Any kid, but especially a kid who's made a mistake.

"You can't just throw them away," he said. "If you work with them
give them tough love they can change."

Audio: The interview with Pineda

"I'm a counselor, too almost like an adoptive parent to these kids. They need to feel comfortable enough to open up and talk, no matter what the problem is," Pineda said. "We encourage them to share and be honest that's the main thing here honesty, integrity, accountability."

The community youth-service organization works with young people ages 15 to 23 for beautification and cleanup of the city, including graffiti removal, weed abatement and trash removal from vacant lots.

The organization, which grew out of a gang-violence intervention coalition in 1992, counsels youths and works to involve them in hard work while giving them a positive attitude, along with a sense of responsibility and accountability.

"They have to prove themselves before they can go to the next level which is graduating or getting a job with the county or the city," says Pineda, who pioneered the program in 1992.

"The concerned citizens who got together said they would fund the pilot program for kids to paint seniors' homes so the kids could see what it was like to help people," Pineda aid. "Originally, rival gang members were working together. I had to show them tough love and tell them they had to carry their own weight. They respected me for that. I was working hand-in-hand with them. I prayed a lot."

The program was a success and has grown with support from the
community, the city and county. "Juvenile hall and schools are sending more and more kids our way. We're up to 60 kids and growing."

As someone working on the front line of gang-intervention problems, Pineda offers these insights:

Question: Why was the Los Padrinos gang-intervention program started?

Answer: The Los Padrinos program started in 1992 with an anti-gang coalition, which met at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in San Bernardino. We met once a week right after a 7-year-old child was shot in a drive-by shooting.

Q: What is the goal of Los Padrinos?

A: The goal of Los Padrinos is to continue to work with these kids and help them mature and become responsible, law-abiding citizens. We want to see them succeed, and education is our No. 1 priority. We believe good things will happen like they did with George Cooper who completed independent studies, went back to school and graduated.

Q: Why do you think this program can make a difference?

A: Because we're outreaching to kids that a lot of people have given up on. Between 1992 and '96 we just did gang intervention. Now we've extended to youth services, which means we're working with any kids who need help. We actually have kids who get paychecks twice a month. This is important for their self-worth. I keep an eye on these kids from the youth authority during their 50 hours of community service and then offer them jobs if I think they are working hard and have a good attitude. I believe in second chances. We have more good than bad coming out of this place.

Q: Do you know of any instances in which you are sure Los Padrinos made the difference?

A: Eighteen-year-old George Cooper is an example of that. When we see students graduate to something better, becoming productive members of society we know we make a difference. Also, we see a difference when we're helping seniors who don't have anyone else to help them. They're so appreciative. Sometimes when the kids are helping seniors, they can feel it in their hearts when an elderly lady comes out crying because she is so grateful. They learn to have a good, pure heart. Kids can see everything isn't always about money.

Q: Although everyone needs to get involved, who is No. 1 on the list?

A: We work with the county and the city and other people who help, but maybe private businesses could get more involved. Our trucks and vans are always breaking down (vintage 1981-1997). Maybe a car dealership could help. This weekend is typical for us on Saturday we'll be painting walls for Dr. Nag, then we go to cleanup a local neighborhood, and pass out fliers for the Mayor's Office. On Sunday we go to help at the Triathlon at Cal State (San Bernardino) and then to the Lighthouse for the Blind Car Show at Perris Hill Park, where we help set up and tear down. We just have to be in a lot of different places.

For more information, call Los Padrinos at (909) 885-7066.

Michel Nolan is a Sun columnist. She may be reached at (909)
386-3859 or via e-mail at michel.nolan@sbsun.com

The Rev. Reginald Beamon is a man with answers to tough questions.

And he's willing to tackle the tough ones, he said. "The tough
questions have the easiest answers, but they're the hardest to get to."

For example, what to do about San Bernardino's escalating violence, Beamon said, is a question that is in our faces. It's real and it's now.

Audio: Listen to Beamon

"Getting this city on the right track is my passion. I'm finding a
common theme these days in boys who are in group homes."

It's the father figure - or the lack of it.

"Out of the 45 boys I talked to in two days, only three grew up in a house with their father. Even me - I didn't grow up in a home with my father, either," said Beamon, a religious and community leader and a father of five.

"That's why I keep asking men to step up right away. We have to do
something now."

