Y-PLAN Policy Brief 2016

BuildingaHealthy,Vibrant,andJoyfulSacramento

Sacramento,CAHiramJohnsonHealthandMedicalScienceAcademy10thGradeISSUE:

SacramentoCityhadbeenrapidlygrowingintherecentyears,regardlessofthelargereconomicsetbacksthecountryhasfaced.Thisgrowthandhousingdevelopmenthasbroughtalongpressuresforgentrificationinthemostlow-incomecommunities.Y-PLANstudentsdecidedtotakeonsomeoftheissuesthiswaveofdevelopmentandgentrificationiscausinginthesurroundingschoolcommunities.

AspartoftheY-PLANRoadmapandprocess,theyouthwentonWalkAuditsaroundtheirschoolswiththeprojectclientWALKSacramento.Duringthesewalkingtoursoftheneighborhoods,theyouthwereabletoobservethestreets,localparks,andpublicamenities.TheY-PLANworkhappeninginSacramentoisinpartnershipwithTheCaliforniaEndowmentandtheBuildingHealthyCommunitiesInitiative.

QUESTIONStudentswerechargedwithconductinganeedsassessmenttoinformthework

andcurrentprojectsofWALKSacramento-particularlyfromtheperspectiveofyoungpeopleandlocalschools.Youthwereaskedtoidentifyhowtheexistingbuiltenvironmentincommunitieshavebeendesignedandhowthosedecisionsareaffectingthehealthofyoungpeople.Howdoesthedesignofacommunityaffectyoungpeople’shealth?Thestudentsweretoapplythisquestiontooneofthreefocusareas:

1.Accesstohealthyfoods2.Physicalactivity3.Personalandphysicalsafety

Y-PLAN Policy Brief 2016

Studentshadtoidentifyopportunitiestoadvocateforpolicyordesignchangesaroundaccesstohealthyfoods,physicalactivity,andpersonalsafetytopromotebetterhealthoutcomesforteensandyouth?COMMUNITYOFPRACTICE

• School:HiramJohnsonHighSchool• Instructors:NicoleHamlin,ManishaSims• Students:10thGrade• Client:WALKSacramento

o WALKSacramentoisanonprofitcommunityorganizationleadingtheregionindevelopingsafe,walkablecommunitiesthatpromotehealthandeconomicgrowth.Weworkwithtransportationandlanduseplanners,electedofficialsandcommunitygroupstocreatesafe,walkableenvironmentsforallcitizensandparticularlyforchildren,seniors,thedisabledandlow-incomeindividuals.

YOUTHDRIVENDATAANDINSIGHTS

• SchoolspecificdatafromSCUSDshowsthat89.2%ofHJHSstudentsreceive“Free&ReducedLunchPrices,”whichmeanstheycomefromlow-incomefamilies.Thesenumbersarehigherthanthedistrict–wideaverage,where64.2%ofallstudentsreceive“Free&ReducedLunch.”

• HJHShas27%ofEnglishLanguageLearners,meaningthesearestudentsfromimmigrantfamilybackgroundthatspeakalanguageotherthanEnglishathome.

• HighpercentagesofLatinostudents:43.3%atHiramJohnsonHS• Thestudents’finalrecommendationswerepresentedinatschooltotheclient,

communityleaders,parents,andschoolfacultyandstaff.Thekeyissuesstudentsdecidedtoaddresswiththeirproposalsincludedpublicspaces,transportation,andpublichealth:

o Improvingparkinfrastructure(restrooms,playgrounds,etc.)o Improvingbusstopstomakethemmorevisibleandaccessiblethrough

propercrosswalksandbetterstreetlightso Increasingtheaccesstohealthyeatingoptionsforyouthandtheir

families

RECOMMENDATIONSThefinalrecommendationsfromthestudentsfocusedonredesigningkey

elementsofthecommunitytoimprovethehealthoftheneighborhoodresidents.They

Y-PLAN Policy Brief 2016

hopethatwiththeserecommendations,communitymemberswouldhavebetteraccesstohealthyeatingoptionsandtomakehealthierlifestylechoices.SHORT-TERM(1-6Months)andLONG-TERM(1-3Years)

