* 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. UM, AS BOTH AN [00:00:01] IN-PERSON AND A VIRTUAL MEETING ON [Childhood and Youth Committee on February 8, 2023.] MICROSOFT TEAMS, AND AS THE CHAIR AND PRESIDING OFFICER OF THE COMMITTEE, I AM PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN THE CHAMBER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 5 5 1 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 IN PERSON OR VIRTUALLY VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS. TODAY, WE WILL HEAR A PRESENTATION ABOUT YOUTH RE OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVES THAT ARE HAPPENING AT BARC. AND THERE WILL ALSO BE A PRESENTATION ABOUT, UM, SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT'S ART COMPETITION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HISD TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT RECYCLING. I'M COUNCIL MEMBER CARLOS CISNEROS, CHAIR OF THE CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH COMMITTEE, AND I AM JOINED TODAY BY, UM, UH, MY COLLEAGUE AND CHAMBERS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN, UM, AT LARGE DISTRICT, OR NOT DISTRICT, IT'S HARD NOT TO SAY DISTRICT AS A DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER AT LARGE FIVE. UM, AND I, AND OUR, OUR, UM, OUR, UH, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF COUNCIL MEMBERS ONLINE, UM, I SEE IN FRONT OF IT IN THE SCREEN IS A COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, UH, CAROLYN EVANS SHABA, WHO'S ALSO THE, UM, THE VICE CHAIR OF THIS COMMITTEE. AND WE HAVE, UM, A COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, AMY PECK FROM DISTRICT A ONLINE. AND THEN WE HAVE A NUMBER OF STAFF MEMBERS THAT I'M, I'M PLEASED TO WELCOME WE, UM, STAFF FROM ON ONLINE AS, UH OH AND ALSO IN CHAMBERS FROM, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, UH, TARSHA JACKSON. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. AND THEN ONLINE WE HAVE STAFF FROM VICE MAYOR, PORT TIM CASTEX, TATUM, DISTRICT K, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN, DISTRICT C AND COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON AT LARGE TOO. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. UM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SHAVA, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY A WORD TO WELCOME EVERYBODY? WELL, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH MADAM CHAIR. UH, ALWAYS GOOD TO BE HERE AND, AND WORKING TOWARDS OUR YOUTH IN THE, IN THE CITY. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE AGENDA TODAY AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD AND JUST WAS SO HAPPY TO BE A PART OF THE, UH, HIGHER HOUSTON YOUTH, UM, WAS, I THINK THAT WAS LAST WEEK. THE TIME HAS PASSED SO FAST. BUT AT ANY RATE, UH, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO HELP OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO BECOME GOOD, PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS. AND SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO FOR THE CHILDREN AND THE YOUTH AND THE, AND THE CONSTITUENTS OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THANK, THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. SO BEFORE WE BEGIN TODAY'S PRESENTATIONS, THERE ARE A FEW HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS, UM, FOR THIS HYBRID MEETING. SO, COUNCIL MEMBERS, IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR COMMENT, PLEASE INDICATE THAT IN THE CHAT WINDOW, UM, COPIES OF TODAY'S AGENDA AND PRESENTATION ARE POSTED ON THE CITY OF HOUSTON WEBPAGE FOR CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEES. AND WE HAVE NO SPEAKERS WHO SIGNED UP FOR, UM, BY NOON TODAY TO SPEAK AT, UH, AT THIS MEETING AS THE DEADLINE TO SIGN UP WAS NOON. AND SO WE WILL NOT HEAR FROM ADDITIONAL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. LET'S BEGIN BY REVIEWING THE FOUR GOALS OF THIS COMMITTEE. AND I SAY THIS EVERY TIME 'CAUSE I REALLY WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THE, THE 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 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, AND 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 THEIR IMPORTANT INFORMATION WITH CITY COUNCIL. SO LET'S BEGIN. OUR FIRST TOPIC, UM, IS, UM, BARK YOUTH OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT WILL BE PRESENTED BY COREY STO MEYER AND THE DEPUTY SHELTER DIRECTOR OF BARK. AND NIKKI COOPER SOTO, DEPUTY SHELTER DIRECTOR OF BARK. SO WELCOME MR. UM, STO MEYER. AND, AND, UH, MS. COOPER SOTO, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. THERE WE GO. OH, UH, WE HAD A PRESENTATION TODAY. YOU WANTED TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE HISTORY BEHIND OUR START OF YOU. GO TO THE [00:05:01] NEXT SLIDE. SORRY TO INTERRUPT. CHAIR. IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO HEAR EVEN, EVEN RIGHT HERE. