To:          Members of the City Council and MPUSD Board of Trustees

From:     Vice Mayor Dave Potter, Chair, Youth and Family Task Force

Date:       September 16, 1996

Subject:  Joint Meeting on September 25

The Youth and Family Task Force has evolved to include Councilmembers Potter (serving as Chair) and Vreeland; MPUSD Trustees Brown and Villa; community members Bob Rosenthal, Eileen Johnson, and Laura Hayden; MPUSD staff members Martin Puentes and Ann Priebe; and MPUSD students Melissa Zipper and James York Mininni. The Task Force has also been assisted by a number of City of Monterey staff members, and staff from the Community Assessment Project of Monterey County.

The Task Force is about to reach a significant turning point in its efforts. As we enter this new chapter, we felt it appropriate to review with you our findings and conclusions to date. I hope that you will also renew your commitment to this project as we pursue a public process to help shape the final recommendations we will bring back to you in several months.

At our joint meeting, we will present to you a summary of our efforts to date, as well as the findings and conclusions that we have distilled from our research efforts. We would like to hear any comments you might have, and then discuss the next steps of 1) expanding the Task Force to include additional stakeholders in the community, and 2) pursuing a public process to validate our findings and conclusions, and prepare strategies for action.

We hope the following information is helpful to you in recapping our efforts.

I. BACKGROUND

The Youth and Family Task Force had planned to pursue 1) a "needs identification" process (consisting of Town Hall meetings, survey work, and a series of ad hoc discussions and interviews); 2) development and testing of possible solutions to whatever issues/problems that might be identified; and 3) design and resourcing of an implementation program. In anticipation of this effort, the City had budgeted funds to engage an empirical research effort to assist with the needs identification.

During the course of our initial discussions, the Task Force became aware of the "Community Assessment Project of Monterey County," a collaborative effort to measure the "quality of life" in the County against a number of quantifiable indicators. The Community Assessment (or TELLUS) is similar to one recently completed in Santa Cruz County, and is being sponsored by a consortium of public and private health, education, human service, and civic organizations, health care providers, the Salinas Valley and Monterey Peninsula United Ways, and the Harden and Community Foundations.

It became clear to the Task Force that, although the Community Assessment has a broader program and geographic scope, we had much in common. In addition, a collaboration with TELLUS would enable us to define our youth/family issues within a much broader framework and context that should eventually assist the City Council and MPUSD Board with their decision making. As a result, the Task Force decided, and the City Council agreed, to modify its process and approach to better coordinate with the efforts of the Community Assessment.

II. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

In conjunction with TELLUS, the Task Force engaged a research process that involved youth, adults, and service providers in the community. The standard TELLUS methodology was augmented to offer a more precise review of the issues pertaining to youth in the Monterey community.

It was recognized early on that our traditional "city limits" are somewhat meaningless as they relate to these issues, and this was taken into consideration in the analysis. Indeed, when we mention "Monterey Youth" in our discussions, we mean young people that live in, attend school in, and visit Monterey.

The attached report by Applied Survey Research summarizes the methodology used to research these issues, and presents the initial findings from the analysis. The conclusions presented in the analysis represent the product of substantial discussion among Task Force members and Applied Survey Research staff. These conclusions were based upon the research findings and personal experience of the participants, and serve as the basis for the "target areas for future action" that will be presented in the next session. The raw data leading to these conclusions is available for review, and this information will continue to be used by the Task Force in the months ahead.

Although this report is still in draft form, it provides a number of important insights into the issues facing our community. While the information tells us that we are in a better situation than many communities across the country, it is also true that there are a number of early signals announcing that there are more substantial problems ahead if we don't act in a preventive and systemic fashion now.

III. TARGET AREAS FOR FUTURE ACTION

After an in-depth review of the findings and conclusions from the research effort, the Task Force identified and prioritized several "target areas" that would be the focus of our strategic action planning. It is these target areas that we would like to highlight with the City Council and MPUSD Board, and secure any comment or direction you may care to give.

