations  present.   19   10   2   0   0  Question  4:  The  workshop  schedule  (3-­‐4  weeks  apart)  was  manageable  and  effective.   15   12   3   2   0  Question  5:  The  coaching  sessions  added  value  to  this  process.   9   15   7   1   0  

Question  6:  The  coaching  sessions  helped  us  accomplish  more  of  what  was  in  our  action  plan.   7   12   12   1   0  Question  7:  YDN  coaches  asked  helpful  questions.   13   16   3   0   0  Question  8:  YDN  coaches  supported  our  work  with  helpful  information  and/or  guidance.   11   17   2   0   0  Question  9:  We  were  able  to  meet  regularly  outside  of  the  workshops  and  scheduled  coaching  calls.   5   13   10   3   1  Question  10:  We  made  good  use  of  our  time  in  between  workshops  and  coaching  calls.   5   19   6   1   0  Question  11:  I  enjoyed  being  part  of  a  learning  community  that  was  working  on  these  things  together.   21   10   1   0   0  Question  12:  Our  team  would  not  have  made  these  changes,  or  would  have  been  less  effective,  on  our  own.   14.5   13.5   4   0   0  Question  13:  This  series  has  made  cultural  competency  a  part  of  our  organization  so  that  it  will  continue  to  be  a  more  intentional  part  of  how  we  do  our  work.   17   12   2   0   0  

Copies of full evaluations available upon request.

Overall Evaluation

Participant Evaluations

The content presented by YDN at the workshops was useful.

• Lots of great stuff presented at workshop. In particular, SWITCH (thought I think it should have been required reading!)

• Background reading, thought provoking discussions & time spent together all very useful for creating positive change

• Strongly agree • Day 1 info on CA diversity was great! • SWITCH! CC/Diversity data from day1

The format of the workshops (activities, small groups, sharing) was engaging.

• It always is! • Good mix of static & active • Strongly agree- I’d like to duplicate many of

our experiences with my fellow employees • Excellent facilitation! • Loved it! • Loved the last day’ activities. Really helped

us to get personal We learned things from the other organizations present.

• Suggest: Delay SMART plan draft by 10 days after workshop #1

• The collective wisdom of this learning community was incredible and added much to our action plan

• Agree- Not so much about their projects but from our workshop interactions

• Collaboration, ideas, criticism (constructively of course)

• Yes I would have love[d] more depth but yes I learned a great deal

The workshop schedule (3-4 weeks apart) was manageable and effective.

• Biggest challenge was too few days between meeting #1 and the draft SMART plan. We had to do a phone conference on a Sunday to start it, leaving its development to 1 or 2 of our team, excluding the others

• There was nothing wrong with the schedule timeline, but it overlapped with our busy season. Very challenging

• Any further apart and the energy would get lost.

Overall Evaluation

The coaching sessions added value to this process.

• These were very rushed but we always took away useful input. Better to give the coaches 19 minutes between sessions to catch their breath?

• Some of our calls had real value. Others felt like “going through the motions”. I think it’s too much to expect YDN’s staff to facilitate meaningful dialogue with 8 organizations back-to-back.

The coaching sessions helped us accomplish more of what was in our action plan.

• The session helped steer us clear of danger areas. Coaches were very supportive, open & serious about achieving potential outcomes

• Adrian & Andy definitely helped us untie some knots in the coaching sessions, but see comment above (Some of our calls had real value….)

YDN coaches asked helpful questions. • Tremendously insightful difficult questions

about sticky subjects. These guys are brave! • You are always very thoughtful • It was good to talk but not always really

helpful YDN coaches supported our work with helpful information and/or guidance.

• These sessions kept us on track. Increased accountability, avoided drift.

• YDN was great about offering tangible resources & following up

• Thanks for sending the handouts! • The coaches are awesome!

We were able to meet regularly outside of the workshops and scheduled coaching calls.

• This schedule was overlaid on our most busy, fully overbooked period. We could not cram meeting of our team in before coaching session

• As stated previously, this is our busy season and we are already working 60-80 hours/week. NO EXTRA BANDWIDTH

Participant Evaluations

We made good use of our time in between workshops and coaching calls.

