Equity & Enrichment for Students

Boys & Men of Color Conference

The young men from Golden Hills Vacaville and Golden Hills Fairfield participated in California State University, Sacramento Boys & Men of Color Student Conference for a full day of learning and activities. Some of the young men had never visited a college campus, so it was an additional thrill for them. It was a day of exploring ideas and extensive learning about themselves, along with learning about society as a whole.

SCOE Youth Development Program Mentorship

Eight members of the Solano Youth Coalition (SYC) presented at the 22nd annual Teens Tackle Tobacco, Alcohol, Drugs, and Youth Wellness Conference at UC Berkeley. SYC members led workshops for over 300 youth on tobacco prevention, healthy relationships, mental health and stress reduction. This mentorship role provides relatable perspective for peer groups and powerful experience for SYC members.

Solano Youth Summit Inspires Future Leaders

Solano County Office of Education co-sponsored the Solano Youth Development Summit, held in Pollock Pines, California. The three-day conference for students provided a forum for youth to express their views on various issues while participating in activities to build alliances among diverse groups and improve communication between youth and adults. Participants learned ways to create positive change in their communities and engage their peers to become actively involved. These experiences will carry over into other leadership roles our young people endeavor to create. SCOE worked with Solano County Probation to organize several students from our Evergreen Academy to attend the Solano Youth Development Summit. Though the students from Evergreen Academy did not stay overnight, the youth experienced a full day of learning and growth. Four students attended the summit, alongside Solano County Probation staff. Throughout the day, Evergreen Academy students engaged with other participants in small group tasks, whole group lessons and team building activities. All students that participated were furlough eligible and enjoyed the opportunity to participate.

The Youth Development Summit was made possible through a partnership formed by Solano County Office of Education’s Youth Development Department with the Solano Youth Coalition, Solano County Public Health, Fighting Back Partnership, Kaiser Permanente, Vacaville Police Department’s REACH Coalition, the Solano Family Justice Center, Solano Community College, Travis Credit Union, Timeline Media Productions, Buckingham Charter School Film Department, and Solano Youth Voices.

SCOE Enrichment Events for Students in 2019-20

• Academic Decathlon • Art Faire • Attendance Awareness Art Competition • Girls In Robotics Leadership Camp • Regional Spelling Bee • Science and Engineering Fair • Short Film Camp • Solano Youth Summit • STEAM Student Showcase

Academic Decathlon Goes Virtual

_ SCOE’s youth development department, in partnership with the California Academic Decathlon (CAD) a nonprofit organization, coordinated the State Academic for 66 high schools (approximately 600 students) across California in a virtual competition. In 41 years of competition, this was the first year CAD held its state competition virtually due to COVID-19. The state competition is a culmination of regional competitions across the state that reaches over 400 high schools and approximately 7,500 high school students. The SCOE youth development department has been coordinating the state competition since 2006.

Regional Spelling Bee

SCOE’s 43rd Annual Solano County Elementary School Spelling Bee helped students build confidence and a strong vocabulary that will serve them well in later years. Fourth through sixth grade students develop soft skills like perseverance, hard work, public speaking and passion. Fifty-three schools participated this year, with first and second place winners advancing as Solano County’s representatives to the California Elementary School Spelling Bee Championship. The annual competition shapes the habit of lifelong learning in our young students, and we look forward to many more to come.

Youth Development Through Solano Friday Night Live

Solano County Office of Education works with the California Friday Night Live Partnership (CFNLP) in leading a Solano chapter. The partnership focuses on a youth development framework which is inclusive, comprehensive, youth-driven, and founded on current research to improve the lives of young people and the communities in which they live.

Solano Friday Night Live Partnership (SFNLP) has three programs: Friday Night Live (FNL) for high school-age youth, Club Live for middle school-age youth, Friday Night Live Kids for upper elementary-age youth.

Students involved in the SFNLP programs work toward alcohol, tobacco, and drug prevention in youth. They address other social issues in their school and community as well. The programs provide young people with the skills, support, opportunities, and competencies they need to become healthy, productive adults.

In 2019-20, SFNLP actively advocated for positive change, by participating in discussion panels, youthled research, and prevention seminars.

Five Solano FNL groups were awarded mini grants from the state to support their work. Benicia and Vanden High Schools’ Friday Night Live clubs were each awarded a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety for work on underage drinking and drunk driving prevention projects. Fairfield and Armijo High Schools, and the Solano Youth Coalition were awarded grants from the CFNLP to continue work on tobacco use prevention and education.

Web Chats for Youth

SCOE’s youth development department surveyed students through Friday Night Live and advocacy groups in Solano school districts to evaluate student needs and how to best support them during the shelter-at-home order. Students responded with a need for online opportunities that would help them mentally and academically cope during the quarantine. SCOE collaborated with a local mental health partner to develop a series of web chats for youth. The web chats were designed and coordinated to promote mental health awareness and coping skills for youth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The workshops and web chats ran through the month of May and the Mental Health Monday meetings were so successful they were extended into the month of June. Webchat sessions included topics like: anxiety, calming techniques, questions and answers, human trafficking, stress management, minfulness and more. Additional resources were also provides on SCOE’s Coping in COVID-19 webpage.

Vaping Prevention Presentations

SCOE’s Solano Youth Coalition (SYC) is committed to tobacco prevention, and provided several parent and community presentations around the dangers of vaping. Discussions included the addiction process, signs of addiction, resources available to families, and cessation resources. SYC members led four additional presentations at the Teens Tackle Tobacco Youth Summit at UC Berkeley in February and at the Vacaville Teen Summit in March.

Benicia’s Friday Night Live Club Earns Awards and Grants

Benicia High School’s Friday Night Live (FNL) student club has been named as the recipient of the Tobacco Free Solano (TFS) Coalition’s Youth Advocate Award. The student club along with their community partners were recognized for their efforts to encourage and support new tobacco ordinances that not only bans smoking in public places including multi-unit housing, but also bans the sale of flavored products within Benicia.

The club was acknowledged specifically for the work they have done to combat tobacco in their community. Benicia FNL received a grant from the California Friday Night Live Partnership to support their efforts, which included a park clean up, the development of a presentation about e-cigarettes and vapes for students, and a public speaking training.

Solano Youth Coalition Legislative Leadership Retreat

Solano Youth Coalition members were able to attend virtual meetings with local decision makers to discuss tobacco ordinances for Solano County and cities located within Solano County. These meetings were coordinated through a partnership with Solano County Public Health and Tobacco Free Solano, and included representatives from the Solano County Board of Supervisors, Vacaville City Council and Vallejo City’s Mayor.

Students prepared talking points, a presentation, and led a discussion on tobacco policy with adult participants. Local leaders were very supportive and expressed interest in supporting this work in their respective cities. The goal is to continue these meetings to gain enough support to enact at least one new tobacco related policy in Solano County.