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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Representatives of agencies from one end of Lake County to the other assembled late last month to draft a mission statement for a coalition to serve local youth.
Their meeting at The Harbor on Main on Lower Lake's Main Street is envisioned as the first link in the formation of a youth organization that will serve as both the advisory committee to Harbor on Main as well as an advocacy and planning youth coalition with active youth participation.
The Harbor on Main, an affiliate of Redwood Children's Services Inc., only recently celebrated its first year in operation. But it has made exceptional progress in that time under Redwood Children’s Services' Program Coordinator Jolene Chappel's direction.
The youth-led and designed resource center lists Lake County Behavioral Health, Lake County Office of Education, Department of Rehabilitation, Carlé Continuation High School and Yuba College as partners.
“The formation of this youth coalition will afford us the opportunity for systems expansion within the county,” Chappel said in a written welcoming statement to the representatives in attendance. “You are being invited because of your expertise as a youth provider and/or youth advocate.”
The meeting was perhaps the first on a countywide basis to bring a majority of youth providers and advocates together in one conference room to unite in a common cause
In addition to Chappel, those present included Ida D. Morrison and Aimee Jackson, both members of the Executive Council of the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake; Brian Martin, assistant chief of Lake County Probation; Valerie Mick of the Lake County Department of Social Services; Carolyn Holladay of Lake County Public Health; Jamey Gill of Mendo Lake Credit Union; Linda Aldridge of Lake County Behavioral Health; and Nura Brown, who represented the youth.
“I'm excited. I knew this needed to happen to address more individuals from different agencies locally and coming up with a plan,” said Mick.
The formation of a coalition, said Chappel, will help the center expand its services for youth throughout the county. The center served 200 predominantly south county youth in its first year.
“It's good for youth on the Southshore, but youth on the Northshore can't get here as easily,” Chappel said. “We don't have answers for transportation. So there's currently a lack of knowledge of what's going on and what services are available or where we're lacking. The goal is to oversee the activities that we do in the The Harbor and recommend changes or increase services.
“Right now we only serve a small portion of the youth, but we appeal to all the youth in the community and we're all here together to make that happen,” she added. “What I want to see is an increase of youth served through any youth-serving program, and I also want to see the self-sufficiency and the resiliency of the youth throughout the community increased.”
The purpose of the coalition, Chappel said, is to determine “how we can collaborate to expand programs for youth in the community.”
The agencies involved in the formation of the coalition are scheduled to meet again on Friday, Aug. 23, at The Harbor on Main to finalize their mission statement.
They agreed that the document they adopt must cover “recovery, prevention and self-sufficiency for youth.”
Email John Lindblom at
