To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Regional Parks
Staff Name and Phone Number: Sandi Funke, 707-565-2041
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Youth Community Access Grant Program Supporting YES! (Youth Exploring Sonoma’s) Parks
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Adopt a resolution authorizing Sonoma County Regional Parks enter into a grant agreement with the State of California Natural Resources Agency in support of the YES! Parks program under the Youth Community Access Grant Program.
B) Authorize the Regional Parks Director, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to carry out and administer the grant.
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Executive Summary:
The State of California Natural Resources Agency (State) has developed the Youth Community Access Grant Program to be used to support youth access to natural and cultural resources with a focus on low-income and disadvantaged communities including, but not limited to, community education and recreational amenities to support youth substance use prevention and early intervention.
Discussion:
Regional Parks award-winning YES! Parks program is a ground-breaking, parks-based youth development program. YES! Parks is a multifaceted, comprehensive program designed to occur over the course of a year or the summer. The program was created from the onset with equity in mind recruiting low-income BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth ages 13-18. The program focuses on communities identified by Portrait of Sonoma County and include Rohnert Park/Cotati, Central Santa Rosa/Roseland, and Forestville/Guerneville/Monte Rio.
YES! Parks is comprised of three unique modules, YES! Coast, YES! River, and YES! Mountain. Each module connects youth within a given community to a particular ecosystem in our parks. Each of the cohort includes orientation, seven six-hour field trips, one campout, and one outdoor family celebration in our parks. There are 66 total hours of outdoor programming per cohort. Each module is comprised of a series of field days in which youth build on the prior experience. Field trips are held at parks and designed around a central theme. Field days include outdoor recreation, wellness activities, environmental content, journaling, and stewardship.
To ensure equity and inclusivity, Regional Parks has implemented authentic community engagement strategies in design of YES! Parks. Regional Parks partners with high schools, health centers, community nonprofits and organizations to recruit YES! Parks participants, ensuring we reach youth who would otherwise not have access to this type of outdoor experience. The program eliminates barriers to participants by offering the program at no cost, providing transportation to all field days, providing recreational equipment, stipends for participants, lunches and snacks, trauma informed curriculum, and staff with varied backgrounds and experience working with diverse populations. Eventually, Regional Parks hopes to hire YES! Parks alumni as YES! Leaders.
In 2019, the Legislature appropriated $5.7 million to the California Natural Resources Agency for competitive grants to support youth access to natural and cultural resources with a focus on low-income and disadvantaged communities including, but not limited to, community education and recreational amenities to support youth substance use prevention and early intervention. Research abounds demonstrating the connection between the outdoors and the physical, emotional, and mental success of young people. From camp experiences to urban parks, being in nature reduces stress, builds confidence, promotes creativity, encourages exercise, and teaches responsibility.
In 2022, Regional Parks, Community Engagement Division, applied to access the Youth Community Access Grant Program in the amount of $297,320 to support their YES! Parks program. On July 28, 2023, the Department was notified their application would be moving forward with an award amount still pending from the State. At this stage, the State requires the Board of Supervisors to approve a resolution approving the application for grant funds within 30-days of notification. This grant would fund five cohorts of YES! Mountain and YES! River serving 150 youth. YES! Coast is currently supported by general fund and Parks for All Measure M funds.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
None
Fiscal Summary
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FY 23-24 Adopted |
FY24-25 Projected |
FY 25-26 Projected |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
When the grant application is finalized and awarded, budgetary adjustments for revenue and expenditure appropriations will be included in an upcoming Quarterly Consolidated Budgetary Adjustment item.
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
Resolution
Program Brief
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None