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU NEED TO GO CLOSER TO THE MIC OR WE'VE ALSO JUST BEEN NOTIFIED THAT ONLINE THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO HEAR EITHER. CAN YOU HEAR ME? OH, YES. SEE YOU PUT BOTH THOSE UP. YEAH. OKAY. OKAY. I CAN HEAR MYSELF TOO. YOU KNOW WHAT? DO YOU WANNA START AGAIN? SURE. . OKAY. WE'RE STILL AT THE BEGINNING. THANK YOU. OKAY. AND I, I'LL GO THROUGH IT AND, AND HTV SAYS THEY WERE WORKING ON THE, THE AUDIO ON THEIR END TOO. OKAY. I WAS WONDERING. I COULD SEE THE LOOKS. ALL RIGHT, . SO, UH, GOING BACK TO THE START, YOU KNOW, THIS IS OUR OVERVIEW OF KIND OF A HISTORY OF OUR APPROACH TO, OR AT LEAST OUR RECENT APPROACH TO COMMUNITY EDUCATION, PARTICULARLY FOR OUR YOUNGER RESIDENTS HERE IN HOUSTON. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. FIRST, WE WANTED TO GIVE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF OUR CURRENT STATE OF OPERATIONS. UH, WE'VE BEEN OPEN FOR ADOPTERS SINCE MAY, 2021. UH, WE DON'T REQUIRE SCHEDULES FOR, UH, OR APPOINTMENTS FOR PEOPLE TO COME IN AND LOOK AT THE ANIMALS. UH, WE ARE OPEN FOR ADOPTIONS FROM NOON TO 5:00 PM TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. UH, WE ARE ALSO PARTICIPATING IN OFFSITE ADOPTION EVENTS. SO WE'VE BEEN INCREASING THOSE AS, UH, WE HAVE THE STAFFING, UH, AVAILABLE TO ATTEND THOSE EVENTS. UH, TYPICALLY WE LIMIT THOSE TO SATURDAYS IN THE COMMUNITY. UH, WE DO, HOWEVER, REQUIRE APPOINTMENTS FOR THE PUBLIC TO SURRENDER OWNED ANIMALS. UH, THIS IS TO HELP US MANAGE SPACE IN THE SHELTER. AND IT'S TIED TO OUR STAFFING SHORTAGES. UH, AS MOST, UH, SHELTERS IN THIS COUNTRY, WE ARE EXPERIENCING A SHORTAGE IN FRONTLINE SHELTER STAFF, PARTICULARLY THE ONES WHO HANDLE ANIMALS WITHIN OUR SHELTER AREAS. OUR STRAIGHT ANIMAL PERCENTAGE AT THE SHELTER IS INCREASING IN TERMS OF WHAT OUR ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ARE BRINGING INTO THE SHELTER. TYPICALLY, THESE ANIMALS TEND TO BE, UH, LESS SOCIALIZED. UH, THEY'RE NOT OWNED ANIMALS. THEY'RE STRAYS THAT ARE PICKED UP. MOST OF 'EM HAVE NEVER BEEN IN CAPTIVITY. SO WHEN YOU HAVE AN INCREASE IN THAT, AND BASED ON THE STAFFING LEVELS THAT CAN IMPACT, UH, SOME THINGS LIKE OUR LIVE OUTCOME, UH, VOLUNTEER SHORTAGE, WE ARE INCREASING SO STEADILY, WE'VE BEEN INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF VOLUNTEERS WE'VE BEEN HAVING AT THE SHELTER. WE WERE ABLE TO ONBOARD A FULL-TIME VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR TOWARDS THE END OF LAST YEAR. SO SOME OF THE PROGRAMS WE'LL TOUCH UPON HERE ARE TIED TO THAT RECENT UPTICK IN CHANGE. BUT WHEN 2020, UH, CAME AROUND, WE DID COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN THE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM. WE DIDN'T ALLOW ANYBODY EXTERNAL TO COME ON PROPERTY WHO WAS A VOLUNTEER. AND SO WE'VE BEEN SLOWLY BUILDING THOSE PROGRAMS BACK UP THOUGH, AFTER THAT 2020 MAJOR KIND OF INITIAL IMPACT. SO, DESPITE ALL THESE KIND OF CHANGES AND THE LOW, UH, STAFFING NUMBERS, WE STILL HAVE OUR LOW COST WELLNESS CENTER OPERATING FULLY. WE OFFER FREE EVENTS. LIKE RECENTLY THIS WEEK WE HAD MICROCHIP EVENTS. UH, WE'VE BEEN DOING SOME KIND OF AGGRESSIVE CAMPAIGNING AROUND THAT CHANGE, WORKING WITH OUR MEDIA PARTNERS TO GET THAT SOCIALIZED. WE WORK WITH THE HUMANE SOCIETY OFFER FREE PET PANTRIES. A LOT OF OUR EDUCATION OUTREACH INITIATIVES ARE SLOWLY STARTING TO PICK BACK UP AS WE'VE ADDED SOME KEY STAFF MEMBERS. BUT ALSO, AS, YOU KNOW, POST PANDEMIC START, LIKE NOW THAT WE'RE IN 2023, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE TURNING TO NORMAL. SO IF GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I ADD ALL THAT KIND OF CONTEXT BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT, UH, WHAT THE HISTORY OF OUR [00:10:01] COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PROGRAM WAS FOCUSED ON. UH, BARC IS COMPRISED OF THREE MAIN AREAS. OUR SHELTER OPERATIONS AND VETERINARY SERVICES AREA. OUR OUTREACH CUSTOMER SERVICE AND PET REGISTRATION AREA, AND OUR ANIMAL ENFORCEMENT TEAM, UH, PRE PANDEMIC BARK HAD A FULL-TIME STAFF MEMBER WHO WORKED IN OUR OUTREACH SECTION, WHO WAS ABLE TO DEDICATE SOME TIME TO DO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION AS PART OF HER RESPONSIBILITIES. UH, THE GOAL WE CURRENTLY HAVE IS TO KIND OF RETURN TO THAT LEVEL OF STAFFING AND WORK WITH OUR EXISTING TEAM MEMBERS TO KIND OF DIVIDE UP AMONG THOSE THREE MAJOR SERVICE AREAS AND PICK BACK UP OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FOCUS. SO, PRE PANDEMIC, OUR YOUTH EDUCATION PROGRAMS TARGETED GREATER AWARENESS OF HOUSTON STRAY POPULATION, AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPORTANCE OF A ROBUST SPAY NEUTER PROGRAM, AND LESSENING THE NUMBER OF HOMELESS ANIMALS. AND WE HAD, UH, PRESENTATIONS FOCUSED AROUND THE TOPIC OF PET RESPONSIBILITY. THE IDEA WAS TO TARGET YOUTH TO BUILD A FUTURE, UH, YOU KNOW, RESPONSIBLE PET OWNING GENERATION TO TARGET THEM YOUNG, REALLY TEACH THEM ABOUT THE FULL PACKAGE THAT GOES INTO BEING A PET OWNER. IT'S NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, A CASUAL THING WHEN YOU OWN A PET. THEY COME WITH A, A SET OF RESPONSIBILITIES AND TO TRY TO EDUCATE THEM YOUNG SO AS THEY GROW AND THEY CAN IMPART THAT KNOWLEDGE AS WELL ON YOUNG END GENERATIONS. AND HOPEFULLY GROW UP WITH, YOU KNOW, UH, FOCUS ON SPAYING AND NEUTER, FOCUS ON MAKING SURE THEIR PETS SEEK, UH, PROPER WELLNESS SERVICES. SO WE HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE STRAY POPULATION THAT WAY. SO POST PANDEMIC, UH, WE HAVE BEGUN OUR ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES AS STAFFING ALLOWS. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT HAS HAD AN UPTICK. UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, OUR GOAL IS TO GET BACK TO WHERE WE WERE IMPLEMENTING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS FROM THE PAST. I MENTIONED THAT PET RESPONSIBILITY PROGRAM, IT FOCUSED ON PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERSHIP AND IT DECREASE IN PET ABANDONMENT THROUGH YOUTH EDUCATION. A BIG INITIATIVE WITH A LOT OF OUR EDUCATION EFFORTS IS PROVIDING KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES TO THE PUBLIC TO HELP THEM KEEP THEIR PETS AT HOME. THAT WAY THEY NEVER END UP ON THE STREET, OR THEY NEVER END UP HAVING TO BE TURNED INTO US AT THE SHELTER. UH, THESE ARE INTERACTIVE PRESENTATIONS FOCUSED KIND OF ON THE THIRD OR FIFTH GRADE LEVEL. AND RECENTLY WE'VE HAD SOME OF THOSE, UH, SAME TYPE OF PRESENTATIONS, THANKFULLY. UH, BUT AGAIN, WE EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF NEUTERING, SPAYING, AND GETTING YOUR PETS MICROCHIPPED. THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, AGAIN, PRE PANDEMIC, OUR PRESENTATIONS INCLUDED, UH, SOME INTERACTIVE TYPE MATERIALS. WE WORKED WITH AN ILLUSTRATOR WHO PROVIDED US WITH, UH, COLORING BOOK THAT WE COULD USE IN OUR PRESENTATION THAT WENT ALL THROUGHOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DIFFERENT TOPICS THAT WERE BROUGHT UP IN THE PRESENTATION ABOUT SOME OF THE STUFF I'M TALKING ABOUT, SPAYING, NEUTERING, MICROCHIPPING, PROVIDING YOUR PETS WITH ROUTINE VACCINATIONS AND OTHER WELLNESS FOCUSED IMAGES. UH, WE CURRENTLY DON'T HAVE THE RIGHTS TO USE THE ILLUSTRATION ANYMORE, SO WE KIND OF PUT THAT ON THE BACK BURNER, BUT IT'S SOMETHING WE WORKED WITH PARTNERS TO TRY TO SEE IF WE COULD DO IT IN SIMILAR CAPACITIES. UH, ONE THING WE'RE WORKING WITH AN EXTERNAL MARKETING FIRM RIGHT NOW IS ON THE NEW, UH, ENFORCEMENT PERIOD THAT'S BEGUN FOR MICROCHIPPING. UH, WE HAVE A DIGITAL CAMPAIGN GOING AND WE WORKED WITH, UH, ADVERTISING FIRM WHO HAS CREATED A KIND OF SING SONGY, MORE YOUNGER LIKE FOCUSED, UH, ANIMATED COMMERCIAL TO PROMOTE MICROCHIPPING AND IS FOCUSED ON A YOUNGER AUDIENCE. SO WE'RE STILL GETTING BACK TO THAT SLOWLY. UH, ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS AND PRESENTATIONS THAT WE'D LIKE TO ADD OR BRING BACK WANNA BE A VET PROGRAM THAT WOULD BE FOCUSED ON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO HAVE EITHER INTEREST IN VETERINARY MEDICINE, BEING AN ANIMAL CARE TECHNICIAN. UH, WE ARE EXPERIENCING A NATIONWIDE VET SHORTAGE. SO DEFINITELY UTILIZING OUR SHELTER MEDICAL TEAMS TO GO OUT AND TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO BE INTERESTED IN SHELTER MEDICINE SPECIFICALLY. UH, UH, YEAH, VE TECHNICIAN AS WELL, THOSE CAREER FIELDS. UH, WE'VE BEEN RECENTLY TALKING TO THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARIES. OUR FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR NOW WORKS THERE. AND WE'VE BEEN PARTNERING WITH THEM TO COME UP WITH A PLAN FOR POTENTIALLY LAUNCHING A READING TO PETS INITIATIVE AT THE SHELTER, SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUNGER, UH, PARTICIPANTS AND YOUNGER VOLUNTEERS. UH, BUT WE WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH SOME OF OUR EXTERNAL PARTNERS AND SEE WHERE WE CAN PARTNER ON CAREER DAYS, EVEN DO SOME PARENT FOCUS TRAINING. OUR ANIMAL ENFORCEMENT TEAM TYPICALLY TAKES THAT CHARGE WHEN IT COMES TO TALKING TO COMMUNITY GROUPS, TALKING TO THEM ABOUT WHAT THEY DO, OBVIOUSLY ON THE ENFORCEMENT SIDE, BUT ALSO DOING SOME EDUCATION AS WELL. AND THEN, UH, OPENING THE SHELTER UP TO FIELD TRIPS SO WE COULD SHOW THEM KIND OF WHAT, YOU KNOW, BEHIND THE SCENES THINGS LOOK LIKE AT THE SHELTER. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. [00:15:03] SO, WHILE WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE A FULL-TIME COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STAFF MEMBER, UH, WE ARE LOOKING TO UTILIZE SOME OF OUR EXISTING STAFF IN THAT CAPACITY. UH, AFTER PAUSING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE'VE BEEN SLOWLY RELAUNCHING THESE EFFORTS. UH, BUT RIGHT NOW WE'RE KIND OF LIMITED TO DOING IT BY REQUEST. WE'RE NOT BEING SO MUCH PROACTIVE. WE'RE KIND OF, UH, PUTTING FEELERS OUT THERE TO SEE WHAT, BASED ON OUR STAFFING LEVELS WE CAN MANAGE MOVING FORWARD. UH, BUT WE DID HIRE A FULL-TIME VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR. KEN MENTIONED OUR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM IS SLOWLY STARTING TO PICK BACK UP. SO WE RECENTLY HOSTED A FIELD TRIP AT THE SHELTER. WE'RE GONNA BE GOING BACK IN FEBRUARY THIS MONTH TO TALK TO THAT CAMPUS. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT WAYS TO SLOWLY WORK WITH THE EXISTING STAFF AND SEE WHAT WE COULD EXPAND IN THE COMING YEAR. AND I MENTIONED SHELTER AND MEDICAL STAFF HAVE ACTIVELY BEGUN PRESENTATIONS AS WELL. UH, YOUTH INTERESTED IN FUTURE IN SHELTER MEDICINE, WE REALLY WANNA TRY TO REACH OUT TO THEM. UH, AS WE MENTIONED WITH THE NATIONWIDE VET SHORTAGE, THAT'S A KEY COMPONENT OF THIS COMMUNITY OUTREACH. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO I MENTIONED THE FULL-TIME VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR. UH, THOSE, UH, STUDENTS WHO CAME IN WERE SIMILAR TO THIS AGE GROUP WE TARGETED IN THE PAST. THEY WERE THIRD AND FOURTH GRADE. WE THINK THEY WERE MATURE ENOUGH AROUND THAT THIRD TO FIFTH GRADE AREA TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE MORE COMPLEX ITEMS THAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO WELLNESS. UM, AND THEN MOVING FORWARD, WE'RE HOPING TO EXPAND OUR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM TO INCLUDE EDUCATION OUTREACH INITIATIVES, AND MAYBE EVEN EXPANDING TO DOOR-TO-DOOR OUTREACH AND TARGETED COMMUNITIES. UH, WE DO CURRENTLY ALLOW YOUTH VOLUNTEERS, BUT THEY HAVE TO BE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 13 TO 17, AND THEY NEED A PARENT, UH, SIGNATURE AND APPROVAL AND, UH, ATTEND WITH THEM TO VOLUNTEER. UH, BUT HOPEFULLY WE'VE ALREADY RESTARTED AND RELAUNCHED GROUP ACTIVITIES. WE HAVE TWO THIS WEEK, ONE HAPPENING FRIDAY, ONE HAPPENING ON SATURDAY. THAT'S SOMETHING THEY'VE BEEN ON PAUSE UNTIL OUR NEW VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR CAME ON. SO THOSE ONLY RECENTLY BEGAN, UH, LAST SEPTEMBER. AND NOW THAT WE'RE ALSO PUTTING THE FEELERS OUT, WE'RE WE'RE EXCITED THAT Y'ALL INVITED US HERE TODAY SO WE COULD TALK ABOUT THAT. SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THOSE REQUESTS IN AND FIND WAYS MOVING FORWARD. YEAH, REALLY EXPAND, UH, OUR OUTREACH INTO THE COMMUNITY. IT'S SOMETHING WE HAD A BIG FOCUS ON IN THE PAST. WE KNOW 2020 HAPPENED AND IMPACTED A LOT OF OUR OPERATIONS, BUT IT'S STILL A MAJOR GOAL. WE HAVE A LOT OF EDUCATION OUTREACH IN THE SHELTER. OVERALL. WE'VE DONE A BIG PUSH, LIKE I MENTIONED EARLIER, ABOUT THE MICROCHIPPING, UH, WITH THE ENFORCEMENT PERIOD BEGINNING IN FEBRUARY FOR THE MANDATORY MICROCHIPPING CHANGE. UH, WE'VE WORKED ON, YOU KNOW, GENERAL EDUCATION WITH, UH, RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERSHIP. 'CAUSE THEIR ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO KEEP PETS UNITED AT HOME SO THEY NEVER HAVE TO COME TO THE SHELTER. AND THAT'S REALLY A BIG FOCUS OF OUR YOUTH INITIATIVES AS WELL. AND NEXT SLIDE. I THINK THAT'S IT. SO, AWESOME. THANK YOU. UM, BEFORE WE, WE GO ON, I, I WANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT, THAT, UM, WE HAD, UH, A FEW PEOPLE JOIN US AND I WANNA, UM, UH, ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ANNE HUFFMAN OF DISTRICT G IS ONLINE. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON HAD STAFF HERE NOW HE'S HERE HIMSELF TOO, ONLINE. UM, WELCOME. AND THEN, UM, STAFF FROM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER LETITIA PLUMMER IS FROM AT LARGE, FOUR IS ALSO ONLINE. UM, SO I, I HAD A COUPLE THINGS I WANTED TO SAY. I DON'T SEE, DO WE HAVE QUESTIONS THAT, OKAY. WHY DON'T YOU GO AHEAD. OH, SURE. THANK YOU. I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU NIKKI AND COREY, THAT A GREAT PRESENTATION AND GLAD TO KNOW THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE KINDA GETTING BACK IN THE COMMUNITY EDUCATION GAME. 'CAUSE THAT, AS THE CHAIR ALWAYS POINTS OUT, THE BEST PEOPLE TO EDUCATE ARE THE KIDS. 'CAUSE THEY'RE THE ONES THAT COME HOME AND TELL THEIR PARENTS. I LOVE THE FIELD TRIP IDEA. ARE YOU DOING THAT NOW? LIKE THE BRIER GROVE KIDS, DID THEY COME TO THE TO TO BARK? HAVE YOU ALWAYS DONE FIELD TRIPS TO, TO DOWN THERE? IS THAT A THING? I LOVE THAT. TO THE EXTENT THAT IT, YEAH, I THINK IT'S A RELATIVELY NEW INITIATIVE, THANKFULLY, BECAUSE WE HAVE THAT VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR RIGHT BEFORE WE HAD HIM. IT WAS KIND OF HARD IN OUR OUTREACH AREA AT LEAST, AND ACROSS THE BOARD, UM, TO HAVE SOMEBODY JUST BE ABLE TO SCHEDULE AND COORDINATE THAT, THAT THAT'S A GREAT IDEA. AND THEN ALSO JUST IF SOME KIND OF MATERIALS OR SOMETHING THAT THE TEACHERS IN THEIR CLASSROOM COULD HAVE ABOUT BARC, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU DO ANY KIND OF DISTRIBUTION TO HISD, SO THEY CAN HAVE KIND OF BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF TAKING CARE OF A PET AND WHAT ALL THAT ENTAILS. AND, AND YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THE SCHOOLS ARE GREAT PLACE TO DO THAT, BUT I LOVE THE FIELD TRIP IDEA AND YEAH, TO THE EXTENT YOU KNOW, THAT, I KNOW Y'ALL ARE SWAMPED OVER THERE AND WE'RE GONNA TRY TO GET MORE MONEY THIS YEAR IN THE BARK BUDGET, THAT'S FOR SURE. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, TO THE EXTENT YOU CAN GET TO THE KIDS, THAT'S SUCH A KEY COMPONENT [00:20:01] OF, OF, OF THE STRAY POPULATION SITUATIONS. WE TALKED ABOUT REACHING OUT TO HDV TO PUT TOGETHER MAYBE A VIDEO, AN EDUCATIONAL VIDEO, SOMETHING THAT IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THE BANDWIDTH TO GO TO THE CAMPUS, MAYBE IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD UPLOAD TO YOUTUBE AND HAVE THEM PRESENT. YEAH. TEACHERS AND PROVIDE THEM WITH MATERIAL. THE TEACHERS DO IT. I MEAN, BUT DOESN'T MEAN THE BARK HAS TO BE THERE JUST SO THAT THEY COULD HAVE SOMETHING PRESENTED BY BARK, YOU KNOW, TO TO BE PART OF THEIR REG, THEIR CURRICULUM. MM-HMM . DEFINITELY. BUT THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING. THANK YOU. WELL, BUILDING ON THAT, I, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT IT'S, IT'S COMMON I THINK FOR PEOPLE TO SAY, WE'LL JUST GIVE IT TO THE SCHOOLS. BUT, UM, WE DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER THE SCHOOLS. YOU KNOW, IT'S, WE'RE THE CITY, THEY'RE THE SCHOOLS. SO I THINK THAT, UM, WHAT WE DO HAVE CONTROL OVER ARE, ARE THE, OUR PARKS PROGRAMS. SO THAT IS REALLY GOOD ENTRYWAY, YOU KNOW, TO, YOU KNOW, PROVIDING INFORMATION AND, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE ACTIVITY BOOKS THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IN PROGRAMS THAT IF THERE IS A VIDEO, PARKS BEEN WONDERFUL FOR ME TO WORK WITH, AND I THINK THEY WOULD, THEY WOULD WELCOME, YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF INFORMATION TO SHARE WITH THEIR PARK CAMPERS. UM, AND THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS, YOU KNOW, AND, AND REALLY MAYBE EVEN SPECIFICALLY TARGETING, UM, UH, NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE PROBLEMS WITH, WITH, YOU KNOW, OVERPOPULATION OF PETS. IT'S NOT THE SAME ALL OVER THE CITY. IT'S IN CONCENTRATED AREAS. SO I THINK THAT YOU COULD BE VERY STRATEGIC ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHO, WHERE YOU'RE FOCUSING ON, MAYBE, YOU KNOW, TO MEET WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT AND GET THEIR INPUT ON THAT TOO, BUT, UM, COULD BE A GREAT PARTNERSHIP. I WANTED JUST KIND OF ECHO TOO, WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN WAS SAYING, YOU KNOW, ABOUT, UM, REALLY, UH, EDUCATING CHILDREN ON THESE ISSUES. YOU KNOW, THAT THE, UM, THE, THE BENEFIT OF, OF PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN TO LEARN ABOUT BEING RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERS IS, IS A GREAT WAY TO REACH INTO THEIR FAMILIES. UM, SOMETIMES ADULTS THINK THEY, THEY KNOW ALL THEY NEED TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, AND A CHILD COMES HOME AND SAYS, NO, MAMA, THIS IS WHAT IT IS. YOU KNOW, AND, AND THEY LISTEN. AND SO IT'S, THAT'S A, THAT'S A GREAT ENTRY POINT. SO I'M GLAD THAT YOU'RE REACHING, YOU KNOW, UM, YOUNGER CHILDREN, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE THIRD TO FIFTH GRADE. I'M GLAD THAT YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, GIVING, UM, YOUTH OPPOR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES, YOU KNOW, THROUGH BARK. AND I, AND I'M WAS REALLY PLEASED TO SEE BARK SEND A, A DELEGATION TO, UM, THE TEXAS A AND M UH, VETERINARY SCHOOL, UH, UH, STUDENT JOB FAIR IN OCTOBER. THAT, THAT WAS MET VERY WELL. I WAS THERE TOO. AND, AND THERE WERE SO MUCH INTEREST IN, YOU KNOW, IN SHELTER MEDICINE. AND WE HAD SOME OF THOSE STUDENTS COME LAST SATURDAY TO DENVER HARBOR TO WITNESS THE NV SHELTER PROJECT. THEY WERE SO ENGAGED AND HAD SO MANY QUESTIONS. UM, BUT IT CAME BECAUSE BARK WAS THERE, YOU KNOW, UM, INVITING, YOU KNOW, UH, UM, THEIR, THEIR QUESTIONS, INVITING THEIR, YOU KNOW, POSSIBILITIES TO, TO COME TO, YOU KNOW, TO VOLUNTEER PARK. HAVE ANY, DO YOU HAVE ANY FINAL COMMENTS OR, I WOULD SAY WE ALSO, I DIDN'T MENTION IN THE PRESENTATION, BUT, UH, WE'RE WANTING TO FOCUS EFFORTS IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH AS WELL. SO WE HAVE SPANISH SPEAKING STAFF MEMBERS AVAILABLE TO GO OUT AND DO PRESENTATIONS IN THOSE LANGUAGES. BUT WE ALSO RECENTLY RECEIVED A GRANT, UH, BETTER CITIES FOR PETS. IT'S FUNDED BY MARS PET CARE. UH, WE WERE ONE OF FIVE RECIPIENTS TO GET ONE OF THOSE GRANTS TO FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON, UH, HELPING US TRANSLATE A LOT OF OUR MATERIALS AROUND THE HEALTHY PETS HEALTHY STREETS PROGRAM, WHICH IS OUR FREE AND NO COST SPAY, NEUTER SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE. WE PARTNER WITH HUMANE, UH, TO OFFER THOSE KIND OF SERVICES THROUGH HEALTHY PETS, HEALTHY STREETS, AND ALSO TO ACTUALLY CREATE LIKE PRINT MATERIALS AND MATERIALS. WE WORK WITH, UH, ORGANIZATIONS LIKE INTERFAITH MINISTRIES RECENTLY, WE'RE ALSO IN TALKS WITH, UH, OFFICE OF COMPLETE COMMUNITIES TO CONNECT MATERIALS WITH, UH, TRUSTED SOURCES, COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND SOME OF THE TARGETED, UH, COMMUNITIES. WE FOCUS ON AREAS WITH, UH, HIGH BITE CASE NUMBERS, STUFF LIKE THAT. SO WE CAN ACTUALLY FIND OUT WHICH COMMUNITIES MIGHT NEED THEM, WHAT LANGUAGES THEY NEED THEM IN, UH, WHAT KIND OF SPECIFIC MATERIALS WOULD WORK BEST. SO WE CAN USE SOME OF THAT