April 2013 Newsletter
Greetings!

Thank you for your continued support in the HOPE Collaborative. We'd like to invite you to check out our updates for the month of April. 
HOPE Project Leader Spotlight: Alma Blackwell, Leadeship Institute Training Assistant

Alma Blackwell, Leadership Institute Training Assistant
This month, we would like to recognize Alma Blackwell and her contributions to our collaborative.

Alma has been a community participant since HOPE's beginning stages and has learned a great deal about the built environment and food systems. She enjoys working with other individuals and organizations who care about building a healthy Oakland. Blackwell says, "It is important that people who are most impacted by disparities are at the forefront in making change possible. I know firsthand that you can change the environment where you live, work and play by being an active participant in making change happen."  

 

Currently, she is the Leadership Institute Training Assistant and has had the opportunity to work with East Oakland residents who learned how to be city planners at the EOBHC Leadership Academy. Alma looks forward to the continued success of HOPE Collaborative and a healthier Oakland.

 

 

HOPE Collaborative Continues its Partnership with OFPC

HOPE Collaborative is excited to continue our partnership with the Oakland Food Policy Council (OFPC). The goal of our partnership is to develop and advance a food policy agenda that supports HOPE and OFPC's common goals: increased food security, greater public health, promotion of local agriculture, community economic development, and community ownership. Our partnership increases collective impact through the strengths and opportunities both HOPE and OFPC bring. Together, we collaborate with community and government partners to facilitate changes in the current food system and change the current policies that govern those systems.

 

The OFPC has been a core partner of HOPE since HOPE's planning phase, when the OFPC was first formed. HOPE contributed seed funding to get the OFPC off the ground, and since then, OFPC has been HOPE's main implementing partner on our food systems policy agenda. OFPC analyzes the Oakland food system from production through consumption and waste management, and recommends changes to make the system equitable and sustainable. The council coordinates between food system sectors, bringing underserved populations to the food policy table and recommending policies that will allow an equitable, sustainable food system to emerge. 

 

In January 2013, both HOPE Collaborative and OFPC entered into a new phase of implementation. In this phase, HOPE and OFPC will continue to partner on policy around local food procurement, urban agriculture, food access, and economic development. OFPC continues to serve as HOPE's lead partner on food policy, including promoting food businesses, especially those that are locally owned, within the City's Economic Development plans; addressing policy barriers to developing an Oakland-based regional food hub; supporting the development and implementation of economic and workforce development policies and strategies that target food microenterprise, especially those who serve neighborhoods lacking access to fresh and healthy foods; and providing opportunities for community members involved in HOPE to participate in food policy advocacy.

 

HOPE and OFPC look forward to our continued partnership in promoting greater health, equity, and sustainability in our local food system. To get involved, please contact Sabrina@hopecollaborative.net.

 

HOPE Collaborative Co-hosts CPEHN's Spring Convening

� 2013 by California Pan-Ethnic Health Network.
On April 4th, HOPE Collaborative co-hosted and participated in a convening organized by the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network entitled Healthy By Design: Creating Neighborhoods that Promote Wellness.

California's Office of Planning and Research is currently in the process of updating its guidelines for General Plans for municipalities. The purpose of this convening was to gather input from community organizations and others committed to health and social equity on what these guidelines should be.  General Plans are the guiding framework and vision for how a city will develop in a 20-25 year period--all zoning and additional planning code must be consistent with and accountable to this guiding document.  California General Plans are required to incorporate certain elements including Land Use, Circulation, Housing, Conservation, Open Space, Noise, and Safety.  Many cities in California and around the country are choosing to add additional elements such as public health and wellness, and environmental justice and sustainability.  Health and Sustainability elements in General Plans are a great opportunity to better integrate health considerations into city planning, and can generate powerful community engagement and visioning processes, such as that of the recently passed Richmond General Plan. 