A community-action group made of residents from the Westside,
Mynisha's Circle members and others have come up with an immediate plan to turn the tide on violence.

From his perspective as a religious and community leader, Beamon offers this insight:

Question: Are you shifting your focus from Mynisha's Circle?

Answer: The Mynisha's Circle broad view is still valid, but the rash of murders on the Westside has caused some leaders - myself included - to take a look at the escalating violence that has occurred there. My belief is that in order for us to see progress, we must sweep our own backyards, first - our own neighborhoods, first. Then, at that point, we can say we've done something as a community. I would like to take that opportunity to do the same thing in other pockets - the valley down below Mill Street, Del Rosa, "Little Africa," off Sterling and Highland - just to name a few. By engaging people on the Westside and taking a contingent of people from Mynisha's Circle and others who haven't as yet anticipated, we're addressing immediate needs.

Q: By focusing on the Boys & Girls Club and bolstering vocational
training, do you feel you are zeroing in on the root of the crime
problem?

A: First, we're making a community call of 100 to 200 volunteers to help refurbish the Boys & Girls Club on Ninth and Mount Vernon ... summer's coming, and they need a nice place and a safe place during the summer.

Second, we'll have a community-outreach pancake breakfast - if you feed them they will come - and we will talk. You can't solve gang problems unless you engage the gangs and hear what they have to say about what keeps them in gangs, even though they know the outcome of staying - death and/or jail. That's usually what the rewards are. Also by engaging them, the community will see where we've failed our young people, i.e. Comprehensive Employment Training Act jobs, local sports and recreation facilities,
mentoring centers ...

Third, we need a community cleanup. For two days, we'll cut grass that's too high, help senior citizens if they have needs. Just make our community more pleasing to the eye. If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you usually do good.

Q: What needs to happen next?

A: Community members, O.G. (original gangs) and some others are
putting together a gang truce. If they can pull it off, they will have a major announcement soon. We are planning an "extreme makeover" of the Boys & Girls Club, beginning at 8 a.m. July 22. We need 100 to 200 volunteers from all over the city.

Q: What do you offer gang members in return for a cease-fire?

A: Jobs. We can offer them a vocational, educational center where they can learn skills like auto mechanics, appliance repair, heavy-equipment operation and job interviews - job-training skills to help any young man who has child-support issues and guardian issues. If a young man has been incarcerated and had his wages garnished while he was in jail, we could have it rescinded with the help of Legal Aid. We're trying to create legitimacy here and give them self-worth.

Q: What do you see happening in the future?

A: I see a lot of homes being built here - and schools. I want to say I see more business and jobs for our young people so they can succeed and take care of their families. The ultimate goal is to have a city where the gang factor is not the major contributor to crime like it is today. Everything we need - resourcewise - is here. God has centrally located San Bernardino in a special place so everything that flows out to the east or the north has to come through here.

Q: Is there hope for San Bernardino?

A: Because I'm the constant optimist, I always see hope. On the
horizon, I do see hope, but for hope to succeed there must be good
choices made by men and women - along with the opportunity the city affords them. That's the key. That's where the hope lies.

For more information or to help, call (909) 910-6053.

Michel Nolan is a Sun columnist. She may be reached at (909) 386-3859 or via e-mail at michel.nolan@sbsun.com.

Michel Nolan, Staff Writer

Tuesday, May 23, was a day of grieving - a day of tears and anger.

On that day, school psychologist LaTasha Cooper held sobbing students in her arms to comfort them as they mourned the death of their Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School classmate.
It "was the worst crisis I've ever had to deal with," said Cooper, who estimates she counseled about 200 students.

"I told one little girl, 'You'll never forget him - in time you'll have better days,' " said Cooper, a district psychologist involved in crisis intervention.

"She was trying to be strong, but I told her she needed to let it out - get the initial sadness and anger out. We needed to see a release. There's still the disbelief. Missing him is still there."

Several kids went home to their parents on Tuesday, she said.

Cooper spends three days a week at the middle school.

Recent days have been spent in grief counseling, but Cooper ormally tests students for learning disabilities.

Cooper said she did outreach counseling in the past and really enjoys her job but "not when these hard things happen to my kids."

"I just love the kids here - they are all sweeties," she said.

Banners scribbled with heartfelt messages to Jarred were stacked beneath a window in her office.

