Seaside and its partners have many good recreation and education options for our youth. Programs exist at various locations throughout the City, from local schools to City parks. The City also operates specialized facilities such as the Youth and Education Center on Wheeler Street (owned by the City) and there are privately run organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club on La Salle (owned by the Boys and Girls Club of Monterey County).
Even with all these amenities and related programs, clearly more must be done. For example, graffiti is dramatically on the rise and Seaside police indicate this harmful activity is almost entirely performed by youthful offenders.
Proposed Solutions:
More programs for Youth must be offered — particularly programs that reinforce youths’ sense of connectedness to the City and its residents.
Could such programs be started at virtually no cost to the City?
One good way might be to promote field trips from the organizations mentioned above to City Hall. Council members (volunteering for this duty) could explain how City government works and show just how tough it is (both financially and with regards to creating Council consensus) to provide programs to youth and their families.
Mock council sessions could be held in the underutilized Council chambers to illustrate these concepts. The exercises could inspire future leaders.
For those needing a more hands on approach, the City could also encourage youth participation in structured cleanup programs with the Neighborhood Improvement Program. Such participation could qualify participants for fee reduction or elimination in other youth programs. This would be a strong “win-win” situation, because the help offered in cleanup (especially when offsetting City maintenance staff time) is likely worth more than a program fee.
Moreover, once someone realizes the immense effort required to remove or overpaint graffiti or to remove a ton of litter, he or she is likely to discourage any such destructive behavior from any and all peers!
Paid for by Felix For Seaside City Council