• We did our very best but I would love to see what we might have accomplished during any other season

• Got to work (surveys, calling around, setting up fieldtrips)

• Yes • For us it was a bit harder. But we made it a

priority to meet I enjoyed being part of a learning community that was working on these things together.

• Great info during sessions! • Learning can be FUN! • More culture awareness is needed for many

leaders who are disconnected • Love all that YDN does!!! • Greatly enjoyed this experience

Our team would not have made these changes, or would have been less effective, on our own.

• The learning community really made us feel like we were part of a sea change. Their skill & commitment was inspiring

• We were pushed to accomplish these plans. It made us focus and address the issue now rather than put at the end of the list

• YDN added an element of legitimacy for our E.D. & D.D. program staff need that help!

• We would have done it EVENTUALLY but these workshops pushed us on action mode

• We need someone to light the fire beneath us J

• Probably not • The guided process was integral to us

moving closer to our long-term outcome • Would not have had such a fire ignited on

our own This series has made cultural competency a part of our organization so that it will continue to be a more intentional part of how we do our work.

• The workshop let us bring in more staff to create the momentum to move forward

• We need to implement our action plan fully to impact our whole organization

• Absolutely!

Overall Evaluation

What are the key things you feel your organization was able to accomplish within the span of this series (January-April 2013)?

• Create a SMART goal that is achievable • Make “cultural competency” a goal of the

whole organization • Bring in the talent we need to identify

necessary changes • Please see PPT (I don’t have the strength to

re-write!!) • Design & integrate policies/materials into our

programs • Reach out to new partners with purpose • To “get real” about what needs to be done to

achieve our goals What are the key things you feel your organization will accomplish after this series (within the next year)?

• Promote appropriate youth & cultural competency within organization

• Our field trip for grades 4 & 5 will be a model for best practices in science & outdoor education for our region. We can share this success with others

• Implement new mentor training ideas/policies

• Evaluate effectiveness of changes What were the most useful aspects of this experience for you personally?

• Helped me learn the language of cultural competency & practice

• Camaraderie • Great ice breakers & energizers (gonna steal

those) • Getting our staff team together is useful to

me. Time to spend thinking about these issues • I feel more confident in addressing or

approaching cultural competency issues • Team building with my workmates

What were the most useful aspects of this experience for your team?

• The team can help to lead the larger PIT crew & talk the talk while we walk the walk

• Building consciousness of CC within the organization

• Feeling of progress toward goals

Participant Evaluations

What suggestions would you have if YDN were to offer this experience again? Please offer specific constructive feedback about any and all elements of the project that are not addressed elsewhere in this evaluation.

• Just put another week in between the 1st workshop & the plan

• More nuts & bolts cultural knowledge (e.g. story about Hmong girl & eye contact was very instructive)

• Group presentations made me glaze over. I still don’t think I completely understand what everyone is doing. 8- 5 minute presentations is just kinda overwhelming

• Get into the deeper/introspective/personal stuff (activities we did today) earlier in the series (maybe 2nd day) They can handle it

• A longer timeline…to accomplish the work • Start with the Switch model then write the

plan • I think everything was great! The last

presentations were a little long & auditory. Maybe a small break mid-way…

Copies of full evaluations available upon request.

Overall Evaluation

Final parting thoughts or comments • YDN rocked this & was the spark of fire for

change across our organization and the youth we serve

• Thank you x/o! • Thanks, nice meeting you all! J • Thanks/Thank you/Thank you so

much/Thanks!/Thank you! (10) • Thanks for an enlightening and helpful and

energizing experience! • Thanks for fitting it together! • Great facilitators • Great overall

• Excellent teams • Very important

• Change agents in progress • Great connections made & new ideas that

will strengthen our current programs> People are sincerely doing great things

• Adrian & Andy – Thank you so much for your guidance, patience & enthusiasm

• More homemade candy- That stuff is da Bomb • Thanks for all the thoughtfulness in putting

this together. & OMG I so hate writing poetry. Ugh. But I made it

• You guys are terrific facilitators. The activities today related to cultural competency were good, and more of them early on would have been even better. It also would have been cool for the other groups to share particular activities they like doing with youth

• As always you guys are awesome J • Thank you, Adrian & Andy. A lot of people

enjoy & love you guys. Keep it up. • Great work! Stay in touch! J • Great Job!

