* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. WELCOME TO THE NOVEMBER 9TH, 2022 [Childhood and Youth Committee on November 9, 2022.] [00:00:03] MEETING OF THE CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH COMMITTEE. UM, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY, AND THANK YOU AS WELL FOR YOUR ACT ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN SUPPORTING THE SUCCESS OF OUR YOUNGEST RESIDENTS. THIS MEETING IS BEING HELD IN HYBRID MODE, UM, AS BOTH AN IN-PERSON AND A VIRTUAL MEETING ON MICROSOFT TEAMS AND HTV AS THE CHAIR AND PRESIDING OFFICER OF THE COMMITTEE. I AM PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN THE CHAMBER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 5 51 0.127 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE APPLICABLE TO A GOVERNMENTAL BODY THAT EXTENDS INTO THREE OR MORE COUNTIES. ALL OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS HAVE THE OPTION TO PARTICIPATE EITHER, UM, IN PERSON OR VIRTUALLY VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS. WE'LL KICK OFF TODAY'S MEETING WITH SOME NEW CITY INITIATIVES TO ENGAGE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE WITH THE WORK DONE BY CITY DEPARTMENTS. WE WILL ALSO LEARN ABOUT SOME VERY SUCCESSFUL PROVEN PROGRAMS THROUGH THE CITY OF HEALTH OF THE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT, AND MY BROTHER'S KEEPER THAT HEAD OFF VIOLENCE BY TARGETING AT RISK KIDS WHO ARE FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS AND ARE ON A BAD PATH AND GETTING THEM THE SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED. I'M COUNCIL MEMBER CARLOS CISNEROS, CHAIR OF THE CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH COMMITTEE. UM, WE WILL BE JOINED SHORTLY BY, UM, THE COM COMMITTEE, VICE CHAIR, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CAROLYN EVANS SHABAZZ. BUT, UM, WE ALSO HAVE PRESENT, UM, UH, VIRTUALLY. WE HAVE, UM, A COUNCIL MEMBER PECK OF DISTRICT A AND WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON, UM, OUR LARGE COUNCIL MEMBER, AND WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, A PLUMBER AT LARGE FOUR COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN AT LARGE FIVE COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN IS VIRTUAL. UM, WE HAVE, UH, UH, ALSO, UH, VICE MAYOR PRO TIM CASTEX TATUM, AND COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS. WE WILL HAVE THREE PRESENTATIONS TODAY. THE FIRST ONE ON EDUCATING CHILDREN ABOUT VISION ZERO, THE SECOND ON ENGAGING YOUTH WITH CITY DEPARTMENTS, AND THE THIRD ON FOUR DIFFERENT HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND MY BROTHER'S KEEPER INITIATIVES THAT STEM VIOLENCE IN YOUTH. BUT FIRST, A FEW HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS FOR THIS HYBRID MEETING. COUNCIL MEMBERS, IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR COMMENT, PLEASE INDICATE THAT IN THE CHAT WINDOW, COPIES OF TODAY'S AGENDA AND PRESENTATION ARE POSTED ON THE CITY OF HOUSTON WEBPAGE FOR CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEES. WE HAVE NO PUBLIC SPEAKERS WHO SIGNED UP BY NOON TODAY TO SPEAK AT THE MEETING, UM, AS THE DEADLINE TO SIGN UP WAS NOON. TODAY, WE WILL NOT HEAR FROM ANY ADDITIONAL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. SO LET'S BEGIN BY REVIEWING THE FOUR GOALS OF THIS COMMITTEE. THEY ARE TO BE A CATALYST FOR CHANGE BY INCREASING PUBLIC AWARENESS AND DIALOGUE ABOUT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE QUALITY OF A LIFE OF A CHILD AND THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF WHAT KIND OF PERSON THAT CHILD WILL GROW UP TO BE FOCUSING ON DATA AND WELLBEING INDICATORS AS TOOLS FOR POLICY DEVELOPMENT, PLANNING AND ACCOUNTABILITY, SEEKING EQUITY AND WORKFORCE READINESS, BEGINNING AT BIRTH, AND SUPPORTING OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN CITY DEPARTMENTS TO STRENGTHEN AND ENHANCE THE WEB OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES, SCHOOLS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND COMMUNITY AT LARGE. I WANNA THANK OUR PRESENTERS FOR COMING TODAY AND FOR SHARING IMPORTANT INFORMATION WITH CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. SO LET'S BEGIN OUR FIRST TOPIC, EDUCATING CHILDREN ABOUT VISION ZERO. WE'LL BE PRESENTED BY SOPHIA FONT, WHO'S THE VISION ZERO COORDINATOR OF THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. AND IF THERE ARE NO OBJECTIONS, MS. FONT HAS ASKED IF MR. DAVID FIELDS MAY ASSIST HER WITH THE PRESENTATION. MR. DAVID FIELDS IS THE CHIEF TRANSPORTATION PLANNER OF THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY OBJECTIONS TO HEARING FROM THE SPEAKER? SO HEARING NONE, UM, MR. FIELDS, PLEASE JOIN US. SO WELCOME TO YOU BOTH MS. FONT AND MR. FIELDS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU, CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE AND STAFF. WE APPRECIATE THE INVITATION AND TO COME TO YOU TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT VISION ZERO AND SPECIFICALLY THE EFFORTS OF SOPHIA FONT, OUR VISION ZERO COORDINATOR TO ENGAGE OUR YOUTH AND OUR CHILDREN OF THE COMMUNITY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. BEFORE WE BEGIN THE FULL PRESENTATION, WE WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT AND REMEMBER WHY WE DO VISION ZERO. IT IS THE CITY'S EFFORT TO ELIMINATE FATALITIES AND SERIOUS INJURIES ON, ON OUR ROADS BY 2030. THE NEXT FEW [00:05:01] SLIDES ARE GOING TO PRESENT THE VICTIMS OF TRAFFIC VIOLENCE. OVER THE YEARS LEADING INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN, ALL OF THESE PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES, AND WE'D LIKE TO GIVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE AS WE SCROLL TO THE NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES. THANK YOU, UM, TO BRING EVERYBODY UP TO SPEED WHERE WE ARE. UH, SO IN 2019, MAYOR TURNER SIGNED THE VISION ZERO EXECUTIVE ORDER, WHICH COMMITTED THE CITY TO ENDING TRAFFIC DEATHS AND SERIOUS INJURIES ON OUR ROADS BY 2030. MAYOR TURNER SAID, THIS IS CRITICAL IN OUR PARADIGM SHIFT OF OUR TRANSPORTATION NETWORK FROM A PLACE THAT MOVES VEHICLES FAST TO A SYSTEM THAT, UH, MAKES HOUSTON A BETTER PLACE. AND KEY TO THAT IS EVERYBODY GETTING HOME SAFE, LEE. THANK YOU. EVERY SINGLE DAY. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. BETWEEN, UH, 2019 AND 2020 STAFF, UH, MEMBERS OF AN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, UH, OUR PARTNERS ACROSS THE REGION GOT TOGETHER TO DEVELOP THE VISION ZERO ACTION PLAN. AND THIS INCLUDED SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS TO IDENTIFY WHERE CRASHES HAPPEN, WHERE THE WORST CRASHES WITH FATALITIES AND SERIOUS INJURIES HAPPEN, AS WELL AS THE ENGAGEMENT TO ALL PARTS OF OUR COMMUNITY, AND THE 50 ACTIONS WE WOULD TAKE TO LEAD US TO ELIMINATING THOSE FATALITIES AND SERIOUS INJURIES. NEXT, PLEASE. WHILE THERE ARE 50 ACTIONS, 13 OF THEM WERE IDENTIFIED AS PRIORITIES, THE ONES THAT WE MUST DO IF THE REST ARE GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL, IT INCLUDED HOW WE ARE GOING, UH, TO BUILD NEW, HOW WE'RE GOING TO DESIGN BETTER, HOW WE'RE GOING TO COMMUNICATE WITH EVERYBODY, UM, AND, UH, INCLUDING THE VOCABULARY. AND A LOT OF THOSE ACTIONS ROLL INTO WHAT WE'LL BE PRESENTING, UM, AS KIND OF A KEY OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS CURRENT YEAR. NEXT, PLEASE, UM, TO REMIND OURSELVES THAT IT'S NOT JUST NUMBERS IN THE PAST, BUT EVEN AS LATE AS 2021, THE LAST YEAR, UH, DATA IS FULLY AVAILABLE TO US. WE LOST OVER 300 LIVES ON OUR ROADS. LAST YEAR ALONE, OVER 1600 PEOPLE WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED. A