"We provided butcher paper, markers, writing paper and pens to help them express their feelings," said Cooper, a 30-something native of Pomona.

"We'll give the banners to Jarred's family to keep."

On Thursday, more than 600 family members and friends attended Jarred's funeral services.

"Jarred was a very popular boy," Cooper said.

From her perspective on grief counseling, Cooper offers this insight:

Question: What do you say to kids during this kind of tragedy?

Answer: You just hug them. Words won't make it any better. You just give them the opportunity to know somebody cares - then they can talk, or write, or draw, or whatever they need to do.

Q. Do you ever break down when counseling kids?

A. I try to make sure I'm pretty well balanced, but yesterday it was very difficult for me. But it is OK for the kids to see because they see adults are dealing with things, too. Today they are seeing me feeling better.

Q. How do you make sense of senseless killing?

A. You don't. There's no way you can connect the dots. We're just trying to make kids more comfortable.

Q. What was the crisis procedure at your school?

A. The first thing was to call the crisis team - counselors, nurses, psychologists trained in crisis intervention. By the time the crisis team got here, they commended us on what we had already done. We set up a crisis room staffed with adults. We went to Jarred's first classroom and made a presentation, explaining what had happened, but many kids came on campus already upset - they already knew.

The staff was wonderful - everyone was willing to help. Teachers and counselors opened up the room and then took kids to the library where they could draw or write. We had to call in substitute teachers for Jarred's teachers. Then the crisis team went to Jarred's other classes.

The crisis room was open all day, but by after lunch, many kids had their needs met already. Many kids consoled each other. They didn't want to be separated; they wanted to be together. We have assigned a person at the school to talk with Jarred's parents. It's standard with any crisis to have a campus person working with the family.

Q. Do you ever see kids having problems later?

A. I have not personally seen any kids who had problems later. Our kids are very resilient. Dealing with adversity has made me a stronger person. I know these experiences are going to make them very productive adults.

Michel Nolan is a Sun columnist. She may be reached at (909) 386-3859 or via e-mail at michel.nolan@sbsun.com

By Michel Nolan, Staff Writer

Ken Joswiak is a man on a mission. He's been trying to catch up with his work for 25 years.

"The Center for Individual Development opened in October 1980, and I started one month later. I've been trying to catch up ever since," said Joswiak, manager of the center.

But for Joswiak, the effort is a labor of love.

"The center is my life," he said. "The reason I'm in the field is because I like to help people with disabilities."

Audio: Helping the disabled

"Sometimes people with disabilities fly under the radar," he said. "They're not as visible as others in the community."

Caring and providing a voice for those "less visible" is Joswiak's mission at the center.

Recreational programs range from educational after-school programs to year-round aquatic programs such as Twinges in the Hinges in the center's therapeutic pool and spa.

The CID swimming pool just reopened after being closed for eight months for roof repairs, Joswiak said. "The city of San Bernardino was very supportive of the roof project."

CID services are provided to participants by two full-time and six part-time staff members. "We help them succeed and make sure they enjoy the activity," Joswiak said. "We're always looking for volunteers and certainly do encourage the community to help in any way they can."

From the perspective of someone who helps the disabled, Joswiak offered this insight:

Question. What services does the Center for Individual Development provide?

Answer. We provide services to disabled people using recreation and leisure as a way of enhancing their quality of life. We help people with physical fitness and function, emotional and mental well-being and social development. We use recreation as an educational tool in all of our programs.

Q. Whom do you serve?

A. We serve people who are disabled, ages 6 months to 90-plus, their families and friends. The programs at the CID are designed to serve people with physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, mental illness, learning disabilities, visual and hearing impairments and senior citizens. We also try to include people without disabilities, like our family swim in summer or our Waterbabies program. In the water programs, I don't know who has the most fun. There's also the Merry Mixer, an adult program for
people in their 30s through 50s.

Q. Where does funding come from?

A. CID is operated under the auspices of the Authority for the
Handicapped. This is a joint-powers authority made up of the city of San Bernardino, county of San Bernardino and San Bernardino City Unified School District. Participating departments include the city of San Bernardino Parks, Recreation and Community Services, county of San Bernardino, San Bernardino City Unified School District and Anderson School. We're now looking at a lease with San Bernardino County Public Health. We also welcome donations from the public.

