On May 10, Community Health Councils (CHC) along with the Healthy Kids Zone (HKZ) Workgroup organized the HKZ Community Celebration at John C. Fremont High School to celebrate the community, increase awareness about the Healthy Kids Zone project, and solicit feedback from residents and local stakeholders about all of the data that has been collected so far. From October to December 2017, HKZ Ambassadors were trained to collect opinion surveys from the community at large to identify the most pressing health issues facing the community. From February – May 2018, HKZ Ambassadors and Fremont High School students were trained to conduct built environment assessments to groundtruth the ½ mile around the school.
The event on May 10th featured community-based organizations and health resources in the community, as well as a showcase of the HKZ Neighborhood Opinion Survey findings and images from a student-led PhotoVoice project. Students were trained to go out into the community to take pictures that highlighted the most pressing issues identified within the opinion survey.
The PhotoVoice images focused on the following issues:
- Homelessness
- Safe streets and active transportation
- Food, alcohol, and smoke shops
- Public safety and open space
At the event, over 100 students and residents provided feedback on how they are impacted by these issues and suggested changes they would like to see. The celebration also included raffle prizes and a Mother’s Day celebration table with DIY cards and flowers. Over the coming summer months, CHC will be expanding outreach efforts to garner more feedback on the issues identified through data collection and further promote the Healthy Kids Zone project.
If you are interested in joining the HKZ Workgroup or learning more about the project please contact Raymond Diaz at rdiaz@risingcommunities.org or visit healthykidszone.org.
This event was funded by the California Mental Health Services Authority. This project is funded in part by L.A. Care Health Plan and will benefit low-income and uninsured residents of Los Angeles County.