Description

Club Stride, Inc. provides high-quality experiential civic education to increase the scale, impact, and equity of civic engagement in Solano County. Our overarching goal is to close civic participation gaps that contribute to unhealthy communities. Our approach to civic renewal is youth-centered, participatory, and focuses on highlighting connections between media literacy and civic education.

Mission Statement

Club Stride, Inc., expands opportunities for equitable access to high-quality civic education (which is typically only reserved for those in affluent neighborhoods), by providing authentic quality civic learning experiences to vulnerable communities.

We are committed to diminishing civic participation and empowerment gaps; to help build the social capital (networks, norms, and social trust) necessary to facilitate the collaboration between community members needed to cultivate healthier communities.

Club Stride is increasing the scale, impact, and equity of civic engagement by closing civic participation gaps that contribute to unhealthy communities.

Programs

PROGRAM 1 (V.A.T.U. - Vallejo Alliance Toward Unity):
The V.A.T.U. program empowers underrepresented youth by actively engaging them in the democratic process, where they can develop the skills and confidence necessary to take an active role in shaping the life of their own communities. The program is a life skills-based civic leadership education program to help students further develop (not only knowledge about leadership and civics but the social life skills they need) to inform and carry out civic leadership behaviors in the future. The program expands civic engagement, fosters digital inclusion through civic media, and magnifies the voice of communities otherwise isolated from participating in the democratic process. The program is a collaboration between Club Stride, Inc., Solano County Public Health and BARHII (Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative).

Students participate in two direct impact, project-based campaigns: 1) Peer Impact Project (Knowledge of School Government), and 2) Social Justice Project (Knowledge of City Government)

Each project iteration enlists a cohort of 50 youth representatives from all Vallejo city high schools who learn to identify community problems, craft and implement solutions and assess responses as a community alliance.

PROGRAM 2 (The Be RELEVANT Civic Education Conference):
The V.A.T.U. program culminates in an awards ceremony and Civic Education Forum that brings together 550 high school students. It includes a youth moderated civic forum and presentations from leaders at various levels of government. At the conference, V.A.T.U. participants are positioned as civic actors who moderate and facilitate the stage at the event.

Accomplishments

Solano County Public Health Community Power Building Partner:
The goal of the partnership is to increase the capacity of the public health department and Club Stride, Inc. to work together to advance health equity in Solano County.

Student Support & Civic Action Steering Committee:
Club Stride has developed an active steering committee made up of community leaders, city council representatives, school board representatives, VCUSD school staff and administration, public health representatives, community organizers, parents and youth leaders to ensure installation of civic education hubs/student support centers on all city of Vallejo high school campus to begin to address broad and deepening civic empowerment gaps that challenge the stability, legitimacy, and quality of local and national democratic processes. Primary Goal of Civic Education Hubs: To facilitate engagement and collaboration between high school residents and city government, and encourage greater involvement and connection for students to both school and community.

Funding Goals

Program #1 (V.A.T.U. Program) - $10,070

Program #2 (Be RELEVANT Civic Education Conference) - $16,000