Q. What would you include on your wish list?

A. I would always want funding for programs, expand staffing for after-school programs. We could serve more participants and expand our aquatics programs. A year ago, we went through budget cuts.

Q. Does crime affect the center in any way?

A. We are hit by graffiti quite often. About one month ago, graffiti vandals damaged the building more than it's ever been damaged. We want to give credit to Los Padrinos, who came out and fixed the damage. Criminals cost taxpayers money by taking away money that could be spent serving the community. Hopefully, we'll see a big emphasis on crime fighting in the area.

The CID is planning its summer fund-raiser from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. July 13. The 19th annual Grapes and Gourmet will feature wine tasting, gourmet food, live and silent auctions and live music at the County Government Center, 385 N. Arrowhead Ave., San Bernardino. Cost is $20 in advance; $25 at the door. All proceeds benefit CID. Call (909) 384-5426.

Contact Michel Nolan at (909) 386-3859 or via e-mail at
michel.nolan@sbsun.com

Mary Valdemar went to San Bernardino Valley College looking for child care.
She didn't expect to find a new life.

The single mother of a 2-year-old daughter, Valdemar not only found quality child care, she found a new career.

She is now coordinating the college's Parent Education Center, where parenting skills are offered through free workshops conducted by qualified instructors.

"Our No. 1 goal for the center is that children will benefit by having a higher success rate in school and fewer problems in life," said Valdemar, whose daughter, Veronica, is now 13 and in the Gifted and Talented Education program at Colton Middle School. "The family will also benefit and, ultimately, the community."

Audio: Helping adults with their children

Valdemar's mentor, Juliann Martin, heads a team that oversees the Child Development Department at San Bernardino Valley College, which includes the parent-education and children's centers.

The center offers information, workshops and local resources on subjects covering prenatal care through the first five years of life, including early child care, discipline, literacy, child safety, health and nutrition.

The center draws heavily from resources provided by First 5 San Bernardino, the county's multimillion-dollar child-welfare agency funded by tobacco taxes.

First 5 provides materials, including a Kit for New Parents featuring a Parents' Guide with links to telephone and Internet resources, parenting brochures, six educational videos and a children's book.

"The local program, which is about three years old, is part of a school-readiness grant. We never turn parents away," Martin said.

The parent education program serves about 400 parents, Valdemar said. There are seven full-time faculty members, and 20 adjunct, or part-time, teachers.

"You don't have to be a student here. You can call the main college number or get online - just get here. You don't have to preregister, and there's no enrollment period for the free workshops," Valdemar said.

"This program has touched so many lives, I couldn't even count them."

Valdemar and Martin offer these insights on creating family well-being:

Question: Why are the first five years in a child's life so important?

Answer: Martin: A child's brain grows up to 90 percent in the first five years. Babies start absorbing like little sponges. Even all the attachments made during the first few months are so important. Children are establishing emotional well-being, language skills, physical growth - everything is developing. Research shows that what parents and caregivers do during these years to support their child's growth will have a meaningful impact throughout life.

Q: What do the free workshops offered through San Bernardino Valley College Child Development Department hope to accomplish?

A: Valdemar: Parent-education workshops are designed for parents of young children, foster parents, relative caregivers - such as grandparents - and preschool teachers. The workshops cover three basic areas: improving positive discipline skills, supporting family literacy and improving family health and wellness, which covers a wide range of subjects from nutrition to child safety. These workshops are designed to help the entire family, but mostly focus on young children - prenatal to age 5.

Q. Why has the program been so successful?

A: Valdemar: There's a tremendous need in the community for quality adult-parenting education. This community doesn't have other resources like we have here. The program is also successful because it is located on a college campus and is offered free of charge. The campus is easy to get to and even the bus lines stop here.

Q. Why does this program make a difference and what long-range changes do you anticipate in parent-child relationships?

A: Valdemar: We are arming parents with appropriate techniques. For example, if inappropriate discipline has been handed down from generation to generation, parents can learn positive and age-appropriate discipline to break the cycle. We are currently tracking to see if participants are using the techniques they've learned. We're conducting exit surveys and are doing ongoing pre and post surveys. We expect these children will have a higher success rate in school and fewer problems in life.

For more information about San Bernardino Valley College Child Development Department or Parent Education Center, call (909) 384-4457 or visit www.valleycollege.edu/childdevelopment.