GRANT MONEY TO DEVELOP IT, UH, WHICH IS SOMETHING WE TALKED ABOUT, ESPECIALLY AFTER COMING TO THE PRESENTATION. LIKE, WE MAKE SURE THOSE MATERIALS INCLUDE THE FOCUS FOR YOUNGER AUDIENCES AS WELL. SO THAT'S DEFINITELY GONNA HOPEFULLY BE PART OF THAT. THAT'S IT. HEY, WELL, WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU COMING TODAY AND SHARING THESE UPDATES AND, UH, OPPORTUNITIES. REALLY. UM, VERY GLAD YOU WERE, YOU WERE HERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU TO MR. COREY STRE AND MS. NIKKI COOPER SOTO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO THIS, UM, LEADS US TO OUR NEXT ITEM. AND I'M, UH, VERY PLEASED TO, TO WELCOME, [00:25:01] UH, DIRECTOR MARK WILLOCK, UM, THE DIRECTOR OF THE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT, WHO WILL BE, UM, SPEAKING ABOUT THE I RECYCLE FOR HOUSTON PROGRAM, UH, A VERY CREATIVE TREK ARTWORK COMPETITION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HISD DIRECTOR. WOULD YOU INTRODUCE, UM, YOUR STAFF THAT YOU BROUGHT WITH YOU TOO, PLEASE? ABSOLUTELY. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. I'M, UH, MARK WOFO, DIRECTOR OF SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT. OVER TO MY RIGHT, UH, YOUR LEFT, I HAVE VERONICA LAMA, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION WITH ME AS WELL. WELCOME. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE, AND I'M, I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT THIS IS ACTUALLY GETTING SOME ATTENTION. SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE NEED RIGHT NOW. SO, UH, UPON MY ARRIVAL OF HOUSTON AND, UH, JUST NOTICING, UH, THE, THE CULTURE AND THE LIFE, THE RICH OR, OR THE, UH, THE, UH, THE, THE RICH HISTORY OF ARTS AND, AND WHATNOT, I THOUGHT I SAW A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO HELP PROMOTE THE PROGRAM BY EXTENDING, UH, AN OP AN ART CONTEST TO THE HISD, WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THEM AND, UH, WORKING WITH OUR DEPARTMENT AND FIGURED IT COULD BE A WIN-WIN FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON AS A WHOLE. GIVES US A CHANCE TO REACH OUT TO THE YOUTH, EDUCATE THEM ABOUT, UH, OUR PROGRAM RECYCLING, WASTE REDUCTION, WASTE ALTERNATIVE MEASURES, AS WELL AS HELP US PROMOTE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE UPCOMING OBJECTIVES THAT WE HAVE IN OUR DEPARTMENT. SO WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, AND I'LL JUST GIVE Y ALL A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE CONTEST. SO AGAIN, BASICALLY IT'S GONNA BE A TRUCK ART CONTEST, AND THIS IS OUR, I UNDERSTAND THIS IS OUR FIRST TIME DOING THIS HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO, UH, WE'RE HAVING FUN WITH IT. WE'RE KIND OF HAVING FUN BUILDING THE PLANE AS WE FLY, OR LEARNING HOW TO FLY THE PLANE AS WE'RE IN THE AIR. BUT, UH, NONETHELESS, WE'VE GOT A TREMENDOUS RESPONSE, UH, WITH HI FROM HISD WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THEM AS WELL. SO WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. ALRIGHT, SO THE THEME, AS YOU MENTIONED BEFORE, I RECYCLE FOR HOUSTON. BASICALLY, WE'RE OFFERING THIS TO ALL GRADE SCHOOL LEVEL, UH, KIDS FROM, UH, K THROUGH FIVE. THAT WOULD BE ONE CATEGORY, GRADE SIX THROUGH EIGHT, OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL FOLKS, THAT WOULD BE A SEPARATE. AND THEN NINE THROUGH 12 WOULD BE A ANOTHER CATEGORY. UM, AND WE'RE ASKING ALL OF THE CONTESTANTS IF THEY HAVE ARTWORK TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE IT SUBMITTED, UH, BY FEBRUARY 28TH. THE, IT'S OPEN RIGHT NOW. SO WE, UM, WE ARE ASKING EVERYBODY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY COMPLY WITH THE DEADLINE FEBRUARY 28TH. AND THEN ONCE WE RECEIVE ALL THE SUBMISSIONS, THEN WE WILL BEGIN EVALUATING AND, UH, KIND OF RANKING THE, THE SUBMISSIONS THAT WE RECEIVED IN OUR OFFICE. WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. ALRIGHT, SO, AGAIN, I MENTIONED EARLIER IT'S OPEN TO ALL, ALL GRADE SCHOOLS AND, UH, I JUST SPECIFICALLY WANT TO TARGET THE HISD SINCE THAT'S A MAJORITY OF OUR SERVICE AREA THAT WE'RE IN. AND THE BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT THIS CONTEST IS THE WINNING ARTWORK AT EACH OF THE CATEGORIES, UH, THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE WILL BE FEATURED ON OUR SOLID WASTE TRUCKS. YOU KNOW, SO THEREFORE, UH, YOU'RE NOT ONLY WINNING THE CONTEST, BUT YOUR ART IS ON DISPLAY FOR A FULL YEAR THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO WE ARE DEFINITELY LOOKING FORWARD TO HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THAT CREATIVE YOUNG TALENT THAT WE HAVE. AND, UH, AS THEY GO ON TO BECOME, YOU KNOW, WORLD RENOWNED ARTISTS AND, AND THEIR PROFESSIONS, WE CAN SAY THEY STARTED RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO, ALL RIGHT, SO ONLY ONE ENTRY PER STUDENT. UM, AND OUR, OUR STAFF IS LOOKING FORWARD TO RECEIVING ALL OF THE SUBMISSIONS. SO, NEXT SLIDE. ALRIGHT, SO WE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE WINNING ARTWORK. AND I THINK THE BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT THIS CONTEST AND THE RATE THAT WE'RE ON RIGHT NOW IS ALL OF THIS IS GONNA CULMINATE AND, UH, THE, UH, THE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND THE WINNERS WILL BE RECOGNIZED, THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S EARTH DAY. UH, AND WE'RE, WE'RE HOPING THAT WE CAN HAVE YOUR SUPPORT COME OUT, TAKE A PICTURE WITH THE WINNING ARTWORK. WE DEFINITELY WANT TO GET ON MAYOR TURNER'S CALENDAR SO THAT, UH, THEY CAN GET A CHANCE TO MEET SOME OF THESE UPPING SOME OF THE YOUNG TALENT THAT'S OUT THERE. BUT, UH, THE WHOLE GOAL IS TO HAVE THIS WHOLE CON CONTEST, UH, CULMINATE ON EARTH DAY AND, UH, HAVE SOME OF THE ARTISTS EXPLAIN THEIR PIECES, YOU KNOW, AND SOME OF THE ARTWORK THAT THEY SUBMITTED AND, AND WHY THEY FEEL PASSIONATE ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, RECYCLING OR, OR SOURCE OR WASTE REDUCTION MANAGEMENT. SO, NEXT SLIDE. ALRIGHT. AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE CONTEST IS ONGOING NOW AS WE SPEAK. SO IF YOU HAVE GREAT SCHOOL KIDS OUT THERE, UH, PLEASE ENCOURAGE THEM TO SUBMIT THEIR, THEIR BEST ARTWORK, SEE IF THEY CAN BEAT SOME OF MY ARTWORK. YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT I'M HOPING TO SEE IF THEY CAN GET MORE CREATIVE THAN ME AND MY STICK FIGURES THAT I DRAW . SO . WELL, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO HAPPY TO FIELD ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL MAY HAVE. OKAY, WELL, WE HAVE A QUESTION. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON, WHO IS ONLINE, YOU CAN SEE HIM ON THE SCREEN, UM, UH, HAS A QUESTION. ALRIGHT. [00:30:01] HEY, DIRECTOR, LOOK, SOUNDS, SOUNDS GREAT. UH, APPRECIATE YOUR PROGRAM HERE. I'M HEARING A BIT OF AN ECHO, BUT I'M GONNA GO FOR IT. UM, SO I HAVE SEEN TRUCK BEFORE THAT LOOKS LIKE THEY HAVE A WRAP. YES. UM, WHEREAS THIS CONTEST SEEMS LIKE IT'S MORE OF A MURAL Y YEAH. AND IT DEPENDS ON THE ARTWORK THAT WE, WE RECEIVE. UH, THIS IS WHERE, UH, DEPUTY LAMA COMES INTO PLAY BECAUSE THEY'LL BE WORKING WITH THE, UH, DESIGN ARTISTS OR, UH, WHO WHO ARE YOU GONNA WORK WITH ON THAT? SO THEY, THEY ARE A CITY APPROVED VENDOR. UM, BUT YES, WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING FOR A TRUCK WRAP. I THINK THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE CALLING IT. THANK YOU, MICROSOFT. YEAH. UM, THEY CAN'T HEAR IT, BUT THEY CAN'T HEAR IT. , SORRY. IT IS A TRUCK WRAP. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON. AND, UH, WE, WE DO HAVE A CITY VENDOR, UM, THAT'S DONE THIS FOR US. IN THE PAST, I KNOW MAYBE SOME OF YOU HAVE SEEN HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE WOULD, UM, BRING IN A PROFESSIONAL ARTIST. AND, AND SO WE DO HAVE A FEW TRUCKS OUT THERE THAT ALREADY HAVE THESE WRAPS. SO VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'VE ALREADY DONE IN THE PAST, WHICH IS THEY DO CALL 'EM, UH, THE TRUCK WRAPS. SO I, I'D GET MORE SPECIFIC DETAILS IF YOU NEED THEM. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT, YOU KNOW, THE DIAGRAM THAT WE WERE JUST LOOKING AT IN THE PRESENTATION HAD A RECTANGLE, UM, AREA WITHIN WHICH THE ART WOULD BE WHAT WE SEE DRIVING AROUND ON THE STREETS OF HOUSTON. IT'S MORE IMMERSIVE FOR THE WHOLE VEHICLE WITH THE WRAP. AND, UH, THAT TO ME THAT SOUNDS LIKE WOULD BE A DIFFERENT ARTISTIC TALENT. EXACTLY. YEAH. THIS, THIS IS, UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE, I'VE, SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, I'VE HAD A CHANCE TO, TO VISIT SOME OF THE ART GALLERIES AROUND TOWN. AND I HAVE, UH, I, I'VE HAD A GREAT TIME. WE WENT THERE A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AND LOOKING AT SOME OF THOSE PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS. SO WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THAT UP AND COMING TALENT THAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO IT'LL DEFINITELY BE FEATURED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE VEHICLE, UM, BECAUSE IT'S GONNA BE, BECAUSE THAT PARTICULAR WORK IS GONNA BE REPRODUCED. I'M NOT CERTAIN THAT YOU MAY SEE THAT SAME DESIGN ON THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE, BUT IT'LL DEFINITELY BE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE, OF THE VEHICLE. OKAY, GREAT. WELL, I'M EAGER TO HEAR MORE AND DIRECTOR WILFORK, I THINK WE'RE GONNA, YOU AND I, WE'RE GONNA WORK ON THE STICK FIGURE. THERE YOU GO. , UM, DIRECTOR, GET YOUR PENCIL READY. THANKS, DIRECTOR. UM, I, I HAD A COUPLE QUESTIONS. MM-HMM . UM, I, YOU WERE TELLING ME ABOUT A NEW COALITION THAT'S FORMED RECENTLY, UM, THAT YOU'VE BEEN MEETING WITH REGULARLY ABOUT RECYCLING PLASTICS, ESPECIALLY THE HARDEST TO, UH, RECYCLE PLASTICS. CORRECT. AND, AND, UM, I'D LIKE TO, IF YOU COULD JUST SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT. AND THEN ALSO DATA YOU WERE TELLING ME ABOUT THE, UM, THE, THE, THE LOW NUMBER OF SCHOOLS THAT WERE ACTUALLY RECYCLING YES. AND THAT, SO THAT THIS IS, THIS, THIS LARGER EFFORT, THIS ART IS REALLY TO, TO BRING AWARENESS TO THE SCHOOLS