HOPE Collaborative partnered with the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) to pass a 2010 City Council resolution for Oakland to seek funding and develop a framework for a health element in its General Plan.  As a collaborative that is committed to creating fundamental environmental changes to promote health and wellness in communities most impacted by social inequities, we believe that Oakland needs to take bold leadership to address health disparities, and adding a health element is one important way to do that.  We look forward to continuing to work with Oakland's Planning Department and ACPHD to better integrate health and community engagement into city planning.
Food Justice in East Oakland
Ronda Curry harvested vegetables from Acta Non Verba's farm. 

 

On Thursday, March 21, East Oakland residents gathered at Tassafaronga Recreation Center to learn about food justice as part of the East Oakland Building Healthy Communities Leadership Academy, organized by HOPE Collaborative and our partners Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), and East Bay Housing Organization (EBHO). The session on food justice built upon previous Leadership Academy sessions on community and city planning and housing justice.  The session was facilitated by Nehanda Imara (CBE) and Sabrina Wu (HOPE).   Participants who attended this session developed an understanding of food justice, food deserts, and how urban agriculture policies impact food access.

 

Sabrina Wu (HOPE Collaborative Project Director), Kelly Carlisle (Acta Non Verba Executive Director), and Jason Harvey (Oakland Food Connection Founder and Executive Director) were some of the few Community-Based Organizations who were present at the session who share the same goals and objectives of bringing food justice to East Oakland communities.

 
The Youth Action Board Examines OUSD's School Wellness Policy

HOPE's Youth Action Board (YAB) is working with Oakland Unified School District to improve the district's Wellness Policy. In 2006, The Governing Board of the Oakland Unified School District adopted a Policy that states, "Wellness is fundamental to student learning and achievement.  Children who are physically and emotionally healthy are ready to grow, learn and achieve success."
The policy is currently in the beginning phases of being revised to bring it up to date on the District's programs and goals for student wellness. Youth Engagement is a significant element of the revision process.

 

Working with Michelle Oppen, Program Manager of Coordinated School Health, the YAB examined 7 main components of the policy that include; Nutrition, School Garden Programs, Physical Education/Activity, Comprehensive Health Education, Positive School Climate, Physical School Environment and Student Access to Health Services. The YAB was the initial group of youth to engage in revisions, ideas for youth friendly messaging and possible programs for policy implementation.  The policy will also be examined by other youth from around the school district. As revisions move forward, the YAB will be looking to support the implementation of messaging, activities and programs brought forth by the District's .

 

Stay tuned for more updates from the HOPE Collaborative. You can also visit us at www.hopecollaborative.net, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter to find updates.
 

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Sincerely,

HOPE Collaborative
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In This Issue
HOPE Project Leader Spotlight: Alma Blackwell, Leadership Institute Training Assistant
HOPE Collaborative Continues its Partnership with OFPC
HOPE Collaborative Co-hosts CPEHN Convening, "Healthy by Design"
Food Justice In East Oakland
YAB Learns About OUSD's School Wellness Policy
Upcoming Events

4/18 - Monthly OFPC Meeting

4/20 - HOPE Collaborative, Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), and Urban Releaf  are hosting a "Clean Up, Green Up" Earth Day event on Sat., April 20 at the Tassafaronga Recreation Center. For more information, click here.
Past Events
Spring 2013 - EOBHC Leadership Institute Workshops

View more pictures from our 4th workshop on our Facebook page.
 
Partner Updates

People's Grocery is having their spring plant sale at the California Hotel (35th and Chestnut) on Sat., 5/4 from 11am-3pm.

City of Oakland's Alameda County-Oakland Community Action Partnership
is hosting their 8th Annual Walk to End Poverty on Sat., 5/18 in Oakland. Contact Kristian Ongoco at KOngoco@oaklandnet.com for more information.
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� 2013 HOPE Collaborative

 

221 Oak St. Ste. D, Oakland, CA 94607 | Office: (510) 444-4133 | Fax: (510) 444-4819

 HOPE is a project of The Tides Center