Invest In Youth Archives - Resilience OC

What We Heard in Costa Mesa: Elevating Latino Voices Through Participatory Research

Resilience OC — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 15:00:00 +0000

At Resilience Orange County, we believe that meaningful policy and systems change begins with listening to the voices of those most impacted. On June 6, 2022, we released our Summary of Findings from a participatory research project focused on the experiences and needs of Latino residents in Costa Mesa.

This report reflects insights gathered through community surveys, deep canvassing, and direct engagement with over 1,200 local residents. It highlights both the pressing issues impacting Latino families in the city and the civic barriers that limit their full participation in public life.

Read the full report here

Key Findings: Pressing Concerns and Everyday Realities

Through this process, we identified a range of challenges facing working-class Latino communities in Costa Mesa. Among the most urgent were:

Housing insecurity, including rapidly rising rents, overcrowding, and fear of eviction.
Lack of access to youth programming, economic mobility, and culturally responsive services.
Barriers to immigration legal support, which often force families to seek services outside of the city.

In our second round of deep canvassing, we explored residents’ views on three potential local initiatives: a rental assistance fund, a youth development fund, and an immigration legal defense fund. The majority of respondents—62%—prioritized rental assistance, followed by youth development (21%) and legal defense (17%).

These findings underscore the urgent need for policy interventions that respond to the everyday struggles of families who are working to remain rooted in their communities despite rising costs and limited support systems.

Civic Barriers: Exclusion from Local Decision-Making

A striking theme in our conversations was the widespread lack of awareness and access to local civic processes. Notably:

93% of residents surveyed reported they were unfamiliar with how the city’s budgeting process works.
Many residents described feeling disconnected from city decision-making and unsure of how to engage meaningfully.
Language barriers, limited outreach, and a lack of culturally relevant information were identified as significant obstacles.

As one participant shared, “We’re not against the city—we just don’t know how to be part of it.”

For a city as diverse as Costa Mesa, the absence of inclusive engagement strategies has direct consequences on whose voices are heard and whose needs are met.

A Foundation for Collective Action

This report is not intended as a conclusion, but rather a starting point for deeper engagement, leadership development, and systems change. It will guide Resilience OC’s ongoing work to:

Advance equitable policies, including rental stabilization and youth investments.
Develop civic education efforts to increase community understanding of the budget and decision-making processes.
Support infrastructure for long-term community engagement and accountability.

Through this work, we aim to support a future in which all communities—especially working-class Latino families—can participate fully in shaping the city they call home.

Moving Forward

At Resilience Orange County, we remain committed to building power alongside communities that have long been excluded from political and economic systems. This report affirms what we already knew: Costa Mesa residents are ready to lead, but they need meaningful access, protection, and investment.

We invite community members, partners, and public officials to engage with this report and take it as a call to action. Together, we can build a more inclusive, equitable, and accountable Costa Mesa.

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GWoC Logo Winner

Resilience OC — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 19:06:10 +0000

In the month of September, Orange County Girls and Womxn of Color began their logo competition to depict the amazing space local young womxn of Orange County are creating for each other. This past Monday, GWoC was able to vote a logo in to represent the initiative. It was a very difficult decision to choose between beautiful artwork from local womxn of color. However, we are happy to present Orange County Girls and Womxn of Color’s new logo and artist behind the masterpiece! Statement from Leyna Nguyen, the artist behind our new logo. I am a self-taught digital artist since the age of 11-12. I began on a website called deviantART (my account is private). Obviously being young didn’t stop me from trying to make something out of my doodles. I kept practicing during my free hours; which eventually became a daily routine. I begged for a drawing tablet by the time I was 13 and began to make profit from commissions (for other people online) ever since. It was a very long, independent process to get to where I am today and even now, I am still working to improve my skills as an amateur artist! I hope to take this hobby and create a career out of it in the future. About the Author [vc_row][vc_column width=’1/3′][/vc_column][vc_column width=’2/3′]OC Girls and Womxn of Color hopes to create a safe and supportive space for womxn identified folx of color in Orange County. OC GWoC is led by its three founding members Claudia Perez, Cheyenne Reynoso, and Dulce Saavedra who founded it in 2015.[/vc_column][/vc_row]

