For Immediate Release
Tuesday, April 4th, 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 4th, 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.