Contact writer Michel Nolan at (909) 386-3859 or via e-mail at michel.nolan@sbsun.com

Marc Guillory worries about the violence outside on San Bernardino's mean streets.
But he's even more disturbed about what's happening inside the homes.

"Even if you fear a drive-by, there should be a safe haven at home," said Guillory, who describes himself as a passionate person who wants to see change.

Audio: One Voice a conversation with Marc Guillory.

Guillory, who prosecutes felony domestic-violence cases for the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office, is part of the family-violence unit.

After nearly four years as a deputy district attorney, Guillory said he is approaching 50 trials, with a caseload of 85 to 100.

Guillory estimates that 98 percent of his cases involve violence against women.

The May 20 kidnapping and shooting death of Natasha Howard is a tragic example of a wake-up call. "We need to establish collaborative solutions to stop crimes against women early enough to break the cycle," Guillory said.

"The recent Travon Howard case is domestic violence at its extreme. Law enforcement had a $250,000 warrant out for Mr. Howard's arrest. He shot his estranged wife, and she was trying to get away from him. She was working with our office to relocate. We had a lot of people trying to get hold of him, but he got to her before we got to him," he said.

Our major concern should be the price of gas and cost of air conditioning - not if we are going to survive walking down the street or spending a night at home, Guillory said.

"Domestic violence is pervasive - it's all across the country. Gang violence makes people feel like they're in Iraq, but a violent home is something that children normalize. They get OK with that level. If parents are their primary role models, the behavior is normalized."

Domestic violence is not an isolated incident or series of isolated incidents, Guillory said. "It's a pattern of conduct whose goal is power and control over the victim.

"There are all these problems, but we don't have the nitty-gritty of what's going on - child abuse, domestic violence and gangs - the crimes of our lives," Guillory said. "These are serious dilemmas."

From his perspective on domestic violence, Guillory offers this insight:

Question: Is there any way of knowing, or assessing, how pervasive domestic violence is?

Answer: My caseload is 85 to 100 cases on any given week and the cases are increasing. Like other people, I watch the news and just about every day there is news about an incident of domestic violence - crimes against children or a spouse. I'm sure everybody knows somebody who has been touched by domestic violence. It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, black or white, if you live in Big Bear, San Bernardino or Redlands, it's an epidemic affecting all of our community.

Q: What do you see as the solution?

A: There has to be a community collaborative approach. It's been very successful in prosecuting domestic-violence felonies. We're just now
treating domestic violence like a crime - which it is. I'm here to treat it like it is.

Q: What happened in the Travon Howard case?

A: These are the cases that hurt - that's what we're here to prevent. But when a guy is that determined, we can do everything humanly possible, but it can still happen. We're trying to prevent these kinds of things. We're not supermen or superwomen, but we have a passion - that's what it's all about. Our office will be reviewing this case for a long time. Somebody knew things that led up to the first shooting - that's what can happen if domestic violence is unchecked. Does the community affect a woman who dies like that? Talk about your cycle of violence! What's going to happen to those kids?

Q: Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

A: We're in a period where there is change. We need to galvanize the community - to report violence when it happens, to stop it when we see it. Stopping it is not putting the guy in jail - it's keeping it from happening in the first place. To see the numbers go down, we need to get control of this crime. We'll have a safer community, and the gang problems will lessen. The total community needs to be involved and something needs to happen regarding family values.

Q: Who needs to step up?

A: We all do. The only approach is a community approach. Educators, health-care providers, clergy, private and public business owners, and law enforcement. Parks and recreation needs to be more proactive, giving kids more activities. Even if it's hot, there needs to be more good activities where kids can hang out with their positive role models. The more contact an agency or organization has with people, the more opportunity there is to recognize a family in crisis. Also, churches need to make it clear that violence is not an alternative way to treat a woman if you are angry or frustrated. Simply, violence will not be tolerated. There should be a resolution from the Board of Supervisors that this is a family-violence-free zone. The energy needs to be equal.

Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-SAFE.

Contact writer Michel Nolan at (909) 386-3859 or via e-mail at michel.nolan@sbsun.com.

Someone to take a kid fishing, maybe to the library.

Or just share some conversation.

Cost to adult mentor? Practically nothing. Value to kid? Priceless.

Rodriguez is mentoring-program coordinator for the San Bernardino Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department.

