San Diego Youth Services Works with Partners to Create a Sustainable and Just Spring Valley through a Transformative Climate Communities Planning Grant

Our community came together on March 14 at our Spring Valley campus for a networking event to learn more about how to create a sustainable and just Spring Valley! Representatives from San Ysidro Health, Spring Valley Chamber, Bikes del Pueblo, County of San Diego Spring Valley Community Alliance, California Department of Conservation attended and shared information about how participants can access available services in Spring Valley.

Our youth prepared food at La Mesa First United Methodist Church community kitchen under the guidance of our consultant, Executive Chef Steve Schattenberg, and in partnership with Rev. Christian DeMent at La Mesa First United Methodist Church. They created delicious dishes like spaghetti Bolognese, salad, kale chips and cinnamon buns, using ingredients directly from our community garden where we grow 1,000lbs of fresh fruits and veggies per year. Our youth also served coffee drinks, teas and lemonade from our Ground Up Coffee shop.

We hosted a rain barrel workshop, tours of our garden, and offered opportunities to connect with neighbors and community members alike. At the workshop, participants learned about rainwater harvesting and received a free rain barrel at the end.

This event was part of the Sustainable Environment and Engaged Development Strategies (SEEDS), a Transformative Climate Communities Planning Grant. This grant aims to reduce carbon emissions, address public and environmental health issues, and build economic resiliency in Spring Valley.