Local youth are documenting community issues that impact them and their environment via photos, short videos and documentaries and then posting it on the Youth Voices Story Map site, which was launched in April. The online map features 85 links that are connected to many stories illustrating issues varying from neighborhood cleanliness, safety, education, to employment . Nine counties in the capital region area are displayed in the map. These areas are: Yuba, Nevada, El Dorado, Placer, Amador, Sacramento, Yolo, Solano and Sutter. Six issues are showcased in the map: neighborhood assets, local challenges, health and safety, social justice, education and role models. The map is navigated

Wooden boxes of chard, kale and collard greens on Charles Mason’s front yard in Oak Park are likely to be installed at dozens of spots in Sacramento next year and into 2012. Mason, the founder of environmental nonprofit group Ubuntu Green, is organizing a project to place up to 60 small gardens in an area that includes the neighborhoods of Oak Park, Tahoe Park, Lemon Hill and Fruitridge Manor. The home gardens project, funded by the California Endowment, is one of three programs Ubuntu Green will focus on in 2011. Ubuntu Green will work next year on a land-use environmental project with eight neighborhoods as well as host an annual event in September on environmentally friendly living.

What if community residents wanted to gain access to fresh fruits and vegetables in their fast-food-filled district? What if a community group wanted to obtain more social services in a high-need area? Making those arguments is especially daunting if opposing special interests have more money and better information. One organization – Healthy City – is leveling the playing field so all Californians can now turn their passion into action. Healthy City unites community voices with rigorous research and innovative technologies to solve the root causes of social inequity. They provide detailed information for service referrals, easy-to-use data, and technical assistance to help communities fu