Additional efforts will be made by the Sacramento Police Department and Sacramento Sheriff's Department to prevent youth involvement in gangs by promoting interactions between police officers and the youth. The mayor is calling this approach a paradigm shift, and it will be part of Sacramento's first comprehensive plan for gang prevention, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced Tuesday at the Boys & Girls Club on Lemon Hill Avenue. The emphasis of the program will be heavy on prevention and intervention instead of just enforcement and incarceration, according to the mayor. Johnson said the program will focus on school literacy enrichment, strengthening the relationship between the Sacramento com

After several years of planning, Vibe, the new urban youth lounge, will host a party at 5 p.m. on Saturday to celebrate its grand opening. Located at 1725 K St., the center will provide a place for teens to do their homework, socialize and be safe, said Catherine Pentoney, spokeswoman and former chair of Vibe’s Board of Directors. Since 2007, the Vibe Foundation has been raising money to open its youth lounge. The nonprofit organization was founded by Julian Nagler and David Schenirer. “Vibe was a concept that came out of a need in Sacramento for the youth to have productive things to do,” said Nagler, one of Vibe’s co-founders. Nagler said he believes places like the Boys and Girls Clu

Just a week ago, the Sacramento Press reported on a local documentary about youth homelessness and on Thursday, "Beautiful Youth" screened for a packed house as part of the Sacramento Film & Music Festival SummerFEST.  The Festival contacted the filmmakers as a result of that article and, given only a week of lead time, the size of the audience was both noteworthy and a testament to the interest in the topic.  The film itself has a running time of 47 minutes and was followed by a Q&A session with filmmakers Jennifer Lystrup and Mackenzie Long which lasted equally long.  Even more remarkable, almost the entire audience stayed throughout the post-screening discussion and asked questions of b

A group of South Sacramento teens will get the chance this summer to learn the ins and outs of basic news writing and reporting. The goal is to get the youths to become advocates for their community and to give voice to the issues that are particular to South Sacramento. The Neighborhood News Bureau was established by a partnership between Access Sacramento, a nonprofit organization that provides access cable television, and the La Familia Counseling Center to teach approximately 20 teenagers, ages 14 - 18, grassroots, community-based journalism. La Familia is one of five community centers that Access Sacramento has partnered with to develop Neighborhood News Bureau sites. Other sites in

With current budget cuts happening in most City departments, it is hard to find an opportunity to directly save programs without having to offset it with cuts elsewhere. That is why, I am pleased to announce that I have been able to allocate funding and salvage a very worthwhile and important opportunity for children in District One. If you have children in your family in need of a fun, positive and exciting summer activity – check out the Summer Oasis Program. The Summer Oasis Program is a camp for kids that has been offered for several years. Due to cuts to the Parks & Recreation budget, the program was slated to be removed from the 2011 summer offering. After being brought to my attent

A young Vietnamese woman—who came to the U.S. for burn treatment and helped get a start in a Mutual Housing community—has been given an honorable mention in a local college essay contest. Nhi Vo’s essay on her struggle to survive a family fire in 2000 that killed her mother and severely burned Vo and two of her sisters recently took honors in the “Sacramento News & Review” 2011 College Essay Contest. Vo has been accepted into the University of California, Davis, where she will study cellular biology. She plans to become a doctor. “Becoming a doctor would allow me to give back all the love and kindness that has been shown to me by my parents, sisters, doctors and counselors, social worke

Some of South Sacramento’s best young performers will compete for cash prizes at Hiram Johnson High School Auditorium Friday, May 27, from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. Sponsored by the South Sac Coalition for Future Leaders, there also will be an art show by local youth. “These student performers are really talented… well worth coming to see,” said Rachel Iskow, Executive Director of Sacramento|Yolo Mutual Housing Association, one of the SSCFL sponsors. Hiram Johnson is located at 6879 14th Avenue, Sacramento. Admission is free. The South Sacramento Youth Coalition for Future Leaders is partially funded by a drug-free communities grant from SAMHSA. For more information, visit http://www.samhsa.or

Local youth are documenting community issues that impact them and their environment via photos, short videos and documentaries and then posting it on the Youth Voices Story Map site, which was launched in April. The online map features 85 links that are connected to many stories illustrating issues varying from neighborhood cleanliness, safety, education, to employment . Nine counties in the capital region area are displayed in the map. These areas are: Yuba, Nevada, El Dorado, Placer, Amador, Sacramento, Yolo, Solano and Sutter. Six issues are showcased in the map: neighborhood assets, local challenges, health and safety, social justice, education and role models. The map is navigated

About 3,000 people and 60 breweries will converge at Miller Park Saturday afternoon and stay until the kegs are tapped dry at the 12th annual West Coast Brew Fest. “The West Coast is the home of the micro-brew, and we have over 120 brews coming this weekend,” said co-founder Matson Breakey. “We seem to have a really great following of people that come out every year and are well-behaved and represent Sacramento and other places.” He added that in addition to the region, dedicated followers arrive from as far away as Arizona and Washington. The festival is set up as a “tokenless tasting” event, where beer enthusiasts pay admission to enter and then are handed a cup and set loose to choos

