Early Action Projects

What are early action projects???

They are quick wins - projects that respond to the community planning process and can be achieved in less than six months. They aren't the final product, but they are an important first step toward getting there.

The community panel recently selected the following four projects for early action grant funding!

Colina Park World Cup: Imagine 80 Colina Park elementary school students learning the fundamentals of soccer by Colina Park teenagers. That's what's happening at Ibarra Elementary on weekday afternoons. Saturday's are game day!

Smart Start Fitness: Who thinks Martial Arts is about fighting? Not in Colina Park. Unity Tech Fitness is working with more than 50 Colina Park youth to teach fitness, nutrition, discipline and RESPECT through martial arts.

Light@Night: Can graffiti be a good thing? It can be if it is drawn with light. Light@Night is teaching Colina Park teens how to create light-based art that will be on display at events in Colina Park.

Crawford 3-D: This one's too complicated to describe. But Crawford High School students are developing science, technology, math and engineering skills as they design and FABRICATE 3-D models at the City Heights Fab Lab. Since we didn't do a good job at explaining this one, we included a picture. See, it's for real.

Neighborhoods First Documentary Screened at Latino Film Festival

In March, the Neighborhoods First documentary was featured at the San Diego Latino Film Festival! The 10-minute documentary, produced by youth from Colina Park and Logan Heights, was screened as part of the Youth Visions program at the Hazard Center theater in Mission Valley.

Stay tuned for a community screening later this year. Also, keep an eye out for the next teen-produced Neighborhoods First documentary focusing on housing issues in our communities! Thank you to Media Arts Center of San Diego for their support of Neighborhoods First.

In the meantime, check out the video here:

Neighborhoods First Partner Featured in Voice of San Diego!

Read this feature story on Colina Park's Eugene Johnson, founder of Unity Tech, in today's Voice of San Diego. And check out the photo collage below!

Planting Roots in Colina Park

Planting roots in Colina Park will soon have literal meaning. While residents have been talking about making Colina Park a place to put down roots through new housing and improved quality of life, the International Rescue Committee has been working to bring the New Roots Community Farm to the neighborhood. They moved one step closer earlier this month - the project was heard and approved at a Land Use Hearing at City Hall. The New Roots Community Farm will be located on more than two acres of land (see picture) just outside the Colina Park neighborhood, providing opportunities for community members to grow healthy and culturally-appropriate foods on 85 plots ranging from 225 to 600 square feet.

Through our Neighborhoods First discussions over the past few months, we have come to appreciate the potential of community gardens to do more than provide healthy food for our community - we also see the opportunities to honor culture, bridge differences, and build community.

Union Tribune Recognizes Colina Park Neighbors

Others are beginning to recognize the power of what is happening in Colina Park. Check out this article from the Union Tribune.

Sidney Michael, Colina Park resident, summed it up well:

“Once you get everybody working together, you can keep the trouble out,” Michael said. “Once everybody's committed, that's when the strength comes in.”

What do you think?

neighborhood shuttles...performance art contests...

We're getting close! After months of planning how we will achieve our vision, we are getting ready to create an action plan. Some of our favorite ideas across strategy areas are:

• Hold a monthly performance art contest in the neighborhood - poetry slam, dance, music - to bring people together and celebrate our different cultures
• Establish a renter/landlord group to solve shared problems, provide training, and improve communications
• Create a safe place in the neighborhood for teenagers to hang out together
• Re-introduce the park to the community as a safe place - a grand-reopening, a new feature, a new name, etc.
• Expand after-school student activities and clubs
• Develop partnerships with employers that might be appropriate for non-English speaking population and first-time job seekers
• Create a beautification map for the neighborhood - places where we need lights, sidewalks and trees.

And that's just a start - we've also talked about neighborhood shuttles, community centers and new housing. What are your ideas? We want to hear from you. Contact us to receive information about upcoming meetings.

Community Meeting on Monday

Did you like what you saw at Colina Park Night Out? Join neighbors, friends and local organizations as we plan what's next for our neighborhood.

Monday August 11, 5pm-7:30pm
at the Colina Del Sol Recreation Center
5319 Orange Avenue.

Dinner and childcare provided.