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For Immediate Release
May 4, 1999

More Than $10 Million Awarded for Youth Action to Improve Community Health

Los Angeles – Ten communities throughout California have each been awarded $1,050,000 by The California Wellness Foundation (TCWF) to form wellness villages to expand broad-based community health improvement projects. The interests of neighborhood residents, particularly local youth, will guide the activities of the wellness villages.

"Rather than designing programs to address the problems of youth, we believe young people should be viewed as assets who can play a major role in changing their physical, cultural, social and psychological environments in order to enhance community health," said Gary L. Yates, TCWF president and chief executive officer.

Funded by the Foundation as part of its Children & Youth Community Health Initiative, wellness village programs will include youth mentorship, academic support services and community health projects. Each wellness village has an advisory committee of neighborhood youth and adult residents, members of community-based associations and service providers who make decisions about community health improvements. Activities planned for the different sites range from youth sports leagues and graffiti removal to pesticide-awareness campaigns and health-education workshops.

"Young people in our wellness villages have excelled in educating themselves and peers about how to improve their environments," said Fran Jemmott, senior program officer for the Children and Youth Community Health Initiative.  

The following organizations have been selected to serve as lead agencies to coordinate the local community health, mentoring and academic components:

• Northern Circle Indian Housing Authority, Ukiah;
• Butte County Office of Education/Community Partnership, Chapman neighborhood, Oroville;
• Mutual Assistance Network, Del Paso Heights neighborhood, Sacramento;
• NICOS Chinese Health Coalition, Chinatown neighborhood, San Francisco;
• Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, San Jose;
• Community Services & Employment Training, Inc., Goshen neighborhood, Visalia;
• Ojai Valley Youth Foundation, Ojai;
• Prototypes: A Center for Innovation in Health, Mental Health and Social Services, Jordan Downs Housing Development, South Central Los Angeles;
• Latino Health Access, Santa Ana;
• Project New Village, Lincoln Park neighborhood, San Diego.

As part of the mentoring program of the wellness villages, adult residents are paired with middle school-aged youth. Pairs may work on a variety of projects, such as building a community playground, cooking low-fat meals or gardening together.

The academic support program involves the formation of partnerships between the villages and local institutions of higher education. Ties with community colleges and universities will enhance the skills and knowledge of community residents through courses and workshops while enriching research opportunities for faculty and students.  

The Children and Youth Community Health Initiative is a five-year, $20-million grantmaking program. The initiative provides resources for projects that will result in sustainable changes in community health. Activities within the initiative include creating healthy physical environments, encouraging healthy and supportive social networks and addressing health hazards posed by toxic chemicals.

TCWF is an independent, private foundation created in 1992, with a mission to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention. TCWF has awarded 1,460 grants totaling more than $251.6 million since 1992. Please visit the TCWF website at www.tcwf.org for more information.

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