  Niello Audi is proud to present the 5th Annual Quattro Cup, the world’s largest Amateur Golf Tournament.  Date: Monday, June 27, 2011 Location: Catta Verdera Country Club, Lincoln, CA Time: 10:00am Registration, 11:00am Shotgun Start Pricing: $160 Single, $300 per Twosome, $575 per Foursome *** Register at www.nielloquattrocup.com *** Your registration includes: • 18 holes of golf at Catta Verdera • Winner advances to National Final at Whistling Straits Golf Course in Kohler Wisconsin • Catered Lunch and Dinner • Complimentary Course Beverages • Tournament Gift & Fabulous Gift Bag • Dinner Reception & Awards This event locally benefits Diogenes Youth Services, a non-profit organizat

Stepping in to replace funding eliminated by state budget cuts, Kaiser Permanente has approved a nearly $50,000 grant to fund Sacramento County’s flu immunization program for low-income and underserved schoolchildren. The grant for the Immunization Assistance Program, which is run by the county’s Public Health Division, will allow public health officials to re-establish plans to vaccinate hundreds of children at 20 elementary schools this fall. The $49,737 grant is provided by Kaiser Permanente’s Community Benefit program in the greater Sacramento area. The grant is among $1.2 million in funding approved last week to improve access to health care and health-care coverage, increase health

In an effort to raise awareness about violence prevention in our community, Increase the Peace, a community event for the entire family, will be held on Saturday, April 16 at South Sacramento Christian Center, 7710 Stockton Boulevard, in Sacramento. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the event lasts from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is sponsored by People Reaching Out, The South Sacramento Christian Center and Kaiser Permanente. Highlights of the day include a special performance at 10:30 a.m. of Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Program production of "Peace Signs," which uses theatre to teach students how to resolve conflicts without violence. In addition, a free lunch will be given

The City of Sacramento's Neighborhood Services Division of the Department of Parks and Recreation, the VIBE Foundation, the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (SETA) and the Walmart Foundation are sponsoring a FREE Youth Summer Job Fair on Saturday, April 2nd at Cesar Chavez Park and Historic City Hall.  Here is more information: Saturday, April 2, 2011 ~ 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM ~ Cesar Chavez Park (910 I Street, between 9th & 10th Streets) & Historic City Hall (915 I Street) Are you between the ages of 16 and 22?  Then don't miss out on this opportunity!  Over 30 organizations will be available to offer full time and part time job opportunities, internship opportunities, college recru

Access Sacramento is putting together a network of news bureaus in the South Sacramento area. The goal is to get youth to report for their communities, producing news stories about South Sacramento. The effort is based around a website that access Sacramento has set up called accesslocal.tv. Ron Cooper, executive director of Access Sacramento, said that besides being known for negative news, South Sacramento seems to be absent from the news altogether. He wants to help revitalize the area through empowering the youth to become news reporters and serve them by developing their journalism skills. “South Sacramento is big area with lots of people and lots of ethnic diversity,” Cooper said.

Roseville, CA – The Robert C. Cooley Middle School will be ground zero for one of the largest youth education forums in Northern California. Close to 1,000 elementary, middle and high school students will converge on the Cesar E. Chavez Youth Leadership Conference and Education Fair on Saturday, March 19, 2011 in Roseville, CA. For over a decade, this event has provided guidance to youth seeking to pursue higher education and grant information. This unique educational forum allows 6th to 12 grade students and their parents an opportunity to learn how to pursue secondary educational and grant opportunities. College recruiters will be available to answer student questions. There will also b

Homeless in America come in all colors, all ages and their number continues to grow. Homelessness in Sacramento is also on the rise. This past Tuesday, March 8, 2011 a fundraising reception was held at Beatnik Studios for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) homeless youth of Sacramento. The humanitarian issue of homelessness is addressed differently depending on the areas that it affects. In Sacramento and other cities little has been done to meet the needs and challenges of the LGBTQ homeless youth. These challenges are being addressed by the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center along with individuals and community groups. As a result The Sacramento LGBTQ Homele

Saturday, VIBE organization will be organizing and hosting a cake-decorating contest where local bakeries will showcase their designs in Midtown for the Second Saturday Art Walk. Cake Craze is a fundraiser and all proceeds will benefit the VIBE Foundation and the new teen center that is being built. VIBE is a youth organization which was founded in 2007 and officially became a nonprofit organization about a year ago. “The VIBE Youth Board was brainstorming ideas and came up with the Cake Craze contest,” said VIBE spokeswoman Mylesha Ramey. Julia Hildago, chairwoman of VIBE, said this is the first time we’ve done an event like this and we’re very excited. The youth organization is made

In a case of young meets old, a group of civic-minded teens is getting closer to its goal of creating a hip space for youth at a senior apartment complex in Midtown. The city’s Planning Commission approved a permit on Thursday for the VIBE Urban Youth Lounge to operate at the Midtown Manor senior complex at 1725 K St. The center’s groundbreaking is planned for March 12 and will coincide with the Second Saturday Art Walk. VIBE organizers had planned to open the center in July 2010. Christina Giffin, executive director of the VIBE Foundation, said the opening was delayed because of lack of funding and because she took some time away from the project to take care of her baby. “Honestly, wh

For the second year in a row, Kaiser Permanente is supporting the Center for AIDS Research Education and Services (CARES) in their HIV and STI testing campaign geared towards African American and Latino youth age 15-26. The program trains youth peer educators to reach out to minority youth through social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace and gets them out in to the community to do counseling, HIV testing and education. “We’re seeing a very high rate of new HIV cases among minority youth,” said Amanda Chi, CARES Manager for Outreach, Education and Prevention. “This program is unique in that it uses new ways to connect with youth who otherwise wouldn’t be seeing or hearin