Outdoor Youth Connection The Outdoor Youth Connection will use the outdoors as a tool to engage young people in recreational activities that have a lasting, positive impact on their growth and development while enhancing their leadership skills and developing a sense of personal connection and commitment to serve their communities.

OYC, started in 2007, is a program designed to provide outdoor experiences and exposure for thousands of youth by training youth leaders to conduct outdoor recreational outings for their peers and communities. The program is implemented in partnership with San Francisco State University’s Pacific Leadership Institute and the California State Parks Foundation. To date, OYC has served over 125 community-based organizations, city parks and recreation departments, and law enforcement agencies throughout California.

OYC goal is to work with all ethnic backgrounds, genders, ages, classes, sexual orientations, and physical abilities or disabilities found in California. OYC serves between 60 to 80% ethnic minority groups such as Hispanic/Latinos, Black/African Americans, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, while many of the constituents are multi-racial. Programs are targeted toward lower income populations that can’t always afford traditional programming. Aiming to create program opportunities so that all youth have access to the benefits that outdoor recreation provides.

Studies have shown that there is an alarming correlation that the effects of poverty, academic drop-out, overweight and unfit youth in our changing state dynamics. Barriers to these youth populations’ participation in the meaningful outdoor activities occur on personal, social, cultural, financial and logistical levels. The result is youth with little awareness or access to benefits of natural settings, being disconnected with the community and a decline in health and self-esteem. Because physical activity and willingness to try new activities decreases with age, instilling these habits at a young age is imperative for lifelong effects. The need is to empower underserved youth to become leaders in gaining access to outdoor experiences for themselves and their community to positively impact personal, social, academic, and health levels.

Sacramento Splash

Mission: Helping children understand and value their natural world through scientific investigation and outdoor exploration. Programs: Splash programs offer a fun, active way for children to learn about the natural world that surrounds them and how they can protect it. Integrating science education, youth development, and environmental stewardship, our programs include:

• Life in Our Watershed: Investigating Vernal Pools is a popular program for 4th and 5th grade classes which integrates a 13-lesson science curriculum with a hands-on field trip to the Mather Field Vernal Pools. This empowering curriculum prepares the students for their field trip by teaching them all about vernal pools and the plants and animals that live there.

• Life in Our Watershed: Investigating Streams & Water Quality is a science lab curriculum for Grades 6-12, which draws connections between aquatic life, water quality, and the way we live in our watersheds. Understanding their connection to the intricate web of life empowers students to join community efforts to protect water and habitat where they live.

• Splash in the Class presentations are hands-on classroom demonstrations of how our everyday activities can cause water pollution, and what each of us can do to become the solution to pollution.

o Youth Served Every year, Splash serves >2,500 fourth/fifth graders and >500 middle and high school students throughout Sacramento County. The Splash program reflects the diversity of Sacramento public schools: 60% of Splash students are minorities and 45% are low-income, i.e., they receive free/ reduced-price meals

o Why reaching diverse youth matters to Splash, One of Splash’s primary goals is to empower youth to take an active role in the protection of their natural world. This means we need to reach everyone. For too long, environmentalism has been an exclusive club of crunchy, middle-class, white people. To truly make a difference, the club needs to be expanded to include people from all walks of life. Moreover, it’s important that minority and/or low-income youth are given opportunities to experience the physical, emotional, and developmental benefits of spending time in the outdoors. It’s not fair that those benefits should accrue only to youth

whose parents have the resources and motivation to give them outdoor opportunities.

Participating Agencies

Participating Agencies Center for Land Based Learning Mission: to inspire and motivate people of all ages, especially youth, to promote a healthy interplay between agriculture, nature and society through their own actions and as leaders in their communities.

• SLEWS - Student and Landowner Education and Watershed Stewardship - engages California high school students in habitat restoration projects that enhance classroom learning, develop leadership skills and result in real positive impact for the environment. The Yocha Dehe Wintun Academy and Davis, Woodland, Grant Union, Florin, Sacramento, Christian Brothers, and Esparto High Schools are currently participating in the SLEWS program in the Sacramento Valley.