THIRD OF THESE WERE PEDESTRIANS. UH, A THIRD OF, UH, ALL TRAFFIC DEATHS WERE MEMBERS OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY. OVER 40% WERE THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY. AND THE PATTERNS OF WHAT IS CAUSING THIS ARE VERY CONSISTENT. IT IS PRIMARILY UNSAFE DRIVING, SPEEDING, DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OR BEING IMPAIRED, AND JUST GENERALLY NOT FOLLOWING, UH, THE SIGNS AND SIGNAGE THAT WE HAVE. UM, AND WE KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF PHYSICAL CONDITIONS WE CAN DO TO IMPROVE THIS, BUT ALL OF THIS FALLS SHORT IF WE'RE NOT COMMUNICATING THE WHY. AND WE START FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, FROM OUR OUR CHILDREN AND YOUTH. NEXT, PLEASE. IN 2021, WHILE, UH, WE WERE CERTAINLY SEEING, UH, THOSE PATTERNS THAT WE HAVE NOT YET FIXED, WE WERE WORKING ON IMPLEMENTING THE ACTIONS OF THE VISION ZERO ACTION PLAN. ALL 13 PRIORITY ACTIONS WERE STARTED, AS WELL AS ANOTHER 18 OF THE STRATEGIC ACTIONS WITH OUR PARTNERS AT PUBLIC WORKS. THE CITY BUILT ALMOST 30 MILES OF NEW SIDEWALK, OVER 800 NEW CURB RAMPS OVER 40 MILES OF BIKEWAYS, AND STARTED SEVEN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PRO PROGRAM PROJECTS THAT SPECIFICALLY FOCUS ON SAFETY. WE WERE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGED BY, UH, THE STATE'S AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION CHAPTER, UH, WITH AN AWARD FOR THIS WORK THAT WE'RE DOING. UM, BUT THAT'S ALL, THAT'S ALL THE CONTEXT IN THE BEGINNING. I REALLY WANT TO TURN IT OVER NOW TO SOPHIA WHO'S GOING TO TALK ABOUT OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE, THE YOUTH AND THE, UH, THE COMMUNITY. HI, GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL MEMBER. UH, MY NAME IS SOPHIA PHONE. I'M THE CITY'S VISION ZERO COORDINATOR, AND TODAY I AM PLANNING TO PRESENT ABOUT OUR VISION ZERO COLORING AND ACTIVITY BOOK. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. EARLY THIS YEAR IN JANUARY, WE CALL OUR MEMBERS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION GROUP TO REVIEW TOGETHER THE STRATEGY AND PLANS THE NEW ACTION FOR THIS 2022 FOR VISION ZERO. SO WE DECIDE ALONG THE 13 PRIORITIES, UH, HAVE NEW SIX NEW STAR, AND ONE OF THEM IS RELATED TO VISION ZERO ACTION 1.8. NEXT SLIDE. THIS ACTION IS RELATED TO HOW WE CAN DEVELOP AND CREATE, UH, NEW RESOURCES FOR KIDS FROM KINDERGARTEN TO 12TH GRADE TO EDUCATE THEM THROUGH ABOUT, UH, TRAFFIC SAFETY AND HOW THEY CAN WALK BIKE AND BUS SAFETY EVERY DAY. UM, WE, UH, PRESENT THE DIFFERENT OPTION IN OUR IMPLEMENTATION GROUP MEETING, AND WE DECIDE TO GO THROUGH, UM, THE COLORING BOOK FOR THIS YEAR. NEXT SLIDE. [00:10:01] SO, THE, THE, THE VISION, SERIAL COLORING AND ACTIVITY BOOK, UM, WE CAN FIND 10 PAGES RELATED TO TRAFFIC SAFETY AND VISION ZERO CONCEPT. AND ALSO WE TRYING TO RECOGNIZE THE DIFFERENT, THE DIVERSITY AND PEOPLE WITH ALL AGE AND ABILITIES AND DIFFERENT KIND OF ROLE USER. LIKE I RECOGNIZE WE PEOPLE WHO WALKS, PEOPLE WHO TAKE THE, THE BUS OR TAKE THE BIKE TO GO TO THE SCHOOL OR PARKS. AND, UM, THAT IS THE COVER OF OUR COLORING BOOK, TRYING TO REPRESENT, YOU KNOW, THE SENIORS, UH, DRIVING THE BUS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, UH, IN THEIR OWN WHEELCHAIR AND KIDS WALKING AND USING THE BIKE, UH, AS THEY'RE REPRESENTING THE DAILY BASIS FOR THEM. UH, ALSO WE DECIDE TO, IN OUR TEAM, HOW WE CAN SUPPORT THEM TO GROW THEIR VOCABULARY RELATED TO TRAFFIC SAFETY. SO WE DECIDE TO INCORPORATE SOME LANGUAGE AND TRANSLATE THEM IN FIVE DIFFERENT LANGUAGE. AND I WANT TO RECOGNIZE OUR TEAM, UM, PLANNING DEPARTMENT THAT WE DID THIS TOGETHER BECAUSE WE HAVE DIFFERENT, UM, MEMBERS THAT SPEAK DIFFERENT LANGUAGE AND WE WERE ABLE TO CREATE THIS VOCABULARY FOR THEM. AND, UM, THIS COLORING BOOK WAS, UH, ILLUSTRATED BY A COMMUNITY MEMBER AND LOCAL HOUSTONIAN ARTIST. SHE'S A, UM, ART TEACHER FOR KIDS. AND HER NAME IS VANESSA SANS, WHO WE ARE VERY, UH, GRATEFUL FOR HER HELP BECAUSE SHE, UH, PROVIDE ALL THE CREDITS FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SHE DID THIS FOR FREE, UH, BUT WE KNOW, UH, THIS WAS ONE OF THE THING THAT WE NEED TO PROVIDE FOR THE KIDS TO EDUCATE THEM RELATED TO VISION, SERIAL AND TRAFFIC SAFETY. NEXT SLIDE. SO THE UPCOMING SLIDE IS RELATED TO HOW IT LOOKS. OUR COLORING BOOK INSIDE, UM, IS AS I MENTIONED IT, UH, BEFORE VISION STUDIO CONCEPT TIPS AND ADVICE FOR OUR KIDS TO BIKE, UH, SAFETY NEXT SLIDE. UM, HOW WE CAN, UH, EDUCATE THEM ABOUT SOME OF TRAFFIC SIGNS. AND AS YOU CAN SEE IN THIS PICTURE, WE HAVE THE BAYOU BEHIND THIS TRAFFIC SIGN BECAUSE WE ARE THE ONLY CITY ACROSS THE NATION, WE CAN SAY WE HAVE THE VISION SERIAL COLORING BOOK FOR OUR CITY. SO WE ARE EXCITED FOR THAT TOO. AND, UH, ALSO WE ARE EDUCATING KIDS ABOUT HOW THEY CAN CROSS THE STREET SAFETY. IT'S NOT ONLY CROSS LOOK AT THE RIGHT OR THE LEFT, AND AGAIN, TRYING TO CONTACT VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE, WITH THE DRIVERS. IT'S ALSO EDUCATE THEM THAT WE HAVE A NEW LAW, THE 10 55, AND THAT IS RELATED TO THE DRIVERS. THEY NEED TO JUST STOP AS SOON THEY SEE ANY PEDESTRIAN AT THE STREET. NEXT SLIDE. UM, THIS IS ONE OF THE LIKE, UH, THE VOCABULARY LIST OF THE WORDS RELATED TO TRAFFIC SAFETY. AND WE KNOW SAFETY IS IMPORTANT TO EVERYONE AND IN EVERY LANGUAGE. SO THIS KIND OF THE DIVERSITY IN OUR CITY, DIFFERENT LANGUAGE, WE SPEAK EVERY DAY IN CITY OF HOUSTON. NEXT SLIDE. UM, THE OTHER THING THAT IS IMPORTANT IN THIS, UH, SLIDE IS WHEN WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE WE HAVE DIFFERENT TYPE OF ROAD USER. IT IS NOT ONLY DRIVERS. WE WANT TO RECOGNIZE AND UNDERSTAND THE PEDESTRIAN, THE BIKERS, AND THE PEOPLE IN WHEELCHAIRS OR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE WALKING. THEY ARE PART OF THE ROAD USER, AND WE NEED TO INCORPORATE THEM IN OUR DAILY, YOU KNOW, UH, CONCEPT. AND THE DISTRACTED DRIVERS IS ANOTHER THING THAT WE WANT TO EDUCATE OUR KIDS BECAUSE WHEN THEY ARE THE CAR WITH THEIR PARENTS, THEY CAN SAY, MOM, YOU ARE CHECKING YOUR PHONE OR YOU ARE DOING THE MAKEUP, OR, DADDY, JUST TAKE OUT THE COFFEE, THE DISTRACT. SO IT IS HOW WE CAN EDUCATE KIDS. THOSE ACTION CAN DISTRACT THE DRIVERS, AND THEY NEED TO BE FOCUSED ON THE WHEEL AND THE THREE WORLD. NEXT SLIDE. AND OF COURSE, UH, EDUCATE THEM HOW THEY CAN HAVE A GOOD BEHAVIOR WHEN THEY'RE USING THE BUS. AND WE ARE INCORPORATING, UH, THE CONCEPT OF THE COMPLETE STREET THAT IS AN INITIATIVE OF THE MAYOR SYLVESTER TONER. AND LIKE, THIS LOOKS LIKE OUR DREAMS, RIGHT? THE COMPLETE STREET IS AN SPACE WHEN YOU CAN HAVE PEOPLE, UH, WALKING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, UH, WITH A MEDIUM SAFE, UH, WITH THE TRAFFIC SIDE LINES. UM, AND YOU HAVE A SPACE FOR THE BIKES, THE BIKE RACKS, AND WE HAVE THE SPACE FOR OUR BUS STOP AND THE SHELTER FOR THE, FOR THE FAMILY. SO WE ARE INCORPORATING THOSE CONCEPT FOR THE KIDS AS WELL. NEXT SLIDE. SO WHAT WE ARE DOING WITH THIS COLORING BOOK, UM, WELL, THE NEXT SLIDE IT WILL SHOW YOU, UH, WE, THIS PROCESS WAS AROUND THREE MONTHS IN THE DESIGN. SO WE WAS, UH, READY TO LAUNCH [00:15:01] OUR, UH, COLORING BOOK AT OUR, THE MAYOR'S BACK TO SCHOOL, UM, FEST THIS YEAR. UM, AND WAS AN EXCITED, UH, EXPERIENCE, UM, HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR EXCHANGE, UM, YOU KNOW, CONCEPT WITH KIDS, UH, WASN'T A VERY INTERACTIVE AFTERNOON, BUT ALSO AS SOON WE ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY BIKE RODEO OR ACTIVITY WITH THE SCHOOLS, OR ANOTHER COMMUNITY EVENT, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR, UH, THE NATIONAL LIGHT OUT. WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE COLORING