1. Onimprovinghealthyfoodoptions:

a. Studentsrecommendcreatingandpostingflyersandhostingcommunitymeetingsthatinformandeducatelocalcitizensabouthealthyfoodoptionsintheirneighborhood.

b. Studentsrecommendtransformingemptyandvacantlotsintofarmer’smarkets.

c. Studentsrecommendexpandingproducesectionsinlocalsupermarkets,andtoincludinganorganicproduceareatotheirselections.

2. Onimprovingpublicparkfacilities:

a. Studentsrecommendcleaninguptherestroomsbyhavingjanitorsorcleaningservicescomeinmoreoften.

b. Studentsrecommendprovidingbabychangingareasinbothmaleandfemalerestroomstoallowforallparentstohaveaspacetocarefortheiryoungones.

c. Studentsrecommendaddingdoorstorestroomstalls,wheremissingforbetterprivacyaswellasupgradingfacilitiestohaveproperlightingforbettersafety.

d. Studentsrecommendalwayshavingsufficientbathroomtissueandsoapavailablethroughoutthedaytoensureahealthieruseofthefacilities.

3. Onimprovingbusstops:

a. Studentsrecommendinstallingbenchesnearbusstopsthatdonotcurrentlyhaveone,inordertoprovidemoreroomforpeopletowaitforthebusseatingwhileothersusethesidewalkspacetowalkby.Currently,manystudentsusetheedgeofthesidewalkasseatingwhilewaitingforthebus.Thisputsthemindirectriskofcomingintocontactwithcarsandbuses.

b. Studentsrecommendbuildingabusstopshelterinhighuserbusstopstoprotectusersfromtheelements,heavysunorrain.

c. Studentsrecommendupgradingthelightingaroundbusstopstomakeitsafertowaitforbusintheeveningsandduringshorterwinterdays.

d. Studentsrecommendpostingthetimeschedulesofbusrouteswhenpossible.

e. Studentsrecommendaddingcommunityinformationbrochuresatthebusstopsinordertokeepcommunitymembersengagedandupdatedonbuschangesandupdates.

Y-PLAN Policy Brief 2016

SHAREDACCOUNTABILITYANDNEXTSTEPS:

Ø StudentswentontodoSummerInternshipsthroughoutthecity.

Ø WALKSacramentowasveryimpressedwiththestudents’presentationsandrecommendations.Basedonthefeedbacktheyreceivedfromthestudents,WALKSacramentohasdecidedtocontinueengagingyouththroughoutalltheirprojectsandworkinordertoreachabroadercommunitywithimportantinsightthatisoftenleftoutoftheconversation.

Ø IntheFall2016SemestertwonewteachersatHJHSHMSwillengagetheirstudentswithY-PLANinaMiniProjectwithaschool-basedquestion.HJHS’AssistantPrincipal,JohnFlemingwillserveastheclientforthisproject.

Ø BySeptember2016,twopublicbusstopshadbeen“redesigned”tobemoresafeandvisible,thankstotheleadershipbyTeresaSaliasandAnastasiaThanpaeng,twostudentsfromMs.Sims’andMs.Hamlin’sclassesintheHealthandMedicalSciencesAcademyonHiramJohnsonCampus.TheywantedtoseetheirprojectproposalsimplementedandcontinuedtoworkwithWALKSacramentostaff,KirinKumar,whowasabletoputthestudentsincontactwithRegionalTransittomakethischangepossible.Bencheswereaddedtobothbusstopsandthetreesandbushesaroundthestopwerecutandcleaneduptomakespaceforthebenchandforpeopletostillwalkthrough.