Download - 1 Voice Winter 2010 Edition
Happy second semester, District 1!
The Youth Advisory Council (YAC)
of District 1 has been working
hard to ensure that the voice of
the youth is heard in neighbor-
hood, district, and city decisions.
We are extremely excited about
our growing relationships within
our community, as we serve as
liaisons to over twenty neighbor-
hood groups and are also
strengthening our relationship
with the Starbird Youth Center
and Cypress Senior Center. We are
not working to diversify our YAC
by ensuring participation
from all five high schools,
including Lynbrook, The
H a r k e r S c h o o l ,
Archbishop Mitty, Pros-
pect, and Westmont.
Currently, we are very
concerned with the grow-
ing city deficit as well as
the gang violence, and are
addressing these by at-
tending budget priority
sessions and working on
the creation of a Public
Service Announcement.
We hope to achieve our
goal of uniting the city as 1
Voice, the theme of our
district-wide newsletter.
To attain this aspiration,
we are also working to
create an empowered voice for
youth through a city-wide Youth
Bill of Rights that is in the process
of being written. We are very
excited about some upcoming
events, such as our Game Night at
the Cypress Senior Center in Feb-
ruary and the city-wide Youth
Conference in April.
But remember: There are only
twenty members of the Youth
Advisory Council, but there are
10,000 teenagers in District 1.
That’s why we want to challenge
the youth of the district to dem-
onstrate active, passionate leader-
ship through civic engagement
and get their voices heard, using
the Youth Advisory Council of
District 1 as a vessel for this.
Please don’t hesitate to contact
m e b y e m a i l a t
you want to write for us or if you
have any comments you want to
share and be sure to visit our
recently launched website at
yac.sjdistrict1.com. Keep up the
momentum!
Message from Youth Commissioner Kavya Shankar
1 Voice Winter Edition
Volume 1, Issue 2
Interview with
Councilmember
2
YAC Training 2
Coming Home from
Copenhagen
3
Family Giving Tree 3
Parcel Tax Means
Budget Cuts Across
FUHSD
5
The Emerging
Environmental
Movement
5
San Jose A’s? It all
depends.
6
Opinion Article:
Acai Berries
6
The Budget Process 4
Artwork and Poetry 7
San Jose 311 4
Job, Internship, &
Volunteer
Opportunities
8
Inside this issue:
Youth Advisory
Council of
District 1
Youth Advisory Council (YAC) of District 1 at City-Wide YAC Training in November
By far the most rewarding ventures, how-
ever, were the workshops that we partici-
pated in. Each YAC member was given the
opportunity to participate in one of five
workshops, all taught by our extremely
gifted commissioners: public speaking,
networking, project planning, and publicity.
This YACer attended the networking and
project planning workshops, and it’s safe to
say I’ve learned skills that will be applica-
ble not only in future YAC activities, but in
all future endeavors.
We ended the day with our very own
Hollywood encounter, as YAC districts
stepped into the director’s seat to plan
our very own Public Service Announce-
ments for the City of San Jose’s Gang
Prevention Taskforce. We were given the
opportunity to meet with San Jose’s own
“Paramount Pictures”—Creative Media.
After listening to the presentation, each
district created its very own storyboard.
We will soon be able to present our story-
boards to the Mayor’s Gang Prevention
Taskforce, and some will be created as
PSAs. This unique opportunity is just one
of the many future opportunities YAC of
District 1 now has a result of this event!
On November 21st of 2009, YAC of San Jose
District 1 was given the opportunity to meet
with other YACs from San Jose’s Districts.
We met with them, as well as with all of the
Commissioners, to receive training, to dis-
cuss successful YAC tactics, and to become
familiar with other youth leaders in our city.
To this end, we began the day-long event
with icebreakers that helped to facilitate
interaction between different YACs. Among
the most memorable of these was an activ-
ity in which we all formed a circle and had to
support each other as human chairs. The
aim of the activity was to show how we
were all necessary for each other’s suc-
cesses, and to encourage the different
members to connect—and it worked! By
the end of the day, we were as thick as
thieves!
