Greetings!
Summer has arrived! We would like to share our exciting updates with you below. If you would like HOPE Collaborative to help promote your organization's upcoming activities on our newsletter, Facebook, or Twitter, please send event details to info@hopecollaborative.net.
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HOPE Project Leader Spotlight: Food Justice Project Leaders, Danielle Douglas and Virginia Hall This month, we would like to recognize Danielle Douglas and Virginia Hall for their contributions to our collaborative.
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Danielle Douglas, East Oakland Food Justice Project Leader
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As an Oakland resident, Danielle became aware of the disparities that exist in her neighborhood that affected her and her family's health. She was interested in being involved with an organization that includes community voices to address positive change in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Danielle joined the collaborative as a community resident in 2010 and has been an active participant in the HOPE Leadership Institute, built environment, and food systems work where she developed skills in leadership, outreach, and community organizing. She has developed a strong interest in HOPE's food systems work as it aligned with her interest in nutrition and food justice.
Danielle is currently one of the Project Leaders for HOPE's Food Justice Workshops, where she is responsible for planning and co-facilitating 6-session food justice workshop series in East Oakland. She looks forward to sharing her knowledge on food justice with community members. As an outcome of her role as a project leader, she hopes to motivate Oakland residents to influence policies that will promote health in all neighborhoods.
| Virginia Hall, West Oakland Food Justice Project Leader |
Virginia was introduced to HOPE through a friend who was a social change advocate who invited her to attend HOPE's meetings because the collaborative was trying to make positive changes in her community. When Virginia attended her first HOPE meeting during the planning phase, she was gratified to know HOPE was addressing issues that immediately affected Oakland flatland communities including food security, urban planning, and identifying alternative ownership structures for social change. She was excited and honored to be part of a team focused on these qualities for change in people's lives.
Since being an active member of HOPE, Virginia has broadened her knowledge and skills in many areas including economic and civic community ownership, built environment, food systems and food justice, policy and advocacy, and community organizing. Some of the experiences that she would like to highlight are serving on the Steering Committee, formerly Co-chairing the Food Systems Action Team, co-facilitating workshops at national conferences, and attending the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Food & Community Convening in Asheville, NC.
As a Project Leader, Virginia conducts community outreach to promote the food justice workshops, creates outreach materials, develops content for workshop presentations, compiles notes and feedback, and evaluates the workshop presentations.
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HOPE Prepares to Launch Food Justice Workshop Series
In partnership with Oakland Food Policy Council (OFPC), HOPE Collaborative will be hosting a 6-week training series on Food Justice starting in August 2013. Topics include food access in Oakland, labor in the food system, environmental impacts, and more. Workshops will take place in both East and West Oakland. West Oakland Workshop Site:
Saint Mary's Center 925 Brockhurst Street (near San Pablo Ave) Oakland, CA 94608
East Oakland Workshop Site:
Praise Fellowship Christian Church
7711 MacArthur Blvd
Oakland, CA 94605 For more information, please contact Mario Balcita at (510) 444-4212 or mario@hopecollaborative.net. Space is limited, register fast!
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Elmhurst Neighborhood Planning Group Awards Acta Non Verba and Urban Releaf with Minigrants
Over the past year, HOPE Collaborative conducted a block-by-block mapping and community assessment project in the Elmhurst neighborhood of East Oakland to develop a comprehensive neighborhood plan. We have engaged numerous neighborhood stakeholders in this process, and they have identified priority projects for the neighborhood, such as expanding street tree planting, planter strip maintenance and beautification, neighborhood stewardship of parks and green spaces, and improved access to healthy food, and site improvements on vacant lots. HOPE is now poised to implement these projects and recently awarded mini-grants to Acta Non Verba and Urban Releaf to do so. Acta Non Verba and Urban Releaf were selected based on their active participation in the Elmhurst Neighborhood Planning activities, capacity and expertise needed to carry out the work, and expressed interest in expanding their role as implementation partners.
Acta Non Verba will support the expansion of their summer program to incorporate the 82nd Ave. greening project as a core project, potentially expanding to other streets as well. Additionally, Acta Non Verba would provide technical assistance to Changing OUR Grounds, an adopt-a-plot project of HOPE community member Esther Goolsby. Urban Releaf will engage youth urban forestry interns to conduct street tree planting and maintenance along the blocks of 82nd to 86th Avenues. The mini-grant will also allow Urban Releaf to charge lower and no rates to homeowners that wish to have trees in front of their property.
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Training Community Evaluators
HOPE Collaborative will be working with Samuels Center to develop and implement a participatory evaluation process that engages and builds capacity of collaborative members, including community residents and youth, in defining outcomes and indicators, collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and disseminating data, and using
findings to track progress of our Community Action Plan and shape future direction for HOPE Collaborative efforts to build a healthy Oakland.
Samuels Center will train collaborative members in program evaluation, understanding how to measure the impact of our work, and collecting data and developing content for HOPE Collaborative reports.
Samuels Center is a small consulting firm located in Oakland, specializing in public health research, program and policy evaluation, and strategic planning. Their efforts are focused on obesity and chronic disease prevention efforts that improve nutrition and physical activity environments with the goal of improving health and reducing disparities with a focus on building community capacity for evaluation and providing training and technical assistance on evaluation. We are excited for this new partnership!
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Youth Action Board Awarded an East Oakland Building Healthy Communities Mini-grant
The Youth Action Board (YAB) submitted a grant proposal to the EOBHC Youth Mini-Grant Board for a youth event called "The East Oakland Youth Mixer". The event will be a 3-hour mixer oriented towards providing a safe place for youth to learn and share about the health issues affecting them.
In June, the YAB learned that their proposal was selected and were invited to prepare a 5 minute presentation about their project to the mini-grant board. YAB members Aaliyah Carney and Eliezer Mendoza presented to the Youth Mini Grant Board regarding the planned event and the work of HOPE Collaborative.
Earlier this month, the YAB received notice that they were awarded the full amount requested for their project. The amazing work of the YAB is moving forward. Their event will take place in late August and will bring youth leadership and organizing groups together from across Oakland. During the event, healthy foods will be served, workshops/games will be presented, and youth will address what issues are most important to them. Congratulations to our YAB!
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HOPE Collaborative
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Upcoming HOPE Events
7/19 - Cottage Food Law workshop in collaboration with UC Agriculture & Natural Resources, NCAT, and SAGE. Find RSVP information here.
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Partner Updates
Join HOPE Community Member, Esther Goolsby on " Changing Our Grounds" Work Day on Wed., 7/17 at 82nd Ave (between A & D St.) from 1-3pm. If interested, contact Esther at 510.355.5523
Learn about Urban Ag and farming issues at a teach-in hosted by Sustainable Economies Law Center (SELC) on Wed., 7/17 from 4:30-7:30p at the Crossroads Cafe. Click here for more information.
Communities for a Better Environment will be hosting a " Clean Up, Green Up" at Community Reformed Church (457 Capistrano Dr., Oakland) on Fri., 7/19 and Sat., 7/27 from 1-5pm. Contact Nehanda Imara at 510.302.0430 x21 for more information. On Sat., 8/3, join Acta Non Verba's Garden Work Day at Tassafaronga Park from 12-4pm. All volunteers will be provided with a free home cooked dinner. Contact Kelly Carlisle at 510.972.3276 for more information.
Oakland Food Connection has launched their farm stand. Get fresh produce every Saturday from 10am-2pm at 7631 MacArthur Blvd.
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