BOOKS AS WELL FOR THE KIDS. SO RIGHT NOW, THIS COLORING BOOK IS PART OF THE RESOURCES THAT WE ARE PROVIDING TO THE COMMUNITY EVERY SINGLE TIME WE ARE GOING OUTSIDE FOR OUR COMMUNITY EVENT. AND OUR GOAL IS TO CONTINUE TO DISTRIBUTE THEM, UH, WITH THE DIFFERENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, WORKING CLOSE WITH THE HOUSTON DEPARTMENT, UH, PART OF THE RECREATION DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE THEM FOR THE COMMUNITY CENTER LIKE THESE, THE KIDS AFTER IN THE, IN THEIR AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS, THEY WILL BE ABLE TO USE IT AND LEARN ABOUT TRAFFIC SAFETY AS WELL. AND WE ARE AS WELL, WORKING VERY CLOSE WITH COMPLETE COMMUNITY TEAM, UH, IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THESE COLORING BOOKS FOR THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. NEXT SLIDE. JUST WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU, UH, THIS PICTURE, UH, FOR US IS VERY, UH, SIGNIFICANT, THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR LAUNCH OUR VISION ZERO CHLOR BOOK AND OUR WORK. AND THE NEXT ONE, UH, THE NEXT SLIDE IS OUR TEAM WORKING, UH, IN THE DIFFERENT EVENTS PROMOTING THE VISION ZERO CHLOR AND ACTIVITY BOOK THIS YEAR. THANK YOU. THAT IS EXCELLENT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. DO WE HAVE ANY, UH, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS? OH, WE DO. UM, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER. THANK YOU, CHAIR, DAVID SIA, JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR THE INCREDIBLE JOB THAT YOUR TEAM IS DOING. Y'ALL ARE ALWAYS VERY RESPONSIVE TO US, ARE ALWAYS DOING INCREDIBLE WORK, AND I LOVE THIS COLORING BOOK. I'VE SEEN THIS SO MUCH ALREADY IN THE COMMUNITIES. I KNOW IT'S EFFECTIVE. I LEARNED A FEW THINGS MYSELF WITH THE VOCABULARY, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AND I APPRECIATE THE WORK Y'ALL ARE DOING. AND ALSO, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN, OH, THAT'S ACTUALLY EVAN SHABBAT. SORRY, . OKAY. AND WELCOME, WELCOME. WE ANNOUNCED THAT YOU WERE ON YOUR WAY. THANK YOU. UH, MADAM CHAIR, VICE CHAIR. I APPRECIATE IT. VICE CHAIR, CERTAINLY. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. AND, YOU KNOW, UM, MY MOTHER ACTUALLY DIED IN A CAR ACCIDENT. UM, BUT IT WAS A, I THINK IT WAS A VEHICLE MALFUNCTION, BUT AT ANY RATE, I UNDERSTAND THE DEVASTATION THAT PEOPLE FEEL WITH THESE SUDDEN, UH, ACCIDENTS THAT HAPPEN TO TAKE AWAY YOUR LOVED ONE. BUT I, I THINK IT'S PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT THAT TOMORROW THAT THERE ARE RELEASING THIS APP. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A RELEASE OF THE APP OR THEY'RE GONNA JUST DISCUSS THE, WHAT IS IT, THE HELP IN THE STREET, TX THAT'S GONNA BE AT THE, UM, AT THE YOUNG WOMEN'S, UH, COLLEGE PREPARATORY. AND SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DISCUSSIONS OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE, BECAUSE CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE ARE, I KNOW NOBODY'S GUILTY, BUT ME SPEEDING THROUGH THE STREETS, UH, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IF THE KIDS IN THE CAR, THEY CAN BRING IT TO YOUR ATTENTION. YOU KNOW, MOM, DAD, YOU, YOU NEED TO SLOW DOWN A LITTLE BECAUSE WE GET ENGAGED IN TRYING TO GET WHERE WE ARE GOING, AND WE RARELY LEAVE ENOUGH TIME TO GET THERE. WELL, I KNOW I'M SPEAKING FOR MYSELF, BUT CERTAINLY, UH, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION. AND WE ARE GOING TO GET THERE, UM, WITH THE COOPERATION OF ALL OF US, AND CERTAINLY TO RAISE UP THE CHILDREN WITH THAT, UH, MINDSET WILL CERTAINLY HELP US IN THE FUTURE. SO THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. AND THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I ALSO WANTED TO MENTION THAT WE HAVE STAFF FROM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, DISTRICT B, AND, UM, AND ALSO MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN FROM DISTRICT E THAT ARE, UM, ATTENDING VIRTUALLY AS WELL. AND, UM, I HAD A COUPLE THINGS I WANTED TO SAY. UM, I, I LEARNED ABOUT THIS AT THE MAYOR'S BACK TO SCHOOL EVENT, AND I PICKED UP A HANDFUL OF THEM. AND AS I WAS WALKING TO THEIR CITY DEPARTMENTS, I WAS SAYING, DO YOU SEE WHAT THEY'RE DOING? THIS IS REALLY GOOD . AND THERE WAS A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, INTEREST. SO, SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR INITIATIVE AND THIS, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK IN, IN THE, THE OLDEN DAYS, IF THERE WAS SOMETHING FOR KIDS, MAYBE IT WOULD TALK ABOUT SAFETY. IT WOULD MAYBE HAVE SOME VOCABULARY. BUT THIS IS, THIS IS DIFFERENT. I MEAN, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DIFFERENT TYPES OF ROAD USERS, THAT'S A DIFFERENT WAY OF THINKING. YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT COMPLETE STREETS, THAT'S A DIFFERENT WAY OF THINKING. SO, YOU KNOW, AND EVEN DISTRACTED DRIVING, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN WHEN CHILDREN LEARN THINGS, THEY, THEY TAKE THAT HOME WITH THEM, AND THEN THAT BECOMES, UM, A WAY TO REALLY, TO REACH INTO THE WHOLE FAMILY. SO, SO THANK YOU FOR THIS. I THINK YOU'VE, YOU'VE INSPIRED SOME OTHER REALLY GOOD IDEAS THAT WILL COME FROM SPRING FROM THIS. UM, BUT, UH, I HAD, I [00:20:01] HAD A QUESTION. UM, WHERE ARE THE COLORING BOOKS AVAILABLE? I, I, WE'VE PASSED 'EM OUT, BUT IF, IF SOMEONE WANTED TO JUST ACCESS IT ON THEIR OWN, HOW WOULD THEY DO THAT? SO, UH, THERE'S A PDF VERSION AVAILABLE ON OUR, UH, WEBSITE. MM-HMM . UM, VISION ZERO, HOUSTON, SORRY, I JUST FORGET IT. UH, TRIPLE W, VISION ZERO HOUSTON.COM. GREAT. THANK YOU. AND ALSO, I, I WANTED TO MENTION THAT, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER O SALLY ALCORN IS ONLINE WATCHING, TOO. WELL, THAT'S AWESOME. UM, JUST WANTED SAY, ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR, UM, THE PRESENTATION AND, UM, UH, AND YOUR PRESENTATION IS A PERFECT SEGUE INTO OUR NEXT, UM, PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO, NEXT WE'LL HAVE, UH, DIRECTOR OLI KOSKA FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF EDUCATION, WHO WILL INTRODUCE A NEW IDEA THAT'S IN THE WORKS, UM, TO ENGAGE YOUTH WITH CITY DEPARTMENTS. WELCOME DIRECTOR. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. WHAT A WONDERFUL INITIATIVE. AND IT'S A, LIKE YOU SAID, COUNCILWOMAN S NURSE IS A GREAT, UM, EXAMPLE OF A, OH, SORRY, AM I DOING THIS? ? OKAY. UM, OH, WHAT A GREAT WAY TO START. UM, SO I DO NOT HAVE SLIDES, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE THIS IDEA IS BEING CURRENTLY DEVELOPED AND I'M SEEKING INPUT IN HOW BEST TO, UM, UH, IMPLEMENT THE IDEA. SO WITH, UH, WITH, UM, ALL HONESTY. FIRST ONE, TO HONOR COUNCILMAN CISNEROS, WHO WAS THE FIRST, UM, VISION BEHIND THE IDEA OF CREATING A CITY PUBLICATION, UM, FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH TO UNDERSTAND WHAT CITY DEPARTMENTS DO. SO THE PURPOSE IS TO EXPLAIN INFORMATION ABOUT CITY DEPARTMENTS TO HELP CHILDREN BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW THE CITY OPERATES AND WHY CITY DEPARTMENTS, UM, DO THE WORK THEY DO FOR US. THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE BACK IN AUGUST, UM, AUGUST 12TH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON BECAME THE FIRST, UM, CANDIDATE FOR A CHILD-FRIENDLY CITY IN THE UNITED STATES. WE ISSUED A ACTION PLAN, WHICH HAD THREE MAIN GOALS. ONE WAS A MENTAL HEALTH, UM, THE SECOND ONE WAS YOUTH PARTICIPATION, AND THE THIRD ONE WAS RESOURCE ACCESSIBILITY. THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT RELATES TO GOAL NUMBER TWO, YOUTH PARTICIPATION. NOW, LET ME POSE A RHETORICAL