The Youth Advisory Council of District 1 inter-
viewed Councilmember Pete Constant about
the central issues concerning San José. As
Councilmember Constant’s first term draws
to a close, various projects are launched with
the new year. Youth Advisory Council mem-
ber Cindy Huang discussed some of these
plans.
Cindy: What are your priorities regarding the
budget crisis?
Councilmember: San José has had a long
streak of budget deficits. This deficit was at
one time as large as 400 million dollars! The
main priority is just letting the city do what it
should do and must do.
Cindy: I know it affects pension plans for the
elder, but how will it effect the youth?
Councilmember: There are significant service
cuts and a reducing of hours of libraries,
community centers and homework centers.
In order to maintain these, we would have to
raise city fees to use these city facilities. The
city needs to prioritize health and safety
above anything else.
Cindy: I’ve heard about the city’s new
iPhone app, Mobile City Hall. The Mobile City
Hall application allows citizens to easily
report problems such as graffiti, potholes,
illegal dumping, illegal signage, and aban-
doned cars. How can this help engage the
youth with city affairs?
Councilmember: With the new iPhone app,
the power of City Hall is in your hands.
Adults often miss some of the problem
areas teenagers encounter every day. We
need the youth to be our eyes and ears.
Cindy: I’ve read a little bit about the Tar-
geted Business Area (TBA) designated for
Winchester Boulevard. Could you elaborate
on the awaiting future for the boulevard?
Councilmember: The TBA was created to
support new and existing businesses within
the area while the City prepares to make
the area a Neighborhood Business District
(NBD). The types of businesses you will see
here are non-mall types of stores. We want
a vibrant business district mainly to serve
the immediate neighborhood. For example,
you won’t see an Abercrombie store here,
but you might find local businesses such as
a dry cleaner.
Cindy: What kind of effect will this have on
the city?
Councilmember: It will connect people
from Los Gatos, Saratoga and San José up
to Santana Row. The purpose for these
designations is to allow for more flexibility
of development standards such as parking
regulations and signage for area busi-
nesses. These businesses help neighbor-
hoods and the city because they increase
tax revenue.
Cindy: One last question for you to wrap it
all up. What is your vision for the youth of
San José in District 1?
Councilmember: My vision for all of the
youth in San José is for them to go to
school, engage in the community, have the
ability to influence decisions in city hall and
actively learn to take roles of community
service to neighborhoods.
Cindy: Thank you for your time!
YAC Training by Belinda Tang
Interview with Councilmember Constant by Cindy Ju
1 V o i c e
Page 2
If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough
sound energy to heat one cup of coffee
V o l u m e 1 , Is s u e 2
Tree, a project strikingly
similar to Secret Santa. The
Starbird Teens Tree encour-
aged teenagers over the
age of thirteen to create
wish lists of their most
desired gifts; members of
YAC as well as members of
the community were then
given the opportunity to
spread holiday cheer by
purchasing these items for
the teens. An entire room,
presided over by a cos-
tumed Santa Claus who granted wishes,
handed out miniature candy canes, and
posed for pictures, was filled with decora-
tively wrapped gifts; the most popular
requests included mp3 players and fra-
grant body lotions. The Family Giving Tree
was also an ideal opportunity for the
youth across the district to experiment
with arts and crafts. The YAC baked cook-
ies, which functioned as palettes for crea-
tive (and, of course, hungry) children to
demonstrate their artistic talents when
confronted with the most deliberately
messy of all decorative instruments –
icing. A crafts connoisseur taught elabo-
rate ornament creation and decoration
using only the humble tools of ribbon and
wrapping paper. Within those seven
hours, which were altogether too short,
the Youth Advisory Council hoped to forge
strong bonds with the students of San
Jose. A combination of casual dining, craft-
making, and gift-exchanging made the
night memorable for both the members of
YAC and the Starbird teens, who hope
that, in turn, a fun and friendship-bridging
experience was had by all.
