On February 11, 2025, we held our first Networking Night event of the year in partnership with The AjA Project to discuss adding art to Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park. Thanks to the Arts in California Parks grant, the park is set to receive new artistic additions, and the community's voice is essential in shaping this vision. The project is part of Youth Council's efforts to revitalize Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park.

Networking Night centered around gathering input from community members, who participated by placing post-it notes on several visual boards. One board prompted attendees to share the cultural elements, imagery, and visuals they would like to see incorporated into the park design.

Victor Castaneda H, a San Diego based artist + educator with AjA and the teaching artist for our 2024 Artivism Program, presented several ideas of the art design including using "Gobo lights" which would project images or poetry onto a surface such as a wall or ground.   

Community members sparked lively discussions as they broke into groups, brainstorming the type of art they envisioned for Henwood Park.

The input gathered during the evening will play a pivotal role in ensuring that the new art at Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park reflects the heart and spirit of the community. 

A big thank you to everyone who attended the meeting — it was a pleasure seeing you all there!

Click here to see photos from the event!