QUESTION. IF YOUNG PEOPLE, IF WE WOULD LIKE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND CHILDREN TO GET INVOLVED IN THE CITY DEPARTMENTS AND TO UNDERSTAND BETTER, UM, WHAT WE DO, AND GIVE US THEIR BRILLIANT, BRIGHT IDEAS OF HOW WE CAN DO THIS BETTER, THAT COULD NOT BE POSSIBLE IF THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT WE DO. AND THAT'S WHY THIS IDEA CAME DIRECTLY FROM COUNCILMAN. AND WE ARE GONNA HELP, UM, EXECUTE AND IMPLEMENT. BUT THE YOUNG PEOPLE AND CHILDREN, UM, BEFORE THEY GET ENGAGED WITH THE CITY DEPARTMENTS, THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT, WHICH ONE OF THEM DOES. SO THE PROCESS, UM, IS FOR US TO, UM, DEVELOP AN RFP. UM, WE, I LIKE TO USE THE TERMINOLOGY OF ITALIANS AND ITALIAN SHOES. WE ARE, NO, WE ARE NO, UM, GOOD AT ART. AND, UH, THE VISION ZERO BOOK WAS DEVELOPED BY A, AN AMAZING ARTIST. SO WE ARE LOOKING FOR AN ART ORGANIZATION, UM, OR A YOUTH SERVING ORGANIZATION WHO'S GONNA HELP US, UM, EXECUTE THIS. AND WE'RE GONNA COORDINATE YOUTH, UM, AS WELL AS THE CITY DEPARTMENTS TO DEVELOP THE IDEA BEHIND IT. SO IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, WE'LL HAVE YOUTH FOCUS GROUPS TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOUTH PERCEIVE CITY DEPARTMENTS. FIRST, FOR US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY CURRENTLY KNOW AND HOW, UM, THEY CAN EXPLAIN WHAT DOES PUBLIC WORK DO, OR WHAT DOES THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT DO. AND SO ONCE WE UNDERSTAND THE LEVEL OF, UM, OF KNOWLEDGE THAT YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE, THAT'S GONNA BE OUR BASELINE FOR US TO START DEVELOPING. IDEALLY, WE'D LIKE TO HAVE AN ART EXPRESSION, A PUBLICATION. UM, WE HAVEN'T, UH, QUITE SETTLED YET ON HOW THIS WOULD LIKE TO LOOK LIKE, BUT WE WELCOME INPUT. UM, WE WOULD LIKE TO ALSO UNDERSTAND WHAT DEPARTMENT'S ROLE, UM, UH, YOU ALL CAN PLAY. SO A LOT OF THE DEPARTMENTS WOULD BE WAY BETTER IN EXPLAINING WHAT THEY DO THAN US IMAGINING WHAT DEPARTMENTS DO. SO HOW CAN WE MAKE A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS BETWEEN YOUTH AS WELL AS THE DEPARTMENTS TO FIRST ESTABLISH THE IDEA AND THEN HAVE YOUNG PEOPLE. AND THIS IS, I EMPHASIZE ON THIS, THIS IS FOUR CHILDREN BY CHILDREN. SO HAVING YOUNG PEOPLE AGES 16 TO 13 IDEALLY [00:25:01] DEVELOP THIS ARTWORK THAT WE CAN HELP PUT TOGETHER AS A PUBLICATION. THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO HAVE A FIRM, UM, UH, A RESOURCE BOOK, SOMETHING SIMILAR TO VISION ZERO, WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE CAN PICK UP AND, AND UNDERSTAND CITY OF HOUSTON IN, IN A MATTER OF MINUTES. UM, AND THIS WILL BE ONE OF, ITS KIND THE VERY FIRST ONE THAT, UM, WOULD BE DONE. AND AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, THANKS TO COUNCILWOMAN CISNEROS FOR HER VISION. UM, MY DEPARTMENT WILL ORGANIZE THE INITIAL, UM, FOCAL GROUPS AS WELL AS WILL PROVIDE THE, UM, RFP FOR US TO, UH, PROCEED WITH, WITH THE PROJECT. BUT AT THIS TIME, WE WELCOME SUGGESTIONS, UM, ABOUT WHAT SHOULD THIS LOOK LIKE? HOW WOULD YOU ENVISION YOUTH PARTICIPATION WITH YOUR OWN DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE CITY? UM, HOW DO YOU ENVISION THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO GET INVOLVED? AND, UM, CHILDREN WHO ARE, UM, WILLING TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS. AND SO WE ARE GONNA GATHER ALL THIS FEEDBACK AND, UM, ISSUE A, UH, UH, UH, A CONCISE COORDINATED EFFORT TO DEVELOP THIS PUBLICATION. THE TIMELINE, UM, IS GOING TO BE WORKING, UH, DIRECTLY WITH THE, UM, HOUSTON ACTION PLAN, UH, WHICH WAS, UH, PUT IN, UM, IMPLEMENTATION AUGUST 12TH, 2022. AND IT GOES THROUGH, UM, AUGUST 12TH, 2023. AND SO IDEALLY WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE, UM, THIS BE PART OF THE HOUSTON ACTION PLAN, UM, AND HAVE, UM, HOUSTON BECOME THE CHILD FRIENDLY CITY OF THE UNITED STATES. SO THAT'S KIND OF JUST BRIEFLY ABOUT IT, BUT, UM, I WELCOME ANY QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS, IMMEDIATE BRAINSTORMING ACTIVITIES THAT ANYONE HAS. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR. ANY QUESTIONS? NO QUESTIONS. JUST ANOTHER COMMENT. I HAD THE, UH, PLEASURE OF HAVING ALCOTT ELEMENTARY COME TODAY. I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WERE COMING, BUT IT WAS SUCH A DELIGHT. WE TOOK THEM ON THE TOUR, EXPLAINED, YOU KNOW, OF THE ANNEX AND EXPLAINED WHAT WE DO OR ATTEMPT TO DO. AND IT WAS JUST, IT WAS JUST SO INTERESTING. YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY ASKED ONE OF THE LITTLE GUYS, WELL, WHY ARE YOU HERE? HE SAID, FOR INVESTIGATION . I SAID, WELL, OKAY, YOU'RE STARTING OUT ON THE RIGHT FOOT. BUT, UH, AT ANY RATE, IT WAS SUCH A PLEASURE. AND I THINK ENGAGING THEM GOES A LONG WAY, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT VOTING AND GETTING THEM ENGAGED IN THE WHOLE PROCESS. AND SO, CERTAINLY, UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS AND WE'LL GIVE YOU, I'LL GIVE YOU SOME SUGGESTIONS AS WE MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY ALSO. OH, THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WELL, THANK YOU, DIRECTOR. UM, I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE AND, AND CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HOW IT SHAPES UP. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR VISION, COUNCILMAN. 'CAUSE THIS IS, UM, AFTER ALL YOUR INITIAL THOUGHT. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR. THANK YOU. AT LAST WEEK'S COUNCILMAN MEETING, UH, MAYOR TURNER WAS COMMENTING ABOUT ANOTHER SENSELESS GUN DEATH OF A YOUNG MAN. THE MAYOR CALLED FOR CANDID CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO KEEP YOUNG MEN OF COLOR FROM KILLING EACH OTHER. THAT'S WHAT THIS NEXT PRESENTATION IS ABOUT. PLEASE HELP ME WELCOME THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT ASSISTANT DIRECTOR PATRICIA WATSON, AND ALSO WELCOME BRANDON DENTON, WHO'S THE PROJECT DIRECTOR FOR MY BROTHER'S KEEPER, WHO WILL PRESENT INFO ON FOUR HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS THAT REDUCE VIOLENCE AND SAVE LIVES. SO, WELCOME, MR. UM, MS. WATSON AND MR. DENTON, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. GOOD AFTERNOON. AND WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GRACIOUSLY INVITING US HERE TO TALK MORE ABOUT THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S INITIATIVES TO TRY TO PREVENT VIOLENCE IN YOUTH. SO BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER, I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE IF THEY COULD PLEASE STAND, UM, THE DIFFERENT PROGRAM MANAGERS AND COLLEAGUES, COMMUNITY SUPPORTERS THAT ARE HERE, UM, IN SUPPORT OF THIS PRESENTATION. MANY OF THEM LEAD THE FACILITATION OF SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT TODAY. SO WE JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND EXPRESS GRATITUDE TO THEM. THAT'S A LITTLE TOO LOW. THAT'S GOOD. THANK YOU. SO, YOU KNOW, AS I WAS LISTENING TO THE TWO PREVIOUS PRESENTATION, THERE WAS A SPECIFIC THEME THAT I HEARD. I HEARD WITH VISION ZERO THAT THEY PARTNER WITH MANY PEOPLE IN ORDER TO PRODUCE THIS BEAUTIFUL PRODUCT TO EDUCATE YOUTH ON SAFETY. THEN I HEARD THE NEXT PRESENTATION, THEIR INTENTION TO PARTNER IN ORDER TO EDUCATE YOUTH ABOUT WHAT THE CITY SERVICES ARE AND POTENTIALLY HOW THEY COULD TOO SUPPORT AND HAVE JOBS. AND SO IT'S STUFF LIKE THAT, UM, EARLY INTERVENTION THAT I BELIEVE CAN ULTIMATELY DIRECT YOUTH INTO [00:30:01] A POSITIVE DIRECTION. SO ACCORDING TO YOUTH.GOV, VIOLENCE, PREVENT VIOLENCE IS PREVENTABLE. YOU KNOW, IT'S REQUIRED IN ORDER TO ELIMINATE VIOLENCE, THAT WE EMPLOY EVIDENCE-BASED INITIATIVES, AND THAT WE ALSO TRY TO PROMOTE POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT. WE BELIEVE THAT IT TAKES A MULTI-PRONG TYPE APPROACH FROM VARIOUS SECTORS, NOT ONLY PUBLIC HEALTH, BUT JUSTICE, EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE, SOCIAL SERVICES, AND OTHER TYPES OF YOUTH SERVING ORGANIZATIONS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO, STRATEGIES TO PREVENT YOUTH VIOLENCE BASED ON RESEARCH FROM CDC, WE KNOW THAT PROMOTING FAMILY ENVIRONMENTS THAT SUPPORT HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT, PROVIDING QUALITY EDUCATION, EARLY STRENGTHENING YOUTH SKILLS, CONNECTING THEM WITH CARING ADULTS, CREATING PROTECTIVE COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTS, AND INTERVENING TO LESSEN HARM FOR FUTURE RISKS. THESE ARE THE TYPES OF STRATEGIES THAT, ACCORDING TO RESEARCH FROM CDC HAS SHOWN, WE CAN CURB AND PREVENT VIOLENCE IF WE START EARLY ON. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. PROTECTIVE FACTORS ARE MORE COMMONLY USED WORD CHARACTERISTICS AGAINST DELINQUENCY FOR YOUTH. SO WHEN WE HAVE HIGHER EXPECTATIONS OF YOUTH, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOUTH HAVE THAT POSITIVE, RESILIENT TEMPERAMENT, WHEN THEY LEARN PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS, WHEN THEY'RE IN A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT AND THEY'RE ABLE TO DEVELOP CONVENTIONAL BELIEFS OR INVOLVED IN ORGANIZED ACTIVITIES SUCH AS RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES, THESE ARE THE TYPES OF CHARACTERISTICS THAT GIVE THEM AN ALTERNATIVE TO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT COULD LEAD TO BEING ENGAGED IN VIOLENCE. WE BELIEVE THE BEST WAY TO PREVENT IT IS TO STOP IT FROM HAPPENING IN THE BEGINNING, WHICH REQUIRES EARLY ENGAGEMENT WITH YOUTH. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT SUPPORTS A A VARIETY OF PREVENTION, UM, STRATEGIES, AND WE BREAK THEM UP INTO TWO. ONE, WE HAVE THE MY BROTHERS KEEPER HOUSTON INITIATIVE, WHICH BRANDON DIDN'T. THE MY BROTHERS KEEPER PROJECT DIRECTOR WILL SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT MOMENTARILY. THIS IS A CITYWIDE COLLABORATIVE, UM, WITH THE EFFORT OF FOCUSING, FOCUSING ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR BOYS AND YOUNG MEN OF COLOR. THEN WE HAVE THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT, CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES. THIS IS AN ARRAY OF SERVICES THAT ARE PROVIDED FOR CHILDREN AGES ZERO TO 17, UM, YOUNG ADULTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. IT'S ALL FOCUSED ON PREVENTATIVE SERVICES THAT LEAD TO IMPROVED HEALTH OUTCOMES AND WELLBEING. BRANDON, GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY. UM, I'LL JUST START BY SAYING I AM, UH, SUPER EXCITED, UH, TO BE A PART OF MY BROTHER'S KEEPER. UH, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, UM, ABOUT WHERE WE HAVE COME FROM, UH, WHERE WE WERE IN THE PAST, WHERE WE ARE TODAY IN TERMS OF THE INITIATIVE AND, UH, OUR PERSPECTIVE FUTURE. UH, WHEN WE STARTED THIS INITIATIVE IN 2015, UH, IT WAS CHAMPIONED BY, UH, MAYOR ANISE PARKER. AND THEN WHEN THE TRANSITION HAPPENED TO MAYOR TURNER'S ADMINISTRATION, HE HAS BEEN A, A TRUE CHAMPION AND AMBASSADOR FOR MY BROTHER'S KEEPER SINCE THEN, AND THAT WE'RE APPROACHING THE END OF THAT ADMINISTRATION. AND I THINK THAT IS DEFINITELY IMPORTANT THAT WE HIGHLIGHT ALL OF THE WORK THAT WE DO AND TRY TO SCALE AND THAT IMPACT SO THAT WE CAN RE THIS ADMINISTRATION CAN LEAVE A TRUE, UH, LEGACY ON WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THIS CITY AND BEYOND IN TERMS OF, UH, IMPACTING THE LIVES OF BOYS AND YOUNG MEN OF COLOR, UH, WE'VE DONE A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS IN THE LAST 12 TO 15 MONTHS, UH, POST PANDEMIC TO GET MBK IN A PLACE OF ALIGNMENT WITH ALL OF OUR PARTNERS INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY TO THE CITY. UM, IN THE, UH, STARTING IN SEPTEMBER OF LAST YEAR, AROUND THIS TIME, WE CONDUCTED A, HOSTED A SERIES OF ASSESSMENTS, UH, THAT TO REALLY LOOK AT OUR PROGRAMS AND OUR PARTNERS AND OUR EFFORTS THAT WE HAVE TO SEE WHAT HAS BEEN EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE. UH, WE HAVE ALSO, UH, DID MORE TO, UH, ENHANCE OUR, OUR CAPACITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE WITHIN THE TEAM. WE'VE HIRED, UH, TWO MORE STAFF PERSONS. ONE, DATA MANAGEMENT ANALYST, AND ALSO A, UH, COMMUNITY IMPACT, UH, MANAGER WHO'S ALSO A TRAINING COORDINATOR TO TRY TO HELP BUILD THE VISIBILITY AROUND OUR PROGRAMS, BUT ALSO MEASURE THE IMPACT THAT WE ARE TRYING TO MAKE. UH, WE'VE, UH, ALSO THROUGH THOSE ASSESSMENTS FOUND OUT THAT WHERE, WHILE WE WERE FOCUSING ON SIX DIFFERENT MILESTONES THAT COVERED EVERYTHING FROM EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND YOUTH VIOLENCE AND PREVENTION, AND SECOND CHANCE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE PROBABLY NEEDED FOR THIS SHORT PERIOD OF TIME TO NARROW DOWN THE SCOPE TO JUST FOUR DIFFERENT MILESTONES, WHICH HELP OR MILESTONES. THREE, HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE OR BOYS AND YOUNG MEN OF COLOR GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL READY FOR COLLEGE OR CAREER RECEIVING POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION SUCCESSFULLY ENTERING THE WORKFORCE. [00:35:01] AND OF COURSE, THE YOUTH VIOLENCE PREVENTION WORK, UH, THAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT HERE IN THE, IN THE, IN A SECOND, IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, IT ALSO SHOWED, UH, THAT WE TOOK SOME TIME TO REESTABLISH OUR MISSION AND OUR VISION AND OUR DIRECTION FOR WHERE WE WANTED TO GO, UH, WITH MY, MY BROTHER'S KEEPER. AND THEN THINK ABOUT THE STRATEGY THAT WE WILL HAVE MOVING FORWARD AS WELL. SO OF COURSE, WHEN IT COMES TO YOUTH VIOLENCE PREVENTION, OUR MAIN FOCUS, I THINK IN MY BROTHER'S KEEPER, IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROTECT THESE YOUNG BOYS AND YOUNG MEN OF COLOR FROM ALL HURT, HARM AND DANGER, BUT ALSO TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY AREN'T CAUSING ANY OTHER HURT, HARM AND DANGER, UH, TO THOSE THAT ARE IN THE COMMUNITY AS WELL. AND SO WE HAVE A LIST OF DIVERSION PROGRAMS THAT WE, WE'VE BEEN EXECUTING AND IMPLEMENTING FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW. UH, AND WE ARE ALSO NOW IN A PLACE WITH MAR BROTHERS KEEPER THAT WE ARE SUSTAINABLE AND WE ARE IN A GOOD PLACE. BUT NOW I THINK IT'S TIME FOR US TO SCALE AND EXPAND OUR EFFORTS TO MAKE SOME MORE INVESTMENTS SO WE CAN ALSO INCREASE OUR IMPACT. SO NOW I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO MS. WATSON, UH, TO TALK ABOUT THOSE INITIATIVES AND WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE TO SCALE. THANK YOU, BRANDON. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO YOU'LL NOTICE ON THIS SLIDE THAT WE HAVE FOUR SECTIONS, LEARNING AND SKILL BUILDING, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL WELLBEING SUPPORTS AND CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF TIME. YOU'LL ALSO NOTICE THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANY PROGRAMS LISTED IN CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF TIME. SO THE REASON FOR THAT IS THAT WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT COLLABORATION IS ESSENTIAL. WE ARE NOT ABLE TO DO IT ALL ON OUR OWN. AND SO WE DEPEND ON MANY OF OUR PARTNERS IN THAT CATEGORY WHO MAY PROVIDE MENTOR PROGRAMS AFTER SCHOOL INITIATIVES. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT WE DO HAVE TO OFFER, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT IT'S A CONTINUUM OF RESPONSE TO VIOLENCE PREVENTION. WE REALIZE THAT WE CAN ENGAGE EARLY AND POSSIBLY PREVENT A YOUTH FROM EVER BEING ON THE WRONG SIDE OF VIOLENCE, RIGHT? YET IT MAY COME A TIME WHEN THEY HAVE BEEN ENGAGED IN SOME SORT OF VIOLENCE AS A VICTIM OR THE OFFENDER. AND SO THAT'S WHY YOU'LL NOTICE IN THE SUPPORT SECTION THAT WE HAVE RESTORATIVE TYPE SERVICES AS WELL. IN THE NEXT FEW SLIDES, WE'LL TELL YOU ABOUT FOUR KEY PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED GREAT OUTCOMES FOR, THAT ARE MORE ALONG THE LINES OF PREVENTION, WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW, AND HOW WITH YOUR HELP AND THE HELP OF OTHERS, WE COULD POSSIBLY DO MORE IN THE FUTURE. ONE OF THE BIG THINGS TO CONSIDER IS THAT TO BE SUCCESSFUL, STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT YOUTH NEED SUPPORT. THEY NEED A SENSE OF BELONGING AND A SENSE OF CONNECTEDNESS. IT REALLY HELPS WHEN THEY HAVE ONE OR MORE CARING ADULTS IN THEIR CORNER, ENCOURAGING PO THEM POSSIBLY THROUGH DIFFICULT TIMES. SO THIS NEXT INITIATIVE THAT YOU'LL SEE HERE IS MBK, MY BROTHER'S KEEPER, RAP NETWORK, SYSTEMS OF CARE, A SCHOOL-BASED SYSTEM OF CARE THAT USES AN EARLY WARNING SYSTEM TO IDENTIFY YOUTH THAT ARE AT RISK AND TO PROVIDE THEM SERVICES THROUGH LIKE A TIERED SYSTEM AND AN EVIDENCE-BASED TOOL. THE MODEL IS REALLY ESSENTIAL TO OUR SUCCESS IN THIS PROGRAM BECAUSE WE ACTUALLY PLACE A CASE MANAGER ON EACH CAMPUS THAT WE'RE ASSIGNED TO, AND WE PROVIDE RESPONSES TO ADDRESS SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND HEALTH ISSUES. NO TWO CHILDREN WILL HAVE THE EXACT SAME NEEDS. AND SO THAT'S WHY ASSESSMENT AND TAILORING, UM, THE RESPONSE TO THEIR NEEDS IS CRITICAL TO OUR SUCCESS. IN THE 20 21, 20 22 SCHOOL YEAR, WE WERE ABLE TO SERVE 425 STUDENTS. AND THIS WORK WAS DONE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR PRIMARY COLLABORATOR, HARRIS COUNTY PROTECTIVE SERVICES AND COORDINATED THROUGH HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, UM, HARRIS COUNTY YOUTH SERVICES, COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS, AND HARRIS CENTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH. YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THAT GROUP OF PARTNERSHIPS IS VERY DIVERSE, AND IT'S BECAUSE EACH ONE OF THEM HAVE THEIR OWN EXPERTISE. AND WHEN WE COMBINE RESOURCES, IT JUST CREATES A MUCH GREATER IMPACT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO THIS IS A, A SNAPSHOT AT THE TYPE OF, UM, EARLY WARNING SYSTEM INDICATORS THAT WE USE TO HELP US IDENTIFY STUDENTS IN NEED. TWO THAT I'LL POINT OUT ARE EXCESSIVE ABSENCES AND COURSE FAILURES. THESE ARE INDICATORS THAT THERE MAY BE SOMETHING GOING ON WITH A YOUTH THAT WE COULD INTERVENE ON TO HELP THEM HAVE BETTER OUTCOMES. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO THIS SHOWS A QUICK AT A GLANCE. LOOK AT OUR TIERED SYSTEM OF SERVICE COORDINATION. SO YOU HAVE YOUR UNIVERSAL LEVEL ONE SERVICES. THEY JUST MAY NEED ASSISTANCE WITH FOOD. YOU KNOW, THEY MAY NEED A REFERRAL TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SUPPORT TO HELP THEM HAVE BETTER OUTCOMES IN THAT AREA. WHEN IT GETS TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE INTENSE, THERE ARE TAILORED [00:40:01] SERVICES AT LEVEL TWO, WHICH MAY REQUIRE THEM BEING ASSIGNED TO A MENTOR. THE GREATEST LEVEL IS CRISIS INTERVENTION. THIS IS LEVEL THREE. AND THE GREATER WE GO IN THE, THE, UM, IN THE CONTINUUM, THE MORE RESOURCES THAT ARE REQUIRED. THIS IS YOUR INTENSE CASE MANAGEMENT. THIS IS WHEN YOU HAVE MULTIPLE ORGANIZATIONS ENGAGED, UM, TO PRODUCE THAT SERVICE, TO HELP THAT CHILD HAVE A TURNAROUND. AND I CAN SAY THAT OUR TEAM IS REALLY EFFECTIVE IN, IN RESPONDING QUICKLY TO HELP EVOLVE THE LIVES OF THE YOUTH THAT THEY'RE HELPING WITH THIS PROGRAM. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO, NEXT HERE, UH, WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING OUR SEE TO SUCCEED PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE EYE EXAMS AND CORRECTIVE EYEWEAR AT NO COST TO CHILDREN. YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT WHEN YOU FIX THE PROBLEM, IT'S FIX THE SECOND THEY PUT THE GLASSES ON. NOT MANY THINGS WE DO IN PUBLIC HEALTH GIVE YOU THAT IMMEDIATE RESULT, BUT THIS IS ONE OF OUR HIGH IMPACT PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE VERY PROUD OF, AND WE CAN SAY THAT WE SOLVED THAT PROBLEM. RIGHT? A STUDY THAT WAS DONE IN 20 15 20 16 WITH HISD, HOUSTON ISD SHOWED THAT 80% OF STUDENTS WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY FAILED READING OR MATH PASSED AFTER WE CORRECTED THEIR VISION. NOT ONLY THAT, WE LOOK AT THOSE THAT WERE 52% CHRONICALLY ABSENT FROM SCHOOL. THEY BEGIN TO BE AT SCHOOL 90% OF THE TIME. INSTEAD. THE FINAL ONE THAT JUST, JUST REALLY TOUCHES MY HEART IS THAT 53% OF STUDENTS WHO HAD DISCIPLINARY ISSUES PREVIOUSLY HAD NO DISCIPLINARY ISSUES AFTER THAT. NOW, JUST IMAGINE THAT SIMPLY PUTTING GLASSES ON A STUDENT HELP TO ACHIEVE THOSE TYPE OF OUTCOMES. SO WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THIS PROGRAM, AND WE BELIEVE THAT THOUGH IT IS EARLY TYPE OF RESPONSE, LIKE WE BELIEVE THAT THAT COULD BE A DISTRACTION FOR A STUDENT THAT ACTUALLY HAS DISCIPLINARY ISSUES. IT MAY JUST BE THAT THEY NEED TO SEE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THIS IS A, AT A GLANCE, LOOK AT JUST HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT WE'VE HAD SINCE 2013 WHEN WE STARTED THE PROGRAM. OR IS IT 2012? I CAN BARELY SEE THAT. YES. 2012, EXCUSE ME. SO THUS FAR, WE'VE SEEN OVER 92,000 KIDS SINCE 2012. WE USUALLY WERE AVERAGING ABOUT 10 TO 12,000. YOU'LL NOTICE THAT IN 20 20, 20 21, WE HAD A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN SERVICES. AND THAT, OF COURSE, IS BECAUSE OF THE COVID PANDEMIC. WE BELIEVE FULLY THAT IF THAT PANDEMIC HAD NOT HAPPENED, WE WOULD ALREADY HAVE SERVED A HUNDRED THOUSAND YOUTH. AND SO PART OF THE FUNDS REQUESTS THAT WE HAVE LATER IS TO BE ABLE TO REACH OUT TO SOME OF THOSE THAT WE'VE BEEN MISSING. WE BELIEVE THAT THAT WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY HELP. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO, COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS IS A CAMPUS BASE DROPOUT PREVENTION INITIATIVE THAT SEEKS TO INCREASE GRADUATION RATES. ONE OF THE STRATEGIES THAT THEY EMPLOY IS CALLED XYZ. IT PROVIDES LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND PEER SUPPORT TO AT RISK MALES TO HELP THEM BUILD SKILLS TO HELP THEM BE SUCCESSFUL AS ADULTS. WE STARTED THIS INITIATIVE AT SCARBOROUGH HIGH SCHOOL BACK IN 2017. UM, WE UTILIZED THAT EARLY WARNING SYSTEM THAT I DISCUSSED WITH YOU EARLIER TO IDENTIFY WHO MIGHT BENEFIT FROM THE PROGRAM. AND SINCE WE'VE STARTED, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HELP OVER 120 STUDENTS AND WE BELIEVE THAT WE COULD DO MORE IF THE SUPPORT WERE AVAILABLE. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. GREAT. SO NOW WE HAVE THE SOCIAL JUSTICE LEARNING INSTITUTE URBAN SCHOLARS. THIS IS A REALLY UNIQUE PROGRAM IN THAT IT IMPROVES EDUCATION, HEALTH, AND WELLBEING, BUT IT DOES SO BY EMPOWERING THE YOUTH IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE SOCIAL CHANGE THROUGH RESEARCH. LIKE THEY REALLY GET ENGAGED IN THE WORK. THEY GET A LOT OF TRAINING. THEY LEARN HOW TO DO COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION, ALL THE WHILE ALSO IMPROVING THEIR OUTCOMES. SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THIS PROGRAM, WE'VE HAD A HUNDRED PERCENT GRADUATION RATE FROM ALL URBAN SCHOLARS PARTICIPANTS. CHAIRWOMAN, YOU'RE AWARE OF HOW SUCCESSFUL THIS PROGRAM YOU'VE INVESTED IN US IN THE PAST, AND WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THAT. AND WE BELIEVE THAT WE COULD DO EVEN MORE SHOULD RESOURCES BECOME AVAILABLE. SO FAR, WE'VE HAD 90% AVERAGE ATTENDANCE WITH PARTICIPANTS AND MATH, SCIENCE, AND ENGLISH CONSISTENT PASSING RATE FOR PARTICIPANTS THAT ARE ENGAGED IN THIS WORK. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO, NEXT, THIS IS ALSO A VERY, UM, SPECIAL INITIATIVE THAT [00:45:01] IS SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE OF PARTNERSHIP. SO LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE COMMUNITY, A WIN-WIN IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT, HOUSTON POLICE, AND THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF BLACK LAW ENFORCEMENT EXECUTIVES. THIS INITIATIVE IS DESIGNED TO ELIMINATE DEADLY ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN LAW ENFORCEMENT, YOUTH AND CITIZENS IN HOUSTON. ESSENTIALLY, IT'S ABOUT DEESCALATION. IT'S ABOUT EMPOWERING PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO HAVE THOSE EFFECTIVE ENGAGEMENTS SO THAT EVERYONE CAN RETURN HOME SAFE. UH, WE HAVE THUS FAR BEEN ABLE OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS TO ENGAGE 731 PARTICIPANTS, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE DEFINITELY IN INTEND TO CONTINUE TO DO. UM, KIND OF APPROACHING THE ISSUE OF PREVENTING VIOLENCE FROM ALL SIDES. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO THIS IS WHEN WE GET BEYOND VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND WE START TALKING ABOUT SOME OF OUR RESTORATIVE SERVICES. THE MBK REDIRECT DIVERSION PROGRAM ACTUALLY STARTED IN 2016 WHEN WE REALIZED IS THERE WAS JUST A DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER OF BOYS AND YOUNG MEN OF COLOR THAT WERE BEING REFERRED TO HARRIS COUNTY JUVENILE PROBATION AND BEING ADMITTED INTO THE DETENTION FACILITIES. SO WE THOUGHT, WHAT COULD WE DO TO TRY TO, YOU KNOW, DECREASE THIS ISSUE? SO WE STARTED AN INTENSE CASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM THAT INCLUDES MENTORING, REFERRALS, AND EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS. ESSENTIALLY TO HELP THESE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN TO, AT TIMES, TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, AVOID OFFENDING, GET JOBS, JUST GET BACK ON THE RIGHT TRACK VERSUS SAYING, YOU'VE MADE A MISTAKE. THERE'S NOTHING ELSE THAT WE CAN DO FOR YOU. WE REALIZE THAT IT'S NOT ONLY PREVENTION, BUT IT'S ALSO SOME DIVERSION. SO BY PARTICIPATING IN THIS PROGRAM, IT'S AN ALTERNATIVE FOR THEM TO BEING INCARCERATED. AND SO IN THE LAST FISCAL YEAR, WE WERE ABLE TO SERVE 64 YOUTH, AND ONLY 11 OF THOSE WERE REARRESTED. IN ADDITION TO THAT, 60 OF THEM EITHER OBTAINED A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR RECEIVED SOME OTHER TYPE OF TRAINING RELATED TO EDUCATION. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO THIS IS OUR COMMUNITY REENTRY NETWORK PROGRAM, AND IT IS DESIGNED TO TRY TO PREVENT RECIDIVISM FOR THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY OFFENDED, TO HELP THEM REENTER INTO SOCIETY TO BE PRODUCTIVE, UM, ADULTS VERSUS GIVING UP ON THEM. SO IT PROVIDES SUPPORT TO EX-OFFENDERS BY IDENTIFYING PHYSICAL AND BEHAVIORAL NEEDS. SOME OF THE PROGRAM COMPONENTS INCLUDE COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING TO HELP THEM THINK OF A DIFFERENT WAY TO APPROACH LIFE SITUATIONS THAT MAYBE IN THE PAST HAVE CAUSED THEM TO MAKE A, A POOR DECISION PROFESSIONAL AND INTERVIEW ETIQUETTE. IN THE LAST PHYSICAL YEAR, WE WERE ABLE TO PERFORM OUTREACH TO 855 INDIVIDUALS. WE ENROLLED 474, AND OF THOSE 283 GRADUATED FROM THE PROGRAM. SO WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THIS. WE WERE ABLE TO HELP 150 OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS TO HAVE ACCESS TO EDUCATIONAL OR VOCATIONAL TRAINING OR EMPLOYMENT. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO IN THIS SLIDE, YOU'LL NOTICE A FEW UPCOMING PILOT INITIATIVES THAT WE HAVE BACK IN FY 22. UM, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AND CITY COUNCIL ALLOCATED 4 MILLION IN FUNDING TO IMPLEMENT A VARIETY OF EVIDENCE-INFORMED PROGRAMS TO TRY TO PREVENT, DISRUPT, AND STOP THE SPREAD OF VIOLENCE. SO WE HAVE HERE SOMETHING THAT'S MORE OF AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE. THAT'S OUR COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERRUPTION, CREDIBLE MESSENGERS, THAT'S MORE LONG TERM. AND THEN FINALLY, WE HAVE AN EXPANSION ON THE COMMUNITY REENTRY NETWORK PROGRAM THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER. SO LET'S LOOK AT COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERRUPTION. THIS IS INTERRUPTING VIOLENT ACTS AND PREVENTING RETALIATION. THIS COULD BE ENGAGING WITH A FAMILY WHEN THEY'RE AT THE HOSPITAL. SOMEONE HAS BEEN, YOU KNOW, A VICTIM OF VIOLENCE TRYING TO PREVENT THAT RETALIATION TYPE THING. THIS IS OUTREACH EDUCATION, TRYING TO REALLY CHANGE THE SOCIAL NORMS, UM, THAT REALLY PERPETUATE, UM, VIOLENCE AND VICTIMIZATION. THEN YOU HAVE YOUR MORE LONGER TERM CREDIBLE MESSENGERS. THIS IS WHEN YOU'RE PAIRING MENTORS WHO HAVE POSSIBLY BEEN OFFENDERS IN THE PAST, BUT HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL FOR MANY YEARS, SOMETIMES DECADES. AND THEN THEY AGREE TO BE MENTORS TO THOSE WHO MAY BE AT THE EARLY PART OF THEIR JOURNEY TO HELP THEM BE SUCCESSFUL AND AVOID RE-OFFENDING. [00:50:01] SO THIS IS MORE OF YOUR LONG-TERM TYPE, UM, INVESTMENT IN PREVENTING VIOLENCE. AND SO THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE RFP PROCESSES OUT FOR, AND WE'RE WAITING TO BE ABLE TO PILOT THESE INITIATIVES. IF YOU'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE THE DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE CITY THAT THESE INITIATIVES WILL BE PILOTED IN. THESE ARE AREAS THAT HAVE HIGH VIOLENT CRIME, LOW COVID VACCINE RATES, HIGH COVID INFECTION, AND HIGH DEBT. SO WE'RE BEING VERY STRATEGIC ABOUT WHERE WE'RE CHOOSING TO IMPLEMENT THESE PILOT INITIATIVES IN ORDER HOPEFULLY TO HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE HAVE MANY PARTNERS IN THE COMMUNITY DAILY WORKING TO TRY TO STEM VIOLENCE, PREVENT VIOLENCE ALL ACROSS THE CITY AND YOUTH, YOUNG ADULTS CONSISTENTLY, RIGHT? WE HAVE THEM COMING FROM PUBLIC HEALTH PERSPECTIVE, JUSTICE, YOUTH SERVING ORGANIZATIONS, MANY DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS. HOWEVER, NO MATTER WHAT WE DO, THERE'S ALWAYS MORE THAT WE CAN DO. AND WE RECOGNIZE THIS MANY TIMES. THE LIMIT TO THAT IS HAVING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES. SO EARLIER WE TALKED ABOUT THE C TO SUCCEED VISION PROGRAM, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR HIGH IMPACT PROGRAMS THAT CURRENTLY HAS THE CAPACITY TO SEE AROUND SEVEN TO 12,000 YOUTH PER YEAR PUTTING GLASSES ON. THOSE THAT NEED, SHOULD WE BE ABLE TO HAVE ACCESS TO 500,000 ADDITIONAL DOLLARS? WE BELIEVE THAT WE COULD INCREASE THE NUMBER OF YOUTH SERVED EVERY YEAR, 20,000 KIDS FAIL. THE MANDATED VISION SCREENING PROGRAM, THAT'S 20,000 IN THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA. WE'VE ONLY THUS FAR BEEN ABLE TO SEE ABOUT SEVEN TO 12,000 OF THOSE. PART OF THE LIMITATION IS THE RESOURCES TO INCREASE COORDINATION WITH SCHOOLS TO MAKE SURE THOSE THAT ARE SCREENED ARE ACTUALLY REFERRED. SO SHOULD WE HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE ADDITIONAL DOLLARS, WE WOULD STRIVE TO GET CLOSER TO SERVING 20,000 A YEAR INSTEAD OF THE SEVEN TO 12. SO THEN WE HAVE MBK SYSTEMS OF CARE. CURRENTLY WE'RE SERVING THREE SCHOOLS LAST SCHOOL YEAR IT WAS TWO. WE RECENTLY EXPANDED TO MIC LELAND COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL. AND SO THIS PROGRAM IS RUNNING ABOUT 350,000 ANNUALLY. AND OUR CURRENT FUNDING WILL ONLY TAKE US TO NOVEMBER 30TH, 2023. WE'RE ADVOCATING TO HAVE AN ADDITIONAL 350 TO BE ABLE TO ADD ONE MORE YEAR OF SERVICE IN ORDER TO REMAIN AT THE ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY AT, UM, TO PROVIDE THESE SERVICES THAT ARE VERY COMPREHENSIVE AND CAN HELP IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR YOUTH. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND SO HERE WE HAVE THE COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS XYZ PROGRAM THAT WE MENTIONED EARLIER. IT'S ONE OF OUR, OUR MOST COST EFFECTIVE INITIATIVES IN THAT IT'S 90,000 PER YEAR PER SCHOOL, AND IT HAS THE CAPACITY TO SERVE ABOUT 150 YOUTH. WE'RE REQUESTING 270,000 PER YEAR IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO EXPAND TO THREE ADDITIONAL SCHOOLS THAT COULD POSSIBLY HELP US TO SPREAD OUT THROUGHOUT THE CITY. WE'RE CURRENTLY AT SCARBOROUGH HIGH SCHOOL. WE'RE VERY OPEN TO FEEDBACK ON WHERE THOSE LOCATIONS MAY BE. UM, THIS SERVICE ESSENTIALLY PROVIDES BASIC NEEDS, LOW CASE MANAGEMENT AND LIFE SKILLS, SMALL GROUPS. UH, WE BELIEVE THAT, AS I MENTIONED, WE COULD EXPAND TO THREE SCHOOLS AND SERVE UP TO 450 ADDITIONAL KIDS PER YEAR, SHOULD FUNDING BE AWARDED. AND FINALLY, WE HAVE THE SOCIAL JUSTICE LEARNING INSTITUTE URBAN SCHOLARS PROGRAM. THIS INITIATIVE IS 200,000 PER YEAR FOR AN ADDITIONAL THREE CAMPUSES BECAUSE OF HOW IT'S STAFFED, WE'RE NOT ABLE TO BREAK THINGS DOWN PER CAMPUSES. THEY USUALLY ADD THREE CAMPUSES AT A TIME BECAUSE THE STAFF THAT'S NEEDED, THAT'S THEIR CAPACITY. AND SO WE ARE LOOKING TO POSSIBLY EXPAND TO SIX ADDITIONAL CAMPUSES, WHICH WOULD BE 400,000 PER YEAR IN ORDER TO HELP, UH, INDIVIDUALS, NUMBER ONE, GRADUATE LEARN COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION, HAVE ACCESS TO MORE POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, PERSIST THROUGH COLLEGE. MANY GET IN, BUT THEN THERE'S THE ISSUE OF HELPING THEM TO PERSIST TO COMPLETION. AND WE BELIEVE THIS PROGRAM IS AWESOME AT DOING THAT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. OKAY. SO ESSENTIALLY WE BELIEVE THAT VIOLENCE PREVENTION STARTS EARLY. IF WE'RE WAITING UNTIL THEY'RE IN HIGH SCHOOL, FRANKLY, WE'RE GETTING A LATE START. WE BELIEVE THAT IT STARTS EARLY AND IT'S MULTI-PRONGED. AND SO THIS [00:55:01] IS WHY WE ENGAGE WITH MANY PARTNERS TO CONSISTENTLY ENGAGE IN MANY DIFFERENT STRATEGIES TO TRY TO, UH, PREVENT VIOLENCE FROM HAPPENING INITIALLY. ALL THE INITIATIVES THAT I JUST SHARED WITH YOU ARE CURRENTLY FUNDED BY 1115 WAIVER. SPECIAL FUNDS ARE GRANTS SUCH AS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT. UM, WE'RE CURRENTLY, WE DON'T HAVE ANY GENERAL FUND DOLLARS THAT ARE SUPPORTING THE INITIATIVES. AND OUR HOPE IS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO CONTINUOUSLY FIND WAYS TO SUSTAIN THIS WORK, TO CONTINUE THIS WORK BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT IT MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OUR YOUTH. WE, AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND INVITING US HERE, UM, TO HEAR ABOUT THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING. AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. DO WE HAVE ANY, ANY QUESTIONS FOR, FOR OUR PRESENTERS? WELL, I, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY HOW IMPRESSED I AM WITH THE SUCCESS YOU'VE MET, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH WHAT YOU'VE GOT, UM, AND, AND HOW IT'S, UM, THIS IS A, A, A PROVEN WAY TO DO EXACTLY WHAT THE MAYOR SAID WE NEED TO BE TALKING ABOUT. WHAT, WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO REDUCE VIOLENCE? AND, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, BRANDON, WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT, UM, IT, IT'S TIME TO, TO TO SCALE UP AND EXPAND. I, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. YOU KNOW, I, I APPRECIATE THE, UM, THE, THE LEVEL OF DETAIL, YOU KNOW, OF, OF WHAT COSTS COULD BE, YOU KNOW, ON HOW MANY YOUTH WOULD BE SERVED BY, BY DIFFERENT OPTIONS. UM, I WILL TELL YOU THAT THE, UM, THAT, THAT I'M NOT AS FAMILIAR WITH ALL THE PROGRAMS, BUT I, I, I DID PARTICIPATE IN FUNDING, UM, THE URBAN SCHOLARS PROGRAM, UM, SO THAT IT COULD COME TO ONE OF MY HIGH SCHOOLS. AND IT WAS, IT, I MEAN, IT REALLY GIVES ME CHILLS TO, TO THINK ABOUT THIS, BUT, UM, ONE OF THE YOUNG MEN WHO WAS IN THAT PROGRAM WHO WAS ON HIS PATH TO BECOME A CRIMINAL, UM, WAS, WAS SAVED AND WAS THE VALEDICTORIAN OF HIS HIGH SCHOOL THIS LAST YEAR. THAT'S AMAZING. THAT'S AMAZING. I MEAN, IT SAVED HIS LIFE. AND WHO ELSE, YOU KNOW, , YOU KNOW, AND I KNOW THAT OUR, OUR, UM, OUR, OUR JAILS HAVE A LOT OF GT KIDS THAT ARE THERE, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY'RE SMART, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, UM, AND, AND I THINK A LOT OF TIMES IT, IT DOESN'T TAKE THAT MUCH TO, TO HELP SOMEONE. THEY, BUT, YOU KNOW, AS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT JUST BEING CONNECTED, I MEAN, THIS IS, THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT SCHOOLS DO. I MEAN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT COMMUNITY AND BEING BELONGING AND, AND OUR OWN OWNERSHIP OF, AND ROLE IN THEIR, THE SUCCESS OF OUR CHILDREN. WE, WE ALL HAVE A ROLE IN THAT. IT DOESN'T JUST BELONG TO, YOU KNOW, THE, THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS. IT DOESN'T JUST BELONG TO THE FAMILIES OR TO THE RELIGIOUS, YOU KNOW, FAITH-BASED INSTITUTIONS. YOU KNOW, IT, IT BELONGS TO ALL OF US. AND THE CITY HAS A ROLE TOO. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE, YOU KNOW, THE MAYOR'S SUPPORT IN THAT. YOU KNOW, THAT, UM, I WILL TELL YOU AS A, AS A CLASSROOM TEACHER, YOU KNOW, WHO TAUGHT IN A, YOU KNOW, A, A NUMBER OF SCHOOLS THAT WERE EITHER IN EXTREMELY IMPOVERISHED HARD CONDITIONS OR IN AFFLUENT NEIGHBORHOODS, IT'S DIFFERENT. YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU HAVE YOU, YOU GROW UP IN A NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE YOU HAVE THESE SUPPORTS, YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY DON'T HAVE 'EM, THE CHILDREN REALLY SUFFER. SO, UM, I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR THIS AND, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THE MAYOR'S LISTENING SO , SO MAYBE HE, HE'LL HELP US OUT TOO. BUT, YOU KNOW, AS I WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE SOME FUNDING WITH CVSF FUNDING, YOU KNOW, TO, TO MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN, MAYBE THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS TO LEVERAGE WHAT THEY CAN DO TO, TO HELP ALSO. BUT, BUT, UM, BUT I, BUT I HOPE THE CITY IS A, AS A WHOLE ENTITY CAN, CAN, CAN DO MORE TO, TO BUILD ON THE GOOD WORK YOU'RE DOING. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. YES. WE APPRECIATE THE TIME TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, ALRIGHTYY. WELL, WE HAVE NO PUBLIC SPEAKERS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP TODAY FOR THE CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH COMMITTEE MEETING. UM, I WANT TO THANK ALL OF OUR PRESENTERS, UM, AND COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FOR TUNING IN AND FOR PARTICIPATING IN TODAY'S MEETING. TODAY'S PRESENTATION AS WELL AS, UM, THE PREVIOUS ME MEETING IS, IS POSTED ON THE COMMITTEE'S WEBSITE. PLEASE JOIN US, UM, FOR NEXT MONTH'S CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH COMMITTEE MEETING ON DECEMBER 14TH. THIS CONCLUDES TODAY'S SCHEDULE MEETING OF THE CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH COMMITTEE. COMMITTEE MEETING ADJOURNED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.