Project Title: The (real) Talk: How to Start the Right Conversations with Your Kids & Keep Having
Them

One in four girls and one in six boys will be a victim of sexual violence before they graduate high school. Once they leave home, risks of sexual violence increase even more: college women are at three times greater risk for sexual violence and women not in college experience a four times greater risk for sexual violence. Violence against LGBTQ+ youth is at even higher rates and in one study, 81% of transgender youth reported experiencing sexual violence. And with more relationships beginning virtually and through apps, youth are left trying to navigate even greater risks from online predators.

Victims are harmed in the places where they should be safe – at school, in their neighborhoods and in their homes. Dating and sexual violence is preventable, and parents are well positioned to be their children’s best and most consistent teachers. When it comes to the subject of healthy relationships, parents are often ill-equipped. Barriers include their own history of domestic and sexual violence, limited experience identifying healthy vs unhealthy relationships, discomfort with discussing sensitive topics and a lack of information about prevention strategies.

With Impact100’s support, WEAVE will create a toolkit of robust resources designed for parents/caregivers and young people. This toolkit will include content designed to stimulate an ongoing conversation that is age and developmentally appropriate, responds to the different lived experiences of families in our region, responds to cultural differences, and respects the vast range of identities and relationships of parents/caregivers and their children.

WEAVE’s mission is to promote safe and healthy relationships and support survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and sex trafficking. WEAVE trains over 8,000 youth and 12,000 adults through prevention programs annually and is well positioned to lead in developing the toolkit. WEAVE will leverage Impact100 funding to complete the toolkit, estimated to cost $156,000.

Project Title: Music in their Hearts, Instruments in their Hands

MusicLandria launched in 2014 as a music instrument library where anyone can check out instruments as one would check out books in a traditional library. MusicLandria has served over 20,000 people and lent over 28,000 musical instruments.

MusicLandria’s programs benefit low-income families, seniors, at-risk youth, youth experiencing homelessness, foster youth, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities with an emphasis on underserved communities. Roughly 40% of users are people of color. Over 30% have a household annual income of less than $25,000. Participants include aspiring musicians trying out their very first instrument to local bands, parents, youth and local
schools.

The Music Instrument Locker provides free access to musical instruments and equipment through a “Take What You Need, Leave What You Can” model. Rather than price tags, users are encouraged to give what they can. For some, this means leaving equipment they no longer need. For others, this means financial donations, volunteering time, or offering expertise. This year, MusicLandria has re-homed over 300 instruments and served over 150 people.

The Musician’s MakerSpace provides free on-site access to top-of-the-line music equipment and offers mentorship, paid residencies, practice space, audio and video recording services and an all-ages music venue. Through this program, local musicians have recorded over 2,000 songs and produced nearly 600 music videos and over 15,000 people have been hosted through concerts, festivals, meetups and club meetings.

Impact100’s grant allows MusicLandria to secure a permanent space and increase weekly service hours by 50%, public and corporate support by 20%, and instrument donations by 30%. Funding also allows MusicLandria to acquire a more diverse range of instruments and reach more individuals in need. Larger space means expansion of the free Music Instrument Locker and Musician’s MakerSpace and supports MusicLandria’s mission to empower individuals to explore their musical passions, regardless of financial barriers.

Project Title: Teen Empowerment Program

Soil Born Farms’ permanently-protected 55-acre urban farm and education center is located within the American River Parkway, and serves as a legacy resource for our Sacramento community. Funding from Impact100 will bring Soil Born Farms’ Teen Empowerment Program to fruition, engaging 400+ underserved urban teens in meaningful experiential education, career exploration and job training. This program brings teens into the core of Soil Born Farms’ work, aimed at empowering over 30,000 residents each year to learn, grow, eat and connect.

The Teen Empowerment Program is focused on unlocking teens’ capabilities, challenging them to learn and grow, and engaging them in the creation of a resilient, healthy, and sustainable Sacramento food system. They will be key contributors in using climate-smart agriculture to produce food for our community and school cafeterias, stewarding the farm’s diverse ecosystems, creating healthy prepared meals, and educating younger children.

