Central California Children's Institute
San Joaquin River Parkway Outreach and Civic Engagement Program
The S
an Joaquin River Parkway Outreach and Civic Engagement Program was supported by a one-year grant in the amount of $29,417 from the Resources Legacy Fund,
Children and Urban River Parkways Program. The primary purpose of this project was
to provide educational and skill-building opportunities for low-income parents to
prepare them for effective engagement and advocacy in promoting access to the San
Joaquin Parkway. The ultimate goal of the program was to increase the involvement
of low-income families in public decisions regarding the San Joaquin Parkway River
West Access Initiative.
Led by Fresno State Faculty, Dr. Kara Zografos and consultant Jessica
Shadrick, M.S., a total of 206 parents, young adults and children from low-income
communities visited the parkway and participated in at least one program activity.
Program activities included an educational seminar on the various ways in which parents
could become civically engaged in public land use and environmental issues, seminars
on the resources available at the Parkway and a seminar on the developmentally-related
benefits of playing outdoors. As a result of the program’s efforts, approximately
50 parents wrote comment letters to public officials regarding the West Access Initiative.
For more information about the program, contact Jessica Shadrick at jessicas@cvcsn.org or Dr. Kara Zografos at kzografos@csufresno.edu.