• FARMS Leadership - brings high school students to working farms and ranches, teaching them about agriculture and providing leadership and life-skills training. Grant Union, Florin, Sacramento and William Daylor High Schools are currently participating in this program in the Sacramento Valley.

• GreenCorps - offers high school and college students farm and conservation focused internships. The students we serve come from urban, suburban and rural environments, although the majority of them are from urban areas.

The Center for Land-Based Learning has programs for people of all ages, but the programs that will be represented in this team of staff are all focused on high school youth. Last year in response to our Sacramento FARMS Leadership Program survey, students described their ethnic identity. Of 169 students, their responses were: 2% Filipino, 2% Hmong, 5% Asian, 6% Native American, 8% African American, 46% Hispanic or Latino/Latina, 53% White and 6% Other, which included mixed race, Italian, German, Puerto Rican, Russian, Ukrainian, and Laotian. Students could choose more than one category so this adds to more than 100%.

Reaching diverse youth and positive youth development are implicit in our mission and are also described specifically in our organizational and program outcomes

GEO Academy – Grant High School The GEO Environmental Science and Design Academy’s mission is to teach youth how to create healthy, sustainable communities. We engage students in unique and challenging educational opportunities that foster a sense of community and environmental stewardship. The academy provides strong academic training and real world based projects that deepen students’ appreciation of our environment and its natural resources. It prepares students for careers that will shape the planning of our environment and communities.

The GEO Academy offers 9th-12th grade students outdoor learning and hands-on experiences in environmental horticulture, landscape architectural design, habitat restoration, “green” business, and environmental science. These projects are intended to allow students to apply their academic knowledge to the real world, develop their critical thinking skills through inquiry-based research, and contribute to their community in meaningful and valuable ways. The academy’s curriculum and internships prepare all students to be qualified for higher education. Students also have many opportunities for outdoor field trips through habitat restoration projects, farm tours, forestry trips, visits to botanical gardens, nature explorations on the American River, and hiking and camping in surrounding state and natural parks

Participating Agencies Through team interviews, the following eight (8) agencies were

selected to participate in the Spring 2013 Impact Series

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) may best be described as a small agency with a big mission: To sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The BLM educates, engages, or employs 247,000 young people in California and offers over 60 youth programs throughout the state. Our most well-known youth programs are Hands on the Land, Take It Outside, Junior Explorer (similar to Junior Ranger), and student intern or seasonal employment programs. BLM-California is working to enhance outdoor programs to better include young people with diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, low-income youth, or girls and young women. BLM recognizes that connecting diverse young people to public lands will lead to a natural resources workforce which better reflects the diversity of California.

City Of Sacramento – Teen Services Teen Services’ mission is to provide programs and environments that foster the development of the whole teen – intellectual, physical, social, emotional, cultural, civic, and vocational. This is achieved through a variety of programs and offerings listed below:

• After School Programs, Middle and High School – operates M-F from school dismissal until 6:00pm. Students engage in one hour of homework/tutoring, followed by a light snack. After the homework/tutoring session, participants have an opportunity to engage in a variety of enrichment and recreation activities: service learning, robotics, spoken word, sports leagues, visual arts, various forms of popular and cultural dance classes, martial arts, cooking, computer lab, journalism, etc.

• Vocational Training and Employment – The youth employment programs are year-round vocational training and life skills programs for youth 14-18. The program’s six focus areas make

up the programs: vocational training, mentoring, leadership development, community service, life-skills, and educational support.

• Skate Park – The Skate Sacramento program was established to provide a safe and creative environment for local skateboarders. The program is designed to provide not only a place to skate, but also an environment that fosters the youth skateboard culture. To enhance the creative nature of skateboarding, the program includes an urban art component that consists of workshops where youth participants learn a variety of painting techniques through the skate park mural project.

• Community Centers – Teen Services manages three community centers: George Sim in the Avondale/Glen Elder neighborhood, Evelyn Moore located in Freeport Manor and Belle Cooledge in South Land Park.