It is important to note that the target areas are not mutually exclusive, and often represent different perspectives on the same core issue. The Task Force urges that the targets be viewed as elements of a complex interrelated system. In addition, we expect that these targets might "move" somewhat over time as we continue our efforts and engage the upcoming community process. They certainly are not cast in stone.

Following are the suggested targets:

A. Promote a healthy set of community norms and values, and standards of behavior for youth living in and visiting Monterey.

The Task Force realized that many youth issues revolve around a simple lack of clear standards for acceptable behavior. In many cases, the only authority that seems to be accepted is that of a police officer, and sometimes even that is questionable. We concluded that a constructive approach would be for the community to clearly articulate both the value we place in our youth, as well as the norms and acceptable behaviors we value in those youth that live in and visit Monterey. These values can be communicated in the community in a number of exciting and constructive ways.

B. Better connect the community with the educational system.

It is also clear that the educational system must remain the centerpiece of our efforts to develop our youth. Unfortunately, public perceptions and connections with the educational system continue to decrease across the country. A number of communities have pursued successful efforts to better link the community (parents, business, and community-at-large) with the education process and systems, and to bring substantial community resources into the education effort. A similar effort merits consideration here in Monterey.

An additional positive outcome of improved linkages between the community and schools is to better ensure that youth are prepared in the best possible way to pursue successful lives upon their graduation from high school.

C. Embrace diversity.

Monterey prides itself on being the "Language Capital of the World", and the home of people from many diverse cultures and walks of life. Unfortunately, our research indicates that our diversity (whether it be by color, culture, religion, or neighborhood turf) is sometimes recognized as a source of friction rather than richness. Many communities have mounted successful efforts to acknowledge and embrace their rich diversity, and a similar effort here would have very positive effects.

D. Reduce substance abuse.

We have become alarmed at the levels of admitted use of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs by our youth. While usage does not appear to be greater than the regional and national rates (although all are on the upswing), we are of a belief that any substance abuse is too much substance abuse.

E. Continue to promote personal safety in the schools and community, with a special emphasis on neutralizing gang-related problems.

Again, great strides have been made in keeping our campuses and community safe places for our youth. Our research indicates that this continues to be a source of concern in our community, however, and therefore merits our continued efforts.

F. Expand parent education and support mechanisms.

Interestingly, we saw substantial evidence that parents in our community sometimes do not know where to turn for support, or where to get advice on "parenting". While the classic "Thursday Night Parenting Class" is certainly not the way to go, it is also true that it can sometimes be difficult for one to learn how to be a good parent. We feel that there may be a number of ways in which support and guidance can be offered to parents in the community.

G. Provide additional positive activities for youth.

While many are satisfied with current programming, there appears to be a desire for a broader menu of youth programs, particularly on the weekends. In addition, the Task Force would like to continue to question whether current program investments are targeted to those who need our investment the most.

H. Ensure that knowledge regarding HIV prevention and birth control is sufficient, and that this knowledge is translated to action.

Again, while the statistics indicate that this is not nearly the problem it is in other communities, we are troubled by local AIDS cases, and pregnancy in very young girls.

IV. NEXT STEPS

Again, these are targets that the Task Force deems worthy of further study and some form of community intervention. The exact nature of this intervention will be determined in the next phase of our work. We suggest a community-based process to include large and small group meetings, discussion with service providers, business, media, and other stakeholders. We would like to work with parents, teachers, and especially the youth themselves.

The purposes of this next phase are to 1) validate our findings, conclusions, and target areas in a broader community setting, and 2) discuss possible solutions to the issues identified. The product of this effort will be a series of recommendations presented jointly to the City Council and MPUSD Board sometime next Spring. We understand these recommendations may have budget implications, and we plan to explore creative community-based strategies to help minimize the resource burden.

Because the Task Force has not yet fully designed this next phase of effort, we are not fully prepared to discuss the resource needs associated with it. While we do not feel the cost would be great, there will likely be some fiscal burden on the City and MPUSD to facilitate this next chapter of effort. We suggest that the City Manager and Superintendent of Schools review these resource needs when they have been compiled, and that they present their respective recommendations to you at a future date.

This has been an exciting and gratifying process for the Task Force. We look forward to sharing our work with you on September 25, and hearing your thoughts on our efforts.