Features
Collaboration
Key to Future |
City,
Schools Work Together
Civic-Military
Efforts Successful | All
about YOUth |
Volunteers
Recognized for Efforts
Collaboration Key to
Future
In recent years, collaboration has become an important ingredient
in Monterey’s success. Forging partnerships with other organizations is a
great way to ensure that community needs are met. Here’s why...
First,
the challenges facing most communities are too complex for any one agency
or organization to solve. For example, the City alone can’t provide enough
licensed childcare to meet identified needs, yet we want to make sure that
adequate, affordable services are available. As a result, we have worked
hard with a number of partners to expand childcare services in Monterey
Second, as the demand on limited resources continues to increase, it
is vital that all community organizations utilize their
employees/volunteers and funds effectively and efficiently.
By
identifying gaps and overlaps in services, we can pursue opportunities to
cooperate and do things better and less expensively.
Historically
cities have been a sort of “vending machine” for services. However, in
addition to providing services, we need to develop relationships to help
make sure changing community needs are met. This is an emerging trend for
cities across the country, and we are pleased to see its initial success
here.
This issue of City Focus highlights some of the many
partnerships that help make Monterey a better place to live, work and
visit. Stay tuned for more great things!
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City, Schools Work
Together
Healthy, vibrant communities need healthy, vibrant schools to be
successful. Our community’s future is closely tied to the quality of our
education system and its ability to maintain a healthy, safe and
stimulating educational environment.
Although the Monterey Peninsula
Unified School District serves an area much larger than Monterey, the City
is one of many stakeholders committed to the success of our school system.
Through programs like Community of Caring Monterey Peninsula and some of
the activities described below, we are working together with local
educators and administrators to make sure schools are successful and young
people are getting the best education possible. Let us know if you have
any thoughts or questions about our efforts.
The Library’s Homework
Pals program is a cooperative effort among the City, MPUSD, Stone Soup,
YMCA and the Community Partnership for Youth. Homework Pals provides
volunteers for nine afterschool childcare sites including all MPUSD
schools in Monterey and one Community Center. Homework Pals work
one-on-one with children and help with homework and academic enrichment
activities.
In collaboration with MPUSD, the City offers a supervised
afterschool program at Larkin Elementary School. The program is offered
for Larkin students and is provided daily 2:15 to 6 p.m. Children receive
homework assistance, participate in arts and crafts projects and indoor
and outdoor games.
A new afterschool program with longer hours,
additional staffing and new check-in procedures was introduced this past
year to meet community needs and requests. The new program (photo above)
is being offered at Hilltop Park, Archer Park and Casanova Oak Knoll Park
centers. Registration is taken at the Recreation and Community Services
office at 546 Dutra Street (646-3866).
City staff works in concert
with Walter Colton Middle School advisors and students to assist in
providing safe, entertaining activities/events for middle-school youth.
Most recently, a dance was hosted at the Monterey
Youth Center and was
attended by more than 200 area young people! The City is also working with
Monterey High students on similar efforts. Staff and students are looking
to have future dances, activities and shopping and sports excursions.
School Resource Officers (SRO) from our Police Department work with
local schools to mentor and educate area youth about healthy behaviors,
safety issues and crime prevention. The officers also facilitate campus
safety and enforcement. The program will soon have three full-time
officers.
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Civic-Military Efforts
Successful
Our local military installations represent a major element of
today’s economy and will play an even more important role in our region’s
economic future.
The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language
Center (DLIFLC) and Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) collectively represent
approximately 10,000 jobs, an annual payroll of $250 million and an annual
economic impact estimated at $500 million.
In addition, both schools
are considered leaders in the teaching of languages, international
studies, air and ocean sciences, management and engineering. They serve as
magnets to attract new higher education and research institutions, two
other important segments of our local economy.
Partnerships with these
installations save money and provide benefits – such as new jobs and
recreational opportunities for community members.
We have leased 26
acres of the Lower Presidio at DLIFLC to develop an historic park and keep
it open to the public. Plans for the park are now being finalized, and the
museum (see photo above) is scheduled to open next spring.
For more
than two years, the U.S. Army has paid our costs to maintain
infrastructure at DLIFLC, including wastewater, stormwater and street
systems and various facilities.
We are also paid to sweep the streets
for all U.S. Navy facilities in the Monterey area and will continue to
explore ways to provide other services for the Navy.
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All about YOUth
Thank you for your comments and suggestions regarding the
challenges facing young people and families in Monterey.
At our
Community Connections forum in September community members of all ages
spoke out about their concerns regarding local youth.
We collected a
lot of great information. Ideas submitted ranged from collaborating more
effectively with local agencies and working together with young people to
develop new programs to extending afterschool program hours and engaging
young people in City activities.
Many of the challenges and programs
that were raised are community-wide proposals requiring collaborative
efforts. The list of ideas was distributed among local organizations that
work with youth and families in the community in order to facilitate the
process.
While the City alone can’t address all of the concerns, we
will be working with local organizations to help meet these challenges.
The public submittals will also be considered in the development of
City priorities and work programs.
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Volunteers Recognized
for Efforts
Harsha Tummala will always remember the day he was stopped by a
Monterey Police officer – for being a City Volunteen.
“That’s when I
knew what I was doing was making a difference, and it really made me feel
content,” says Harsha, who was recognized by the officer as someone who
volunteers at the City. “Volunteering is fun and if you haven’t helped
others, you can’t know what it feels like. It’s great!”
As a City
Volunteen last summer, Harsha split more than 150 volunteer hours between
the Monterey Sports Center’s Sports Camp and Monterey Public Library
activities. Now a sophomore at Monterey High School, he plans to volunteer
once again with Sports Camp during his winter break.
Born in India,
Harsha has lived in the area since he was five. His first taste of
volunteerism came at a young age when his piano teacher took him to
nursing homes to play for the residents. Since then it has become second
nature.
Besides volunteering with the City, Harsha is involved with
the Maritime Museum and just finished his training as a CHOMP (Community
Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula) junior volunteer.
“Volunteering
gives me a good feeling. I like giving back to the community and it keeps
me busy and out of trouble,” Harsha says.
Harsha donated more than 150
hours to programs this summer alone.
To find your place as a
volunteer, call 646-3719 or visit www.monterey.org/vol
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