THEMSELVES OF, OF WHAT THEY CAN DO. ABSOLUTELY. SO COULD YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THOSE TWO THINGS? SURE. AND, AND THIS IS, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A GREAT PARTNERSHIP AT THE DEPARTMENT WITH HISD AND, UM, AND THE, THE NAME OF THE PARTICULAR DEPARTMENT THAT WE WORK WITH IN HISD ESCAPES ME RIGHT NOW. UM, BUT THEY, THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING COLLECTIVELY WITH, UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON AS WELL AS THE HRC, WHICH IS THE HOUSTON RECYCLING COALITION, WHICH IS BASICALLY MADE UP OF, UH, REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON, SOME PRIVATE COMPANIES OUT THERE, SOME OF THE OIL COMPANIES, UH, CHEMICAL COMPANIES THAT HAVE A, A KEEN INTEREST IN, UM, DIVERSIFYING OUR RECYCLING PROGRAM. AND BY THAT I MEAN, TRYING TO CAPTURE THOSE HARD TO RECYCLE PLASTICS THAT TRADITIONALLY HAVE NOT BEEN A PART OF OUR COLLECTION PROGRAM. THEY'RE COMING UP WITH INNOVATIVE WAYS TO REPURPOSE THAT MATERIAL AND, AND BASICALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, PUT THEIR, THEIR CHEMICAL ENGINEERING HAT ON AND, AND BE ABLE TO BREAK A PLASTIC BAG OR PLASTIC FILM BACK DOWN TO ITS ORIGINAL VIRGIN STATE AND BE ABLE TO CREATE A WHOLE NEW PRODUCT FROM IT. SO, UH, WE SAW THIS ALSO AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH H-H-I-S-D TO NOT ONLY, UH, LAUNCH A PROGRAM, YOU KNOW, TRY TO GET MORE OF THEIR SCHOOLS ONLINE, BUT ALSO TO HELP TRAIN THEIR STAFF AS WELL AS WHAT TO RECYCLE, HOW TO RECYCLE AND, AND HOW THEY CAN MOVE FROM MAYBE FIVE OR 10 SCHOOLS THAT THEY HAVE NOW TO PROBABLY 105 SCHOOLS, WHICH IS WHERE WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM AT IN THE FUTURE. YES. UM, THAT'S WONDERFUL. UM, COULD, COULD YOU ALSO, MAYBE BEFORE WE END UP, I THINK THIS MAY BE, I MAY BE THE LAST QUESTION MM-HMM . BUT, UM, HOW YOU SEE COUNCIL MEMBERS BEING ABLE TO HELP YOU KNOW, YOU IN THIS, UM, BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE IT, THE, THE ENTRIES HAVE TO COME THROUGH SCHOOLS, THROUGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. THAT'S CORRECT. THAT'S CORRECT. BUT, BUT HOW CAN, HOW CAN COUNCIL MEMBERS HELP YOU? WELL, I, I THINK THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, DEFINITELY BY, BY BROADCASTING IT ON AS MANY OF YOUR [00:35:01] PLATFORMS AS YOU CAN. AND KEEP IN MIND THIS, THIS YEAR SINCE THIS IS, THIS IS OUR INAUGURAL YEAR, UH, THIS IS SOMEWHAT OF A SHORT TIME WINDOW, BUT WE, WE DEF THE WHOLE GOAL WAS WE WANTED THIS TO WRAP UP BY EARTH DAY, AND THAT'S WHERE WE REALLY WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THE TALENT AT. UH, BUT IF WE CAN, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT I WOULD SAY IS WHAT JUST KIND OF BROADCAST ON YOUR PLATFORMS. HELP US PROMOTE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, YOU KNOW, ANY GRADE SCHOOL KIDS THAT YOU KNOW FAMILIES WITH, WITH CHILDREN, LET'S, LET'S TAP THE MINDS AND, AND SEE WHAT KIND OF TALENT THEY HAVE UP THERE. I HAVE A FIRST GRADE GRANDSON WHO'S ALREADY, UM, SHOWN ME HIS, SOME OF HIS IDEAS . OKAY. SO GREAT. I THINK, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF, A LOT OF LITTLE KIDS THAT, THAT LOVE GARBAGE TRUCKS, AWESOME. YOU KNOW, AND ARE EXCITED ABOUT THIS. UM, AND JUST ONE, I DO HAVE ONE MORE THING. MM-HMM . I JUST WANTED TO CONGRATULATE YOU. I WAS, I WAS REALLY JUST, UM, THRILLED TO HEAR ABOUT, UM, HOW, HOW AGGRESSIVELY, UM, YOUR DEPARTMENT'S SEEKING GRANT FUNDING YES. TO FUND ADDITIONAL, UH, UM, UH, OUTREACH PROGRAMS YES. YOU KNOW, AND TARGETING CHILDREN AND, AND OTHERS. BUT, BUT, UM, THANK YOU FOR THAT. YES. YEAH, WE'RE, WE'RE HAVING FUN. I BELIEVE THE DEADLINE IS COMING UP SOON AND, UH, WE, WE MADE SURE THAT, UH, THANKS TO A ANOTHER MEMBER OF THIS, UH, PANEL THAT WE HAD COMPOSTING IN THERE AS WELL. . I WAS TRYING. NO, NO. WE'RE, WE'RE THERE. WE HEAR YOU. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH, DIRECTOR. I, THIS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE WHAT THE STUDENTS WILL CREATE AND, YOU KNOW, UM, AND, UH, AND, AND ARE REALLY VERY APPRECIATIVE OF BOTH OF YOU BEING HERE TODAY AND SHARING THIS INFORMATION WITH US. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE LOOK FORWARD TO, TO BRINGING SOME WINNERS BACK. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. SO THERE ARE NO PUBLIC SPEAKERS WHO SIGNED UP FOR TODAY'S MEETING OF THE CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH COMMITTEE. SO I, YOU KNOW, JUST ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU TO ALL OUR PRESENTERS, TO COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FOR TUNING IN TODAY AND PARTICIPATING IN IN OUR MEETING TODAY. SO TODAY'S PRESENTATIONS AS WELL AS, UM, UH, THE LAST MEETING IS POSTED ON THE COMMITTEE'S WEBSITE. PLEASE JOIN US NEXT MONTH FOR THE CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH COMMITTEE MEETING SCHEDULED ON MARCH 8TH. THIS CONCLUDES TODAY'S SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH 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.