• Audio: Q&A with Gabriel Rodriguez]]> At a youthful 26, he understands both sides of a mentoring
partnership. His education and experience help him see the relationship from an adult perspective. His age gives him insight, albeit recent, into the mind of a kid.

"We want to show kids it's cool to be educated," Rodriguez said.

"Crime rates, school dropouts, teen pregnancy - what's going on in
San Bernardino County? If a kid knows what it takes to be the next CEO of Coca-Cola, he'll be hitting the books - not the streets."

According to Rodriguez, during the six months of the mentoring
program, four things happen: Young people build academic and life
skills, find friendship with a mentor they can look up to, have their eyes opened to what matters in life, and gain self-esteem.

"If they work hard enough, they can do it," he said.

The program, however, is in jeopardy of being discontinued.

Funded through the county's Focus Project Grant, terms include a
minimum of 25 new mentor/mentee matches every six months. As of right
now, there are 25 to 30 children waiting to be matched to volunteer mentors.

"We are desperately seeking mentors," Rodriguez said, holding up a stack of 19 applications from kids who are looking for help.

Or just a friend.

Rodriguez reads an application from a 13-year-old boy: "I'm applying because I need help. I'll have a friend. I want to talk and play and have conversations."

For each child, goals are different.

"Goals can range from improving schoolwork to hobbies - like going
fishing. Some of our kids have never been fishing or camping. It's also about having fun," Rodriguez says.

"We want at least one goal focused on education. We want kids to
know there are positive steps they can take toward achieving their goal. If they're mindful of their actions now, they can start thinking about the future."

A 2004 graduate of Cal Poly Pomona, Rodriguez says he discovered
mentoring as a student. "I relate to these kids. I got involved with
mentoring on campus and really enjoyed it. It's nice to know you're helping someone. It's hard to describe the feeling."

Rodriguez offers this insight from the point of view of a mentor making a difference in a young person's life:

Question: What is the purpose of the mentoring program?

Answer: Our mission is to join together with the community,
organizations, private industry and schools to provide stable and caring mentors for young people so that we might help them build academic and life skills.

Q: How does it work?

A: The program is open on a first-come, first-served basis to all
kids (ages) 12-19 within the boundaries of the San Bernardino City
Unified School District. Parents must complete and sign a permission
form before a child participates in the program. Mentors need to be at
least 18, must be fingerprinted and successfully pass a background
check. They must log all contact hours with the child and must attend a training-orientation session and be licensed drivers with an insured vehicle. After a mentoring match is set up, based on interests they have in common, they meet along with the youth's parents and establish what's expected. On a monthly basis, mentor, mentee and parents have an update meeting and discuss the progress of the youth involved.

Q: How long do mentors and youth participate?

A: The program asks for a six-month commitment for both the mentor
and mentee. They must meet for one hour each week, more if possible.
During the six months, the mentor sets short-term goals for the mentee. (On a monthly basis, they meet with the parents for updates.)

Q: Is it true the program may be discontinued?

A: We can only help the number of children by matching them with the same number of mentors. We tell them about the program, and they get excited. Then we have to tell them they'll need to wait and hope they're not disappointed because we couldn't find enough people to help. The Mentor Program is run through Parks and Rec - and ultimately - if we're not providing the numbers, funding could go to another agency. Then the kids lose.

Q: Wouldn't you say the program benefits mentors as much as youths?

A: Definitely. The feeling you get when you know you're helping
someone - especially if they listen to you and take your advice - is an awesome feeling. Mentors also learn. They get a different perspective on life. These kids come from different backgrounds - some from harsh environments. But deep down, everyone wants to succeed. When there's a negative environment, it's harder to see through all that and know there are better things out there.

Q: Is there any criteria to gauge success of the program?

A: My job is to find more funding, grants, local businesses to help. If the community would become more involved, in the long run we'll all win. Just in the parks, for example, when you see family events in the parks, that discourages the criminal element. We should all take advantage of community centers and community events. These are things that will improve our community.

For information about San Bernardino's mentoring program, call (909) 885-1847.
Contact Michel Nolan at (909) 386-3859 or via e-mail at michel.nolan@sbsun.com.

Mynisha's Circle members encourage the community to attend its meeting at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 13, when the strategic plan in its draft form will be discussed.

The meeting will be held at Church of God of Phorphecy, 3030 Del Rosa Ave., at Lynnwood, in San Bernardino.

