03/03/10: Spreading the Word

Recently the Task Force was separated into pairs and sent to take turns at the Downtown Berkeley YMCA to promote the Teen Center Project. Our goal was to get people to go online and vote for the Teen Center Project – one of 189 projects up for a $250,000 grant from Pepsi as part of their Refresh Campaign for the month of February.

In addition to handing out flyers we tried different methods to spread the word. A couple of ways included giving out flyers at other YMCA branches, putting them up at the cafes in Downtown Berkeley, emailing people that we know, putting links up on Facebook and by other people blogging about us on the internet.

This project has also given us an opportunity to meet more people and to give them information about what’s going to be available in the future for their kids at the Center. The whole Teen Task Force is excited about winning and very happy to see that we are working hard together to make our dreams come true.

I enjoy telling people about the project while at the YMCA, even though we were ignored once in a while. Every time someone stopped to talk to us, they seemed interested in our work and were willing to help us win money for the future Teen Center. It’s great to hear people saying “yeah we are voting”, “I received your emails”, and “I will vote”.

Click here to see the Teen Center Project proposal on the Pepsi Refresh Project site.

03/01/10: High Goals

20/20 vision in optometry means that you have perfect vision.

The City of Berkeley is striving to improve their "vision" for youth. The 2020 Vision Project is an effort to address Berkeley's equity gap and create a healthier generation by the year 2020. Not only does Berkeley hope to have a vivid future for their youth but they hope to do so within the next 10 years. It's an ambitious goal.

I went to my first 2020 Vision meeting a few weeks ago. A diverse group of teens, a handful of adults, and the project leaders were eager to start the education and lifestyle revolution that Berkeley needs. Initially, I was overwhelmed by the amount that they wanted to accomplish. It seemed like so much to do in so little time. We began by translating the goals of the 2020 Vision Project into "teen friendly language." This was something my group struggled with because it dealt with changing some of the ways education in Berkeley worked and there were lots of big words.

After reflecting on my 2020 Vision experience, I think the goals are realistic. I’ve learned there is a difference between a vision and a goal. A vision is something you hope for. It’s not necessarily something you'll get the first time, the second time, or even the 100th time, but rather it's something that you strive for. It's almost like striving for perfection, which is sometimes regarded as a bad thing in sports, but working on the 2020 Vision Project made me realize that when it comes to potentially enriching the lives of others and making truly everlasting change you might as well set the goal high so everyone reaps the benefits. It reminds me of how Kanye West says, "You might as well reach for the stars so that you fall on the clouds."

Click here for more information on Berkeley’s 2020 Vision for Children and Youth.