Hello everybody! It’s me Daniel here again to keep you updated on the latest – so let’s get straight into it, shall we? This past weekend, the Sac BHC Youth Media Team attended the Franklin Blvd. Walk and Bike Audit hosted by Franklin Blvd. Business Association & Walk Sacramento.

It was around 9:00am in the morning when everybody began showing up to Carolina’s Mexican Food Restaurant, where we were treated to breakfast burritos. There were approximately 20 to 30 pumped up walkers and enthusiastic cyclists ready to embark on this trip down Franklin Boulevard. A couple of instructions were given to the crowd and within an instant; we were off on the road.

As we traveled along the road, a couple of observations were made. First and foremost, the lack of adequate city planning; the lack of trees, which provides shade for people during the hot summer months, the lack of benches to serve as a resting point for the public, and the lack of infrastructure. As we passed 21^st Ave. and Franklin Blvd., it was pointed out that there was little to no light as you went under the tunnel below highway 99, which poses a danger for anybody who walks under there during the night time.

A couple of other things were taken into account too, including the limited amount of fresh supermarkets in the area – La Superior being the only one. After noting all the flaws within the community, we decided to rest up at La Favorita Taqueria on Fruitridge Rd. and Franklin Blvd. to grab some lunch and snap a couple of group photos. All of which the Sac BHC Youth Media Team happened to cover, so keep an eye out for our next video. That’s it for now, see you soon!

Signing off – Daniel Escobar.

            Hola! Hello! Bonjour! It’s me Daniel! How is everyone? Myself? Why, great!!! Thanks for asking! Busy week ahead, I hope you’re all hanging in there. In the meanwhile here’s a little gift for you to make the time go by a little quicker.

            This past weekend, Sac BHC covered the Harvest Sacramento event down at Pacific Elementary. There were 60 volunteers present doing all of the work. Some of the work included harvesting grape fruit, oranges, lemons, and cleaning up the trash in the community. But as they say, “All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy”. To keep the volunteers from overworking Sac BHC Youth Leadership Team provided them with the opportunity to spin the wheel of fortune. Many walked away with cool prizes including some Sac BHC gear and toys for the kids.

The volunteers were also treated to lunch and were welcomed to socialize and mingle with other members in the group. It was a pleasant experience to meet new and awesome people. They are people who I constantly and frequently see at these events and which I can tell are truly and genuinely passionate about helping our community. Among these outstanding individuals is Dominic Allamano, one of the coordinators at Harvest Sacramento, who we had the privileged to interview. But for now, that is all I can say. If you want to find out what Dominic has to say, stay tuned and keep out on the lookout for the next video.

Signing off – Daniel Escobar

            Welcome! Welcome! My name is Daniel Escobar and I welcome you to my blog! Gee… What a warm welcome I’ve received here at Sac BHC. I’m two weeks in and already feel like a part of the team – I feel like I really belong here! But anyways… enough with the feelings, let’s get to the facts.

            Native to Sacramento, I’ve always felt the benevolent nature of the city. As hard as it may sound to believe, it is very true. I’ve always wanted to be a major influence in the global community and what better way than to start here at Sac BHC. I once read a quote before that was along the lines of, “In order to understand others, you must understand yourself first.” That being said, I must first help my community before I can help anyone else. I am fueled by an ardent desire to identify the issues in my community, to understand them, and to address them accordingly. I believe that Sacramento has the potential to serve as a role model for the rest of the world, but this is not possible without the hand of every Sacramentan. In ten, twenty, fifty years from now, I would like to see the community thrive into a better place. Perhaps not a utopia, but a place where future generations can have equal opportunities. But those generations are decades from now, I am from this generation, I am from the now generation! I live not only in the future, but also in the present.

            I am 18 years-old and a senior in the HISP Program, (Humanities and International Studies Program), at C.K. McClatchy High School. I love to play sports, especially soccer and rugby. I love to exercise, eat healthy, hang out with friends and family, and to travel. Oh! And not to mention, photography and filmmaking is a must! I cannot live without it; I aspire to become one of the greatest directors/producers of all time. But every big figure always starts off small. So now I ask, is this my call? Will I do everything in my power to make my dream a reality? And what will YOU do to make your dreams come true?! That’s it for now! Signing off – Daniel Escobar

Dawit is on the left

Hi everyone,

I am very pleased to introduce myself, your new partner in building our healthy community!   Here’s my story. After migrating to Sacramento from Ethiopia at the age of 5, I witnessed my parents work endless hours and struggle to adapt to this new place.  They were left powerless to respond to the phone calls about unknown diseases and unexpected deaths hitting family members back home in Ethiopia. Because of the worsening political and economic situation in Ethiopia, many families like my own were left helpless as medical treatments were unknown or out of reach.  I was introduced to issues like this from a young age and as I grew up in our Sacramento neighborhoods.  Growing up with other immigrants from Mexico, South America and South-East Asia, I saw how we were all struggling through a lot of the same hurdles that I thought I left in Ethiopia.

These first experiences in America really helped shape my perspective and passion for community work and advocacy.  Through the diversity within Sacramento, I was able to learn how to manifest my passion into a unique set of experiences for the service of our community.   I have been fortunate enough to work with organizations around the city like the NAACP state office and Imani Clinic in Oak Park. These experiences and others like them have taught me how to connect the medical issues our community members face on a day to day basis with the long-term political and economic strategies of certain groups.

I look forward to serving our community and helping to make connections like this more visible while also helping to grow new connections amongst our community as your new Sac BHC Project Coordinator!