On the 22nd of December, the Youth Advi-
sory Council participated in Family Giving
Tree, an afternoon event that consisted of
games, crafts, foods, and gifts. Working
closely with the Blackford Neighborhood
Action Coalition, YAC members “adopted”
teenagers through the Starbird Teens
What happens when you gather 164 teen-
agers together from 44 countries when
they’re jetlagged and don’t speak each
other’s languages? From what happened
at the recent Children’s Climate Forum in
Copenhagen, a precursor to the COP15, it
looks like those youth can actually do
quite a lot.
I was one of the four U.S. delegates to the
conference, sponsored by UNICEF, and
was fortunate enough to see what hap-
pens when youth are given the tools to
empower themselves and their communi-
ties. In workshops, lectures, and project
groups, we learned to cooperate and
communicate to combat the effects of
climate change. It was inspiring to learn
about the different ideas and actions that
adolescents from all over the world are
developing, along with discovering cul-
tural differences. I roomed with two girls
from the UK, practiced my Spanish with
the Bolivian delegation, ate lunch with the
New Zealanders, danced with South Afri-
cans, and became tight friends with all of
them.
What really impressed me,
however, was how my own
hometown of San Jose
measured up next to the
multitude of global projects.
The recent Plastic Bag Ban
became a major topic of
discussion in a Production
and Consumption work-
shop, for example. With the
exception of a few other
cities, San Jose has become
a pioneer in reducing plas-
tic’s harmful effects. San
Jose’s Green Print, which
seeks to increase funding for our parks
and trails, is yet another key piece of legis-
lation that is important to our community
and climate.
But we can do more. It doesn’t take much
for the youth of San Jose to join in the
movement as well. Some District 1 schools
are already making amazing progress as
they plant gardens, install energy meters,
encourage recycling, and generally help
save the world we all live in. As youth, we
can take individual action by eating vege-
tarian a few times a week or taking
shorter showers,
but we can also help
empower our com-
munities. In the long
run, being environ-
mentally friendly
saves money and
helps our city. We,
too, can get our
schools to change
for the better.
At the end of the
conference, all the
youth presented a
declaration to the COP15 and world lead-
ers. Written by the children, for the chil-
dren, the document states “We commit to
educate and empower ourselves and our
communities to adapt to and mitigate the
changing climate. ” The youth of San Jose
have the passion and the persistence to
ensure change happens, and we know
that we must encourage our leaders to do
the same. Let’s not disappoint future
generations or the other youth around the
world. Let’s not waste what has already
been achieved in our city.
Family Giving Tree By Catherine Kong
Coming Home from Copenhagen by Olivia Zhu
Page 3
Frequent jet lag can damage memory.
Youth Advisory Council Chair Kavya Shankar
attended a Neighborhood Leader Budget
Priority Session meeting on January 23. At
the meeting, the following five city priorities
were established:
• Green, Sustainable City
• Prosperous Economy
• Safe City
• Vibrant, Attractive Community
• Reliable, Well-Maintained Infrastruc-
ture
We have been campaigning hard to ensure
vital services for youth do not get cut from
the city budget, but we need your help in
determining our priorities!
If there is something relating to these five
priorities that you feel passionate about and
don’t want to see cut, please voice your opin-
ion and we can assist you with ensuring that
our district continues to provide services for
the youth.
Because the City of San Jose’s general fund is
likely to face a $96 million shortfall in 2010-
2011, it is even more important that the youth
of San Jose remain involved in the budget
planning process. The City will start to deter-
mine what they need to keep and what they
would like to keep, and the Youth Advisory
Council is committed to ensuring that the
voice of the youth is heard in these budget
priority meetings. Particularly, we are inter-
ested in ensuring that youth resources, such
as the youth and community centers as well
as the community libraries, continue to re-
ceive funding.
