Mid-City CAN's Youth Council is completely and magnificently in the hands of the youth of City Heights. The team has worked hard and won many victories, but is best known for getting skate parks built for a safe place for youth to skate in City Heights. Here are a few of the press pieces that have been published on their work:
KPBS:
“The youth, who are involved with the City Heights community health nonprofit Mid-City Community Advocacy Network, have been putting out videos, reaching out to residents with skate demos and touring potential park sites with local decision-makers.
Forget the stereotype that pegs kids with shaggy haircuts and skate decks as wayward youth. These kids have a clear mission, a slick brand identity and – better yet – the attention of your elected officials.”
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"The San Diego chapter of the American Planning Association has given the Mid-City CAN Youth Council its award for best grassroots initiative. The youth campaigned for a skate park in their community. Their efforts included lobbying their elected officials, reaching out to skeptical neighbors and even helping with the design.”
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"It turns out skateboarding, despite its reputation as an extreme sport, is safer than football and basketball. That's according to a new report commissioned by the community group backing a new skate park in City Heights. The report also takes on concerns about skaters' high rate of contact with law enforcement and how to bolster gender equity in such a male-centered sport.
The deep dive into the health benefits and implications of a potential development is a burgeoning trend in the planning world. The Mid-City CAN Youth Council began working with Human Impact Partners, a group pushing for such reviews for projects in low-income neighborhoods, on the health impact assessment last fall. Their goal was to garner public support and money for the skate park, which has since received full funding through a state grant. But city and regional leaders say they're increasingly widening the scope of their reviews beyond CEQA and its focus on air quality, geology and traffic patterns."
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Voice of San Diego:
“San Diego mayoral candidates David Alvarez and Kevin Faulconer squared off this weekend at Hoover High School. The forum in City Heights hosted by San Diego 6 and community groups Mid-City CAN Youth Council and Cesar Chavez Service Club had a decidedly different feel than most political debates, thanks to youth panelists like Roosevelt Middle School sixth grader Hiyab Seadedin.”