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The Immaturity and Irrationality of Suppression

Resilience OC — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 15:58:36 +0000

As Resilience OC we believe that the violence in our communities stems from historic and systemic processes that suppression cannot possibly address. Suppression is reflective of the failed “tough on crime” approach from the 80’s. Additionally, suppression based strategies, such as gang injunctions, have only further criminalized and marginalized youth in our communities and have only lead to negative outcomes for everyone. Different fields of science have advanced since the 80’s producing countless studies, which show that one-dimensional suppression based approaches to youth violence are ineffective. Nonetheless, a recent statement by Santa Ana Councilman Villegas highlights a troubling social phenomenon. During a council meeting Councilman Villegas stated, “There is no solution for the gang problem… The best thing we can do is contain [suppress] the gang problem.” The troubling social phenomenon is the learned helplessness in regards to addressing violence among youth, exemplified by Councilman Villegas’ statement. He proceeded to place the blame completely on parents without acknowledging the systemic neglect of youth on behalf of the city. Another concerning aspect of his statements is that it echoes Trump’s constant call to answer violence with more violence. The immaturity and irrationality of suppression permeates not only our local, but national discourse when we attempt to solve problems as a society. History has shown time and time again that violence only begets more violence. Although much has advanced since the Stone Age, many elected officials still adhere to utilizing brute force when attempting to solve a problem and then exhibit signs of learned helplessness when the problem is not solved. We must have serious and informed conversations about the roots causes of violence. There is a lack of a robust youth infrastructure in the City promoting healthy youth development. The programs that do exist are not evaluated and programs coordinated by SAPD, such as the GRIP program, are not evidenced based. We need long term as well as immediate solutions. Below are recommendations for short term and long-term investments in youth: Short Term

Create summer job programs and opportunities for formerly incarcerated or systems involved youth.
- Youth could intern or work for local non-profits or for the city.
All internships need to be open and accessible to undocumented youth.
A subdivision of Healthy Youth Development should be established under the Departments of Parks and Recs.
A Healthy Youth Development coordinator should be hired by the end of May.
The City should partner with SAUSD to increase joint use agreements in order to have activities and programming available for youth and the community in the evenings.

Long Term

Invest in a robust youth programs and services infrastructure in the city promoting healthy youth development.
Evaluate all youth programs in the city.
Implement evidenced based, trauma informed and culturally relevant violence prevention and violence intervention programming.
Diversify the crisis responders of the city by contracting Community Intervention Workers that could provide an additional layer of response to incidents of community violence.
Create and implement a holistic and comprehensive violence prevention and reduction collective impact strategy that considers environmental factors such as affordable housing, rent control, green spaces etc.

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The Violence of Not Prioritizing Youth

Resilience OC — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 06:45:23 +0000

via Voice of OC

There is a crisis in Santa Ana. Violence in our communities has claimed the life of one too many young people. Too many families are mourning the death of a child as a result of violence in our communities. One can’t help but be extremely outraged by the possibility that some elected officials may be considering to use the recent death of young people in Santa Ana as a pretext to pay back a political debt owed to the Santa Ana Police Officers Association.