Graffiti, potholes, broken streetlights, and
garbage are among the pesky problems
that every city faces. The difference is that
the city of San Jose has found a solution.
Through a concept called crowdsourcing,
the District 1 of San Jose created a user-
friendly iPhone application on December
15th, 2009. Simply downloading the San
Jose 311 App allows residents in District 1 to
help the city clean up and fix various prob-
lems. After reporting problems, the issues
are directed to the Councilmember Pete
Constant’s office for resolution. Later,
residents are notified when their requests
have been received, reviewed, and solved.
Furthermore, the application has had great
reviews so far. One reviewer reasoned,
"The app is easy to use, and I know my
requests are going to the right people. I
even got a response to the issues I've sent
in." The app can be downloaded for free at
the Apple iTunes store.
The innovation behind the project came
from District 1 Councilmember Pete Con-
stant who spearheaded the project after
partnering with CitySourced, the company
that designed the application. “When you
see a problem, you can take a photo of it,
and by virtue of taking a photo of it, we've
captured your GPS coordinates," said
David Kralik, director of marketing for City-
Sourced. The simple 2.0 Application utilizes
Microsoft and Bing's mapping system.
Kralik reasons that reports will be much
more accurate and shift the responsibility
for taking care of the city from public offi-
cials to residents. He explained, “If you
think about Wikipedia and how accurate it
is—we’re taking crowdsourcing—the same
kind of concept that built Wikipedia, [for]
identifying and solving urban blights.”
"We need to embrace emerging technolo-
gies in order to more efficiently serve our
residents at a time when our budgets are
dwindling and deferred infrastructure main-
tenance costs are skyrocketing," explained
Constant in a recent press release. "Using
Web 2.0 solutions will help us address
seemingly minor neighborhood problems,
before they become major ones. Bottom
line: It will save taxpayers a lot of time and
money."
The nice part of the application is that it is
workable 1,900 cities nationwide and so
users can also report problems in other
states they’re visiting, unlike New York
City’s and Boston’s iPhone apps that are
only specific to those regions. While Mobile
City Hall works in 1,900 U.S. cities, cities
cannot access the dashboard system that lets
San Jose analyze reports. “San Jose gets a
really cool metrics dashboard that they can
slice and dice the data. Whereas the cities we
work in, but aren't paying us, don't get that—
they get a basic report sent to them," Kralik
said. Hopefully this same dashboard will be
initiated in other U.S. cities as well to help
clean up our whole country.
During this holiday season, if you see an issue
on the streets of San Jose, don’t hesitate to
report it right away. With a couple clicks, you
can be part of the growing initiative to beauti-
ful our city.
San Jose 311 By Nina Kamath
1 V o i c e
Page 4
The Budget Process by Kavya Shankar
Sunlight makes you sneeze.
V o l u m e 1 , Is s u e 2
facets of their plan, the two students are
ready to make change in their school.
Already, the smart meters from
Valence Energy have helped them
detect energy wastage from night-
time use. As a result of the installa-
tion, Daniela and Shreya have
worked with The Harker Lower
School to eliminate this unneces-
sary electricity drain. As they
worked to promote the plan in the
high school, they were filmed by
both ACE and UNICEF as exemplary
models for youth climate activists.
The two were further honored at
the Governor’s Climate Summit,
meeting with some of the most
involved politicians and researchers
in the field.
The students and Valence Energy
are not done yet, however: with
the help of the YAC, they are
launching a new program to dis-
cover what the greenest school in
San Jose might be. Armed with that knowl-
edge, who knows what they can do?
Considering the ever pressing effects of
global warming and climate change, its im-
portant for students and communities to
take action, especially on a local level. That’s
exactly what Daniela Lapidous and Shreya
Indukuri, both students at The Harker Upper
School, are planning to do this year.
