Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) announced that the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps (SRCC) has been awarded a Department of Labor competitive grant of $542,502 to support their YouthBuild program. This is in addition to the $1 million in federal funding SRCC received in June 2009 for their YouthBuild program; a three year grant that ends in 2012. “YouthBuild helps young people in Sacramento gain both the academic and work skills they need to succeed,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “By providing valuable job training skills and a modest stipend, the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps is literally helping our youth build a better life, brick by brick, project by proj

God may not play dice, but young adults in Sacramento do. An increasingly common site at parties, concerts and anywhere else lively friends gather is a small group leaning in at the circle they have created, usually accompanied by whoops and laughter, as someone is always winning in dice. all-about-dice.com cites dice as the oldest known gaming instrument on earth, having existed with the Native Americans and also imported to the United States with almost every other ethnicity. Playing or gambling with dice as the only object in the game is growing in popularity, almost always with several crumpled $1 bills piled alongside. As a social 23-year-old college student, I see my fair share o

Theater has always been a form of art native to children. Watching them play and create their own games and stories has been a staple of the family tradition, and more than a few parents have taken the opportunity to canonize these moments on YouTube. Cynthia Speakman, a local actor and teacher with the Sacramento Metro Arts Commission, has been in the game for over a decade, working with children to improve their performing skills and ability to be outgoing and expressive. "I think it's very natural for kids to act because they have an enormous need to communicate to others," says Speakman. "Even the kids who aren't extraverted want to be more confident, and for parents it's a remedy of