The Teen Empowerment Program is a capstone experience in Soil Born’s K-12 career pathway in food, health and the environment for the Sacramento region. Youth come from throughout the county, with a focus on students of low-income Title 1 schools. Many teens served are students of the Agriculture and Culinary Academies at Cordova High School, located adjacent to Soil Born Farms. Cordova High School has a rich diversity of ethnicities, with 70% of students from communities of color. Within the neighborhood, 75% of students at local schools qualify for reduced-price meals, and many families have more access to fast food and liquor stores than healthy food options.

As a result of world-class learning experiences at Soil Born Farms, teens will gain the skills to lead healthy and productive lives and will be primed to become leaders in the fields of food, agriculture, health and environmental stewardship – all vital to the Sacramento economy and community.

Project Title: Positive Spin Bicycle Collective

Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates is collaborating with two other nonprofits to create Positive Spin, a youth-led community bike shop that will teach young people bicycle mechanics and repair, and business skills. Many low-income residents rely on bicycles to get to their job or school. A reason people don’t ride their bikes more often is because they don’t know how to fix them. Learning how to repair bicycles is a skillset in demand at bike shops nationwide and useful in places where a bike shop doesn’t currently exist. E-bikes are the fastest growing sector of the bicycle industry yet are too expensive for many. Retrofitting lightly used analog bikes with e-bike kits can put more e-bikes into the hands of people who most need them for transportation.

SABA is partnering with Community Shop Class (CSC) and Sierra Service Project (SSP). CSC is located on Stockton Blvd and works with neurodivergent youth who don’t always excel in traditional learning settings; instead, they thrive in experiential settings working with their hands and learning by doing. SSP teaches manufacturing and safe tool use so youth can gain necessary workforce skills. CSC and SSP currently run classes on building tiny homes, community gardens and food trucks. SABA is partnering with them to establish Positive Spin, enabling youth to build sustainable transportation and support others.

Impact100 funding helps SABA redesign existing space and expand into an additional 1,000 sq/ft area attached to CSC’s shop and access to a large backyard where students can work on projects while learning workforce development skills. Stockton Boulevard is a top Vision Zero High Injury corridor in the city and the Stockton Corridor Plan envisions 4 miles of new and improved bike access along the Boulevard. A bicycle collective in the area will serve the current community and future residents.

Project Title: UCP Saddle Pals

UCP programs help clients and their families to live a life with increased independence, productivity, and self-confidence. UCP ensures that clients of all ages and income levels can learn new skills. Because of UCP, many clients feel more connected to the community, have increased confidence, and experience more independence. Each month, UCP serves nearly 3,100 individuals with autism (48%), intellectual delay (25%), Down syndrome and/or epilepsy (17%), and cerebral palsy (10%). UCP provides 14 programs through four divisions – Family Respite, Transportation, Adult Programs, and Recreation.

UCP’s Saddle Pals program is an equine therapy program where children and adults with developmental disabilities learn to care for and ride horses. Participants build confidence and abilities while learning how to interact with horses and learn the basics of horseback riding over an eight-week program. They increase their riding capabilities on the Saddle Pals Sensory Trail where they perform structured tasks that will help with coordination and motor skills. This provides a multi-dimensional challenge in an environment outside of their familiar ones.

UCP Saddle Pals was a long-standing program prior to the mandated COVID lockdowns and in 2020 was shut down for the safety of clients, sta[, and volunteers. The shut-down has allowed UCP to redesign and relaunch the program in a more convenient location. Impact100 dollars will fund site upgrades and preparation such as grading, fencing, ADA bathrooms, and classroom space. Additional work is required such as recruiting and training new sta[ and volunteers, securing horses, and community promotion.

UCP is moving UCP Saddle Pals to the Sacramento Horseman’s Association (SHA). SHA has welcomed UCP and provides space to host programming and collaborates on fundraising for site improvements. The tenants at SHA are excited for the partnership with many already raising their hands to volunteer and allow UCP to use their horses.