New initiative to engage youth of color in green jobs industry 

Earlier this month, we joined United Way California Capital Region, Green Tech and Congresswoman Doris Matsui to announce NetZero Mobility Hubs, a program that will create greater inroads to green jobs and local green infrastructure opportunities for at least twenty-five Black, Latinx, Indigenous, NHAAPI, 2S/LGBTQ+ and other young people from across the Sacramento region. This initiative will enhance access to electric vehicle charging stations, promote the use of clean vehicles and equip youth of color for the green jobs industry. NetZero Mobility Hubs is funded through $500,000 in Community Project Funding secured by Congresswoman Matsui and $400,000 in grant funding from the NBA Foundation. The program will be managed by United Way and The Center and implemented by Green Tech in partnership with The Center’s My Brother’s Keeper program.

Responsive Grants Program announces newest partners 

Sierra Health Foundation has awarded $650,000 to 66 nonprofit organizations through its Responsive Grants Program, continuing its investment in communities and organizations addressing disparities in food access, education, behavioral health, open space access and other social determinants of health. This funding prioritizes projects experiencing funding gaps due to state budget cuts that impact health and quality of life for Northern Californians. Since 2008, Sierra Health Foundation has awarded approximately $8.95 million through the Responsive Grants Program, supporting nonprofit organizations in its 26-county funding region improving health, promoting access and reducing inequities in their communities.

On August 8, Sierra Health Foundation hosted “Growing Equitable Food Economies: Lessons at the Intersection of Economic and Food Justice,” the first of our 2024 Speaker Series: From Climate Crisis to Justice. The event featured speakers from Planting Justice, an Oakland-based plant nursery, farm and community organization that empowers people impacted by mass incarceration and social inequities with the skills and resources to cultivate food sovereignty, economic justice and community healing. Planting Justice panelists Gavin Raders, Sol Mercado, Otis Spikes and Covonne Page joined Dr. Ijeoma Ononuju of Sacramento’s Estate Farms to discuss the critical intersections of climate change and historical and ongoing inequities impacting Californians, a core component of the 2024 Speaker Series. Watch a recorded version of the Livestream event here.

Learn more about Planting Justice and Sierra Health Foundation’s Speaker Series. 

At The Center, we work to raise awareness everyday about intersecting issues around health and equity that, in other spaces, are only highlighted once a year. While we know the importance of breaking stigmas around mental health and creating access to culturally relevant care, we also know the collective power in an awareness day or an awareness month. Our Youth Suicide Prevention Media and Outreach Campaign program team has been working hard to build capacity and to amplify the voices of our incredible partners across the state. While there are just a few days left in September, marking the end of Suicide Prevention Month, it’s never too late to learn more about the hotline 988 and the “Never a Bother” campaign. Reach out and ask the young people in your lives, "How are you really doing?" Listen and support them, ask what they need. Learn more and spread the word using the “Never a Bother 'Get Involved’” resources.