PILLARS OF PROMISE AWARDS - October 14, 2010

'100 BEST COMMUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE' Awarded to Sacramento County and Cities by America's Promise Alliance.   The e:merge Coalition was instrumental in getting this award for Sacramento County and its cities.  e:merge wishes to thank the participating cities.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:   The California Endowment, The Kaiser Foundation and AT&T

CONGRATULATIONS to our AWARD WINNERS for achieving exemplary service to our youth and, ultimately, to the goals of e:merge and the America's Promise Alliance:

• e:merge Youth Promise Award -
• City of West Sacramento - The Sactown Heroes nominated the City of West Sacramento to say thank you for being responsive, for showing up to their events and their work at the Urban Farm Stand.  Sactown Heroes thanked the City for supporting youth development and creating a platform for youth voice on City policy.
• Excellence in Commitment - Caring Adults
  •  Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Sacramento - Big Brothers Big Sisters’ mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with measureable impact.
  •  Sacramento Asian American Minority Inc. - SAAMIs mission is to provide social welfare and resettlement services targeting Southeast Asian  refugee populations in Sacramento.
•  Excellence in Commitment - Providing a Healthy Start
  • The GreenHouse Center - The Greenhouse’s mission is to cultivate a thriving community by nurturing the emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and physical development of our youth and inspiring them to grow to their full potential.
  • Dr. Liz Miller, UC Davis Center/Marginal Youth Coalition - Trained in medical anthropology as well as Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Miller has a long history of promoting equity in health care for underserved, marginalized youth.  
• Excellence in Commitment - Providing Effective Education
  • Sacramento Charter High School - Their motto is "Service for Others".  Sac High’s college-going culture is designed to give all students the opportunity to be accepted to and attend college.
  • Elk Grove USD School Community Violence Prevention Program - Their mission is two fold:  1) to prevent violence in schools and the surrounding community; 2) to increase academic success by providing young people with supportive relationships and the development of critical life skills. 
  • Assembly Member Alyson Huber - Chair of the California State Assembly Select Committee on Lowering CA's High School Dropout Rates.
• Excellence in Commitment - Providing Safe Places
  • Cosmunes CSD/Wackford Aquatic Center/Patrick Larkin - The CSD Teen Services has a passionate and committed staff that works hard to provide great opportunities and mentor teens to build assets which will help them become healthy adults and succeed in their community.
  • The Refuge - The Refuge’s mission is to provide a safe place for youth to listen to live music and hang out.
• Excellence in Commitment - Supporting Community Involvement
  • The California Endowment - Building Healthy Communities Together - The California Endowment recently identified 14 communities throughout California that they wanted to partner with to achieve the goals outlined in our 10-year strategic initiative, Building Healthy Communities -- places where kids and youth are healthy, safe and ready to learn.
  • Area Congregations Together (ACT) - Area Congregations together, commonly referred to as ACT, has been advocating for policies that support the health and well being of children and families for over 20 years.
• Excellence in Commitment - Overall Pillars of Promise Award
  • Destiny Ranch - Phillip Goudeaux -  Destiny Ranch’s mission is to provide a safe, caring and empowering environment that builds self-esteem through the experience of ranching, organic farming, social developments skills, and daily classes on character building.

For more information on e:merge, please contact the e:merge project manager, Jim Miller, at emerge@ydnetwork.org

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e:merge Summer Summit - June 21, 2010  

e:merge Coalition's Summer Summit was a great success!  Thank you to all who attended and participated in the work for youth and Safe Places.  The summit attracted 80+ participants, an almost equal number of youth and adults.  During the world cafe brainstorming session, participants drafted bullet points in response to five questions related to Safe Places for youth - such as providing longer operating hours at facilities, improving transportation options, business involvement to support teens, and how to bring neighborhoods together to support each other.  The group plans to bring the ideas to city councils, school districts and congressional leaders in the Sacramento area. 

Youth speakers included Geoge Lopez and Richard Hervey.  George, a 16-year-old e:merge youth leader from Elk Grove, said he was very happy to see so many adults at the summit invested in their cause of Safe Places for youth.  George asked for a show of hands if they knew of any community centers that were open after hours - no one in the audience did.  Richard, a 16-year-old speaker, said he is hoping that people will get out and do something about this situation now. 

Staci Anderson of People Reaching Out chaired this event.  

For information on the e:merge Coalition, please contact project manager Jim Miller at emerge@ydnetwork.org

The next e:merge convening will be held October 14, 2010 at the Sierra 2 Theater in Curtis Park.

e:merge Coalition Convening September 22, 2009

We had a great turnout for our 2nd annual Coalition Convening with over 300 people in attendance and special guest Colin Powell, along with local Mayors Kevin Johnson, James Shelby, Pat Hume and Christopher Cabaldon, councilmembers and school district representatives.  At the event, we presented  awards to 11 organizations that were nominated by the coalition for doing exemplary service to our youth and families.  The event was also highlighted by our two students' presentations on what e:merge meant to them.  A special thank you goes to the National Guard for giving all in attendance the new Resource Guide for Parents and Guardians, which can be viewed at e:merge Resources.

  
Colin Powell with Boys & Girls Club of Sacramento

Councilmember Steve Detrick, Mayor Pat Hume, Mayor Kevin Johnson, Colin Powell, Councilmember Jim Cooper, Supervisor Roger Dickinson, Mayor James Shelby    

Staci Anderson, People Reaching Out

Chet Hewitt and West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon

This is a project supported by the YDN.