Click on "reports, resources" at right to read the entire draft plan.

Improve overall quality of life

Members of Mynisha's Circle expect to see greater community involvement in civic organizations, participation in youth-based programs, a reduction in code-enforcement calls for service and an overall greater sense of safety.

Strategies include:

Read more at www.sbsun.com/troubledtown

2) Enhance interaction between different generations

3) Hold community days to inspire pride and responsibility and support the Parent Involvement Center at the school district.

4) Create a pedestrian-friendly downtown and support neighborhood associations and blight-abatement efforts.

5) Improve the communication and collaboration of all the faith-based organizations in the city

6) Create a youth-friendly community by dedicating a position in Mayor Pat Morris' Cabinet to support youth programming, and strengthen partnership between the school district, Parks and Recreation Department, and community and faith organizations. Engage young people by holding an annual youth-based celebration in the city.

7) Improve relations between various groups by strengthening and maintaining the 1993 Human Relations Commission Ordinance and providing cultural-competence training through youth programs in the city. Utilize the Human Relations Commission to promote dialogue between community groups hosted by the YWCA.

Reduce juvenile abuse and offenses

In an attempt to protect the most innocent members of the community,
the third objective of the draft strategic plan aims to stabilize
families and strengthen family relationships that have been weakened by
violence, substance abuse or criminal activity.

Read more at www.sbsun.com/troubledtown

1) Expanding city and county partnerships in Community Oriented
Policing to include Juvenile Probation and a Children's Services
liaison.

2) Developing a protocol with the city and county regarding the
placement of children whose parents have been arrested.

3) Enhancing probation services for the city's public high schools
and for children who are not under parental control, and implementing
the county's gang-prevention and weapons-reduction programs in city
schools. The plan also includes the development of a Truancy Court to
discourage juvenile delinquency and an ongoing
substance-abuse-prevention campaign aimed at youths.

4) Involving the community, including faith-based organizations, to
provide services to children at risk of abuse and neglect. The plan
advocates the creation of Community Wellness Impact Teams to target
needy areas of the city. Groups that would provide the short-term
intensive services would include code enforcement, the San Bernardino
Police Department, the San Bernardino City Unified School District's
Police and Student Services, the county's Children's Services, Public
Health and Behavioral Health departments, the Housing Authority,
landlords and residents.

Create a healthy business environment

Members of Mynisha's Circle want to encourage existing businesses and
attract new ones. The success of the effort will be measured by tracking
revenue from business licenses and business openings and closings. The
draft plan recommends additional collaboration between the city of San
Bernardino and the county.

The strategy includes:

Read more at www.sbsun.com/troubledtown

2) Encouraging greater coordination between the city and county
economic-development agencies for joint-planning purposes including the redevelopment of the city's downtown.

3) Increasing employment opportunities by consolidating the city and county's Workforce Development departments.

4) Expanding city partnerships to include the Alliance for Education, San Bernardino Valley College and trade industries to provide training for city residents.

5) Strengthening existing small businesses by creating "Incubator
Zones" and developing a private investment fund to attract technology
companies such as software, science and electronics.

• Read and read the draft plan in .pdf format

• More coverage of the work of Mynisha's Circle.

The plan has six major goals:

• 2. Reduce the number of people living in poverty.

• 3. Reduce child abuse and neglect, substance abuse and juvenile arrests.

• 4. Create a healthy business environment

• 5. Improve the quality of life

• 6. Sustain Mynisha's Circle

Reduce Poverty

The four-pronged attack on poverty recommended by Mynisha's Circle relies on a combination of city and county programs to reduce the number of welfare-dependent homeless people and families, increase the number of livable-wage jobs and increase youth-employment opportunities. Members of the circle recommended these four strategies to help people achieve self-sufficiency.

Read more at www.sbsun.com/troubledtown

2) Increase coordination among San Bernardino County's Transitional Assistance Department and the city and county Workforce Development departments. An increase in mentoring and vocational-training programs and a partnership with the county Alliance for Education are intended to help youth prepare themselves for employment.

3) Strengthen family-support networks by expanding the city's child-care and preschool resources, as well as programs in the county's Community Action Partnership, such as the "Circle of Support," in which families mentor other families.

4) Support the city's attempts to offer a living-wage standard in the city contracts.