St. John the Baptist Social Services
St. John the Baptist Social Service has a long history of involvement in the community, aiding those in need. The program has been meeting the many economic, physical, and societal needs of the community and successfully adjusting to changes in the area since 194. In the past few years, the program has also sought to increase linkages between different parts of society. Baldwin Park and surrounding cities have had some issues with having government, business, organizations, and the population working together such as with redevelopment issues. An example is the start of the Cesar Chavez Interfaith Breakfast, which for the first time brought together community leaders, business owners, labor leaders, clergy from several denominations, public sector employees, and politicians together in a non-formal gathering. The event allows people to meet others while also hearing different perspectives, such as a rabbi who worked with Cesar Chavez to a local graduate who has become principal of one of the city’s high schools. Attendees leave with new contacts and possibilities. There has been great success in having community voices heard with more influence at city hall. After a fatal traffic accident, the program teamed with LA Voice and other congregations to seek a solution to an ongoing danger. This combined campaign led to a rapid decision by the city to install a new traffic light, which is now in service. The campaign prompted local officials to act far faster than normal. An ongoing success has been getting community members much more involved in local issues. An example is the city’s study of whether to retain the local police department or contract with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. Now, community members are attending hearings, giving their opinions and staying informed of events in the debate. In previous years this process would largely have been ignored by the public and not been influenced by their views. The local officials now know their decisions are being monitored. Creating public accountability is a major gain for this area. A significant achievement has been making connections to more effectively serve those in need, something that before was more provincial. The Social Services program has adjusted the annual Thanksgiving food drive to partner with the school district and their family liaison officers to identify people in need. This has led to a much better evaluation of the needs of the community and reduced fraud. Now, verified families in need have Thanksgiving food boxes delivered to their homes. This partnership is helping both parties ensure aid is effective to maximize results. The Social Services program has been developing greater and deeper linkages in the community to provide better delivery of resources. This project will take this process even further to yield wonderful dividends. The foundation of social connectedness has been established; now, the program looks to grow the structure.
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1 Submitted Idea
- 2013 Grants Challenge
Building Bridges in the San Gabriel Valley: Social Connectedness in Action
The San Gabriel Valley currently lacks solid social connectedness; this project aims to change this dynamic. First, the area, like much of Los Angeles is experiencing demographic changes. This is definitely true in the San Gabriel Valley as newly arriving Latinos and Asian-Pacific Islanders mix with existing 2nd-5th Generation Latinos. This project seeks to alleviate some of the tensions change can bring by starting dialogues and workshops led by established professional facilitators. These dialogues seek to bring different cultures with very different experiences and expectations for life in the San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles together in order to connect and work together, rather than exist in clusters individually. The idea is to use methods similar to successful “black-brown” projects in Los Angeles and make them relevant to the region and its needs. The dialogues would be adapted for language needs. This segment will be aided by previous experience working with NCCJ (National Conference for Community & Justice). The first step in growing connectedness is to have different groups actually connect; this project begins those linkages. The second area of the project to expand social connectedness is to partner with LA Voice in expanding the region. Currently, LA Voice has many strong clusters in Los Angeles; but, it has a lone operation in the San Gabriel Valley (in Baldwin Park). This project sees the formation of a regional base and expansion into many more congregations. LA Voice’s expansion would greatly aid social connectedness. In individual congregations, it would create opportunities for individuals to learn how to gain influence and change their communities. Regional meetings would bring these congregations together in actions and planning sessions, which grow area connectedness. LA Voice’s network across Los Angeles provides further opportunities for connectedness at meetings and actions. This effect is further amplified with statewide conferences of the PICO Network which will allow San Gabriel Valley residents to develop ideas and learn from other Californians beyond relying on emails or news reports. The third segment is the hosting of events to grow social connectedness. For example, preparations are underway for a higher education presentation that would include universities, counselors, immigration assistance, and local successful graduates, including a commitment from a locally-raised government official currently working in Washington, D.C. With ongoing budget cuts and cultural issues, an event held independently of school has very significant promise to connect a wide pool of potential candidates to resources needed to attend higher education. Hosting “get acquainted” meetings for local businesses, politicians, and leaders is designed to provide non-confrontational opportunities for contact among what has been at time a contentious environment rather than confrontational or negotiating situations. The project also sees quarterly men’s and women’s contact group meetings to discuss issues they feel are pertinent. Citizenship events are another key component. These events help residents move from residency through the application process and examinations to full Unietd States citizenship. The citizenship steps also introduce people to “the system” and strongly encourage voting and voter awareness of issues. These events ranging from higher education awareness to more regular contact sessions and promote new linkages for the area. The fourth area is training to improve social connectedness. Training will make presentations, events, and communications more effective. The training will include making sue of technology to improve presentations. Staff development will also help the program deal with the community changes already discussed. The project also plans to send teens to leadership development training. In this area youth leadership is often not fully nourished; the goal of the training is to have youth involved and to prepare them for greater success. The fifth area to improve social connectedness is capability upgrades through technology and equipment. Currently, the Social Services program relies on “low tech” communications. This project sees program gaining a major boost in long-term capability to connect with society through laptop computers, a scanner, PowerPoint projectors, significantly upgraded telephones to allow for more efficient phone banks, and data transfer equipment. The equipment upgrades will make communications more effective. For example, a bilingual PowerPoint presentation in Asian-Pacific Islander-Hispanic dialogues will now be possible. Likewise, non-partisan voting telephone reminders will be far easier to perform with upgrades. Communication improvements will literally boost social connectedness. Social Connectedness is a complex concept; improving social connectedness is even more challenging. This project faces the challenge.