Teen Services’ programs serve a very ethnically, culturally, and socio-economically diverse population of young people throughout the city of Sacramento. In addition to a very diverse population of young people, we serve a large number of English learners in our after school and youth employment programs

RISE, Inc. RISE, Incorporated is a non-profit benefit corporation serving the rural community to enhance the quality of life and opportunity for self-sufficiency…”

History in Yolo County – RISE, Inc. organized as a public benefit non-profit (501.c.3) corporation in March 1987. Since its inception, RISE, Inc. has been endorsed by the community as the social service delivery entity in rural western Yolo County. The organization’s specialty is rural program design and delivery; its strength is engaging the working poor in active self-determination and motivated self-sufficiency. The Esparto-Capay Valley and Winters Region encourages all human and social services to be clustered under RISE Community Service Center umbrella. The incubation of services and programs has increased efficiency and is cost-effective.

RISE has a strong record of financial stability, budget management, and administrative capability. RISE has a local Board of Directors, employs program-specific staff, completes annual audits, and has numerous contractual and grant-funded programs to benefit local residents and community development ventures in the Esparto-Capay Valley and Winters Region of Western Yolo County.

RISE serves all youth 0-18 in Esparto and Winters. We have a variety of programs that engage youth and families. Our Universal Learning Preschool has been operating for over 10 years and our youth prevention/early intervention programs for 6. RISE team members have all attended the Youth Development Institute and practice the 5 supports and opportunities for all youth programs. It has been over 5 years since RISE learned about the Youth Development framework and has made it the foundation for all of our youth programs.

Positive Youth Development fits into our mission because we want our youth to grow up to become self-sufficient adults. Our mission is to enhance the quality of life and opportunity for self-sufficiency. Empowering youth and providing them with the opportunity to gain positive life skills is what we hope for all our children.

The Tuolumne River Trust (TRT) The Tuolumne River Trust (TRT) is the voice for the river. TRT seeks a healthy and vibrant river that is teeming with fish and wildlife; safe for drinking, fishing and swimming; and held in trust as a refuge for our children and grandchildren. TRT fosters stewardship of the Tuolumne by building strong personal connections to the River through watershed-wide education, outreach, and adventures. Leveraging this support, they put policies in place to protect and restore the River.

TRT is a watershed-wide organization with programs in the Sierra Nevada, Central Valley and Bay Area. While all program areas reach a diverse constituency, most of the work with underserved youth and youth of color takes place through its Central Valley Program.

In the Central Valley, the Trust is working with a diverse array of partners to develop the Lower Tuolumne River Parkway to create additional recreational opportunities and improve habitat for a healthier river and community. The education programs for youth, teens and families; outdoor adventures for all ages; and engage communities in riverside restoration, cleanups, events and opportunities to participate in the planning and development of their river parks.

The majority of the youth of the program are underserved. In Modesto’s Airport Neighborhood where TRT has been working since 2010, 90% of the nearly 4,000 residents are Latino with an annual median household income of $21,823. 49% of the households live below the poverty level and the community's elementary school has a federal poverty designation of 100%. The neighborhood suffers from high rates of crime, vandalism, and gang activity. Obesity and other health issues, including anxiety, depression and low self-esteem are common in the neighborhood's youth and adults. Such conditions pose a barrier to getting people to the adjacent Tuolumne River Regional Park. Neighborhood residents tend to have little to no outdoor experience and see the river and park as dangerous places to avoid. Non-residents don’t like to drive through the neighborhood to get to the park. Similar conditions exist in West Modesto where we have more recently begun outreach.

TRT believes that finding ways to engage this diverse constituency, to help youth and families build a strong personal connection to and interest in the Tuolumne River and Tuolumne River Regional Park, is crucial to the health and vitality of these families, the River and the region as a whole.

Participating Agencies

Investing In The Future Of Our Youth

Thank You

CULTURAL COMPETENCY YOUTH IMPACT SERIES 2013

We  wish  to  acknowledge  the  following  partners.  Please  join  us  in  thanking  them,  as  this  opportunity  would  not  be  possible  without  

their  generous  support.  

Cultural Competency Series facilities donated by:

Physical Address: 5115 Dudley Way – Bay A McClellan, CA 95652 916.566.1652 Mailing Address: 3222 Winona Way North Highlands, CA 95660