According to a recent budgetary analysis conducted by The Advancement Project and published by Resilience Orange County, the Police Department receives 53% of the City Budget, which for this fiscal year amounted to over $120,000,000. On the other hand, the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services only receives about 8% of the City Budget, which this fiscal year amounted to a little over $19,000,000. This is the crisis that has been happening in Santa Ana, the crisis of not prioritizing youth, which has resulted in violence and numerous deaths.Santa Ana is a City with a population of about 330,000 residents and a significantly young population. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, about a third of the population is below the age of 18. That means that over 100,000 Santa Ana residents are minors and children. If we are wise and consider the science readily available on youth development, we would consider the youth population in Santa Ana to include people up to the age of 24-25. In doing so, the youth population in Santa Ana increases significantly beyond 100,000 residents. The Coalition of Orange County Community Health Centers recently released the results from a Behavioral Health Needs Assessment Survey. The findings reveal something profoundly troubling. Those surveyed stated that clinics in Santa Ana met 0% of youth behavioral health needs in regards to supportive services and case management. The findings call our attention to an interesting fact. Santa Ana has over 100,000 young residents and yet there is no Santa Ana Department of Healthy Youth Development and the only systemic response to youth behavior that the city funds, is the Police Department. The credibility and intentions of any elected official that calls for a one-dimensional approach to the violence in our community by proposing increases to the already disproportionate spending on the Police Department, will be questioned. Serious conversations regarding violence in our communities require substance, which means going beyond the, “let’s talk about gun control” rhetoric as well. Let’s talk about what is causing youth trauma, youth stress, youth anger, youth rage in Santa Ana. Let’s talk about what science states are best non-suppression, non-punitive based responses and practices regarding violence prevention and intervention. Let’s talk about rent control, housing, green space, safe streets and socio-emotional supports for developing youth. Let’s talk about creating a Santa Ana Youth Department that can build and sustain a youth focused city infrastructure promoting healthy youth development. Nelson Mandela once said, “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” What keener revelation can we obtain from assessing the status of youth investment in Santa Ana, than the tragic consequences of failing to meet the needs of our young residents?

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COMMUNITY ADVOCATES CALL ON THE CITY OF SANTA ANA TO PRIORITIZE INVESTMENT FOR HEALTHY YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

Resilience OC — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 19:19:20 +0000

For Immediate Release Tuesday, April 4^th, 2017

Contact:

Carlos Perea, carlos@resilienceoc.org

COMMUNITY ADVOCATES CALL ON THE CITY OF SANTA ANA TO PRIORITIZE INVESTMENT FOR HEALTHY YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

Santa Ana, CA – Today, Resilience OC, youth leaders and community members will hold a rally and press conference outside of Santa Ana City Council Chambers to speak against the city’s current overspending on arresting youth and the lack of positive youth development programs. A recent independent analysis on the city’s budget by the Advancement Project found that the city spends $143 per youth on positive youth development while at the same time spending $12,722 each time they arrest a young person. This is a direct neglect of Santa Ana’s youth and their future, it shows that the city prefers to spend money on suppression to arrest young people than invest in their well-being. The city must prioritize creating new opportunities for its young people and support them to be successful. Community support for efforts to invest in youth is growing in Santa Ana. Just last Saturday, hundreds of community members came out to the Schools Not Prisons Arts And Music Festival, which brought together artists such as Common, Aloe Blacc and Maya Jupiter. The eventcalled for less spending on punishment and more investment in what really keeps communities safe: education, health and support for young people. The event was organized by Resilience OC, Project Kinship, Santa Ana Building Healthy Communities, The California Endowment and The Schools Not Prisons Tour. What: Rally and Press Conference For Investment In Youth Where: Outside Santa Ana City Council Chambers 22 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 When: Tuesday, April 4^th, 2017 Time: 5:00pm About Resilience Orange County The mission of Resilience Orange County is to promote resilient youth leaders that engage in the critical work of building youth-oriented institutions in Orange County that advocate for social-systemic change, healing and that embrace trauma-informed, culturally relevant practices that are inclusive of all members of the community.

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The Status of Youth Investment in Santa Ana

Resilience OC — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 04:24:35 +0000

Download the new report on new data that estimates how much the City of Santa Ana spends to arrest and suppress youth ages 0-19 rather than provide youth programming that supports healthy youth development. The data finds that in 2017, the City of Santa Ana will spend $19.55 million on arresting youth, while only spending $15.3 million on city-sponsored youth development programs. In Santa Ana, city resources allocated towards healthy youth development are limited to workforce development, the library, and programming provided by the department of parks and recreation. Find the report and the budget analysis below.

Status of Youth Investment in Santa Ana by Resilience Orange County on Scribd

AP SA Budget Analysis – Status of Youth Investment in O.C. 2017 (1) by Resilience Orange County

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