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is the motto which Bobby Powell of the Sac BHC Youth Media Team lives by. As the youth video coordinator, he believes the camera was created so that all can see through the perspective of the people. Bobby’s role in the team is to capture videos in the best way possible to utilize the footage for current events and projects for the Sac BHC initiative.

Bobby has been a part of the Sacramento Building Healthy Communities initiative for a several years now. Before he became a part of the youth media team, Bobby was a part of the youth steering committee where he learned a lot about the BHC initiatives. When the youth media team was created, he decided to pick up a camera, knowing very little on how to use it but more than ready to improve his skills.

“It was a little awkward at first, and it was definitely a challenge because new things are always a challenge and a bit intimidating,” says Bobby, as he smiles. ”Getting experience with a camera helped me a lot. Now I see movies and photos a lot differently.”

Every morning that Bobby comes into the office to work, he keeps a positive mindset and outlook on the work he projects.

“What I look forward to is capturing a lot of footage and creating that perspective so that the community can see the positive change within itself,” says Bobby. Being a part of the youth media team has allowed him to improve his video and photography skills. He says his connection with the community has also increased and his understanding of what a positive community is has grown as well. Bobby says he is continuing to learn new things everyday with the environment that he surrounded by.

As a youth media team member, Bobby has enjoyed the experiences he has encountered and looks forward to those which he has yet to encounter with all the new opportunities that await him for the future to come.

“My goal is to show the community or be that link to the community so that they can not only see from the communities youth’s point of view, but also BHC’s point of view of what a healthy community is and what it can be.”

Hey everyone, it’s Brianna from the Sac BHC Youth Media team. I am very excited to share with you all the discussion I had with former NFL player, and also president and founder of Beyond the Locker, Tony Stewart. Tony is a very respectful, down-to-earth man. He was open to all the questions we asked and was very honest with his answers. He gave us inspirational advice from his heart to help those dealing with mental health issues.From my perspective, Tony’s words have inspired me to help those in my community.

When Tony spoke about how he became the person he is today, it helped me on my journey and the struggles I am currently going through. Knowing that such an influential individual such as Tony had gone through struggles himself on his journey to success has given me hope that I too can make an impact on my community as well.

During the interview, we discussed issues based around mental health and his views on this topic. Tony shared with us his experiences with mental health and what he believes needs to change in society regarding mental health. As a professional athlete, he shared with us what role sports play in mental health. Tony shared with us the pressure on the field and how it affects the players. Because of these experiences, Tony gave us his insight on how to prevent mental illness in athletics.

Tony has reminded us that being positive and helping others through hard times can make all the difference in the world. He believes that getting the conversation on mental health started and to not be afraid to talk about it is the best solution to breaking down the stigma of mental health. “Getting people to feel comfortable to talk about mental health is a huge step and a conversation that needs to be had”, says Tony. Tony emphasizes that knowing you’re not alone and there are people out there that care and want to help will help anyone going through mental health issues. Together we can make the change.

Hey everyone! This is Celeste again from Sac BHC Youth Media Team. My team and I recently attended the 1^st Sacramento SHINE Self-Wellness Expo at George Sim Community Center on January 26^th and I must say it was awesome and informative!

Throughout the day, man different groups performed dances from their respective ethnic communities on the center’s stage. Different organizations and sponsors had booths offering free health screenings, medical consultations, free exercise lessons, healthy eating demos and much more.

Soil Born Farms went into the neighborhood to harvest fruit trees and pass out the proceeds to those who attended the event. They had on display various collected fruits from oranges to grapefruits, and they were extremely ripe and juicy! Also, the local farmers market offered different tips on both gardening and healthy eating lifestyles.

I saw kids and their families enjoy many different opportunities from healthcare to live entertainment. There were live demonstrations on exercises and dances including; Tai Chi; Martial Arts; Yoga; Chi Gong; Zumba and Gym fitness. All of these are beneficial to one’s health.

“We want to encourage healthy eating and exercise, by doing instead of seeing” says Evette Tsang, the CEO of SHINE Wellness INC. “We are here today as individuals and together as a community, act by doing things we can control: stay healthy by exercising and eating right, one reason and one meal at a time.”

Evette hopes to promote positive healthy eating and exercise through these upcoming events of SHINE Wellness INC.

Hi everyone! My name is Celeste Alvarado and I am one of three new crew members in the Sacramento Building Healthy Communities Youth Media Team. My fellow members are Ashanti Bailey and Brianna Shinn. We are all high school seniors attending the Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy. Together, we will be covering events and talking about issues in the community via photographs, blogs, and video projects.

As an individual I have an understanding of how negative stories that are displayed in the media every day may frighten many and give others no hope for the community. They don’t quite show the people the brighter side of our neighborhoods. Words and images have a tremendous ability to both hurt and inspire. My team and I are ready to provide an opposing viewpoint on the community we live in!

Our goal is to inform everyone as well as to motivate and inspire. Our work should give someone who feels incapable of making a difference the inspiration to develop a better tomorrow. Leaders not only create followers, but they create other leaders. Sometimes all people really need is a little reminder that we are all able to inspire just as one has inspired them.

Our community needs a much better realization that there are positive actions spreading every day. The new media team is here to display these acts and share them with all. I’m hoping that through what my team and I present, that man will open their eyes to see that it’s never too late to make a difference on the community we all live in.

I am really excited to be a part of this program and I can’t wait to present our stuff with everyone!