Passionate about raising awareness about
and actively working against the effects of
climate change, the two sophomores have
applied for and received a grant from the
Alliance for Climate Education. Installing
smart meters to monitor energy usage, plant-
ing an organic garden, and reducing air condi-
tioning usage are all part of their proposal.
Alongside Valence Energy, a San Jose com-
pany that is helping Daniela and Shreya with
The Fremont Union High School District
passed a stellar initiative 5 years ago in
November of 2004 to help Schools by insti-
tuting a $98 per parcel tax on homes in the
district. This tax has allowed the Fremont
Union schools to preserve most of the
classes and even expand education and
sport opportunities in light of the recent
economic crisis. Local parcel taxes are
perhaps the only way to secure funding for
teacher salaries, books and other materials.
Our district has very specific needs. Be-
cause of the way funding is decided
schools with larger amount of students are
able to get a larger portion of the money.
Subsequently small schools in districts are
subsequently hurt even if they do have
large amount of students in comparison to
schools across the state/country. The
FUHSD is a basic
needs district. This
means they don’t get
funding based off of
the number of pupils
they have, but only
Recently Measure G
has been a district
wide initiative to
attempt to boost our
revenue by reinstat-
ing the parcel tax. Regrettably it failed to
pass this time around. The lack of this
source of funding means that the already
limited funding will be cut drastically.
Even worse is the fact that the incoming
classes into our high schools are growing
in size so the same amount of money is
being cut between greater numbers of
students. Cuts to AP and honor
classes, after school activities,
clubs and many defining charac-
teristics of our schools will have
to go in an attempt to make up
the 5 million dollars which our
school system will lose.
The last initiative to reform and
renew the parcel tax failed to
pass late in 2009. A necessary 66%
vote was not reached with only
60% of residents willing to extend the tax.
Later this year there will be two more
chances for the parcel tax to potentially
pass. If both of those see the parcel tax lose
then there will be serious changes to the
schools in the Fremont District.
The Emerging Environmental Movement By Olivia Zhu
Parcel Tax means Budget Cuts Across FUHSD By Pavan Upadhyayula
Page 5
For every human in the world, there are one million ants.
A Closer Look: Valence
Energy and The Harker
Upper School
It is no surprise that in the Great Recession
sports venues are frequently observed to be
empty during events yet by no means does it
hold true for everyone. If one's team is suc-
cessful, people will find a way to get to the
game. Such an influx of fans can often shift
whole city economies and that is exactly why
the Major wishes the A's to embrace San Jose
as their new home.
However, the A's migration is not solely due to
the Major's insistence. Over the past couple of
years, they have been near the bottom of
Major League Baseball in attendance which is
mostly due to poor performance on the field.
This downturn accounts for some major losses
in revenue for the team. . Also, the McAfee
Coliseum, the A’s home stadium, has been
reviewed by fans and sports experts alike as a
field unworthy of being played on. So the
questions now is where? Talks were brewing
to build a stadium for the A’s in Fremont, but
that plan broke down, hence San Jose.
There are three key players who will ultimately
decide the outcome:
· Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig.
· Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
· San Francisco Giants managing general
partner William Neukom.
Selig. has the clout to clear the way for an A's
move to San Jose, a territory considered to be
of Giants' ownership by Major League Base-
ball.
Selig, who was A's frontman Lew
Wolff's fraternity brother at the University of
Wisconsin, would have to persuade three-
fourths of other team owners to go along
with the move. Selig has repeatedly asserted
the Giants' rights to all of Santa Clara County,
but also promised Wolff to speak with other
cities when the A's Fremont deal collapsed,
causing him to push for San Jose.
Feinstein, ostensibly the main opponent to
the move, could decide to play hometown
favorites, as she did on the San Francisco
49ers stadium issue - going so far as to muse
about a federal law that would ban the 49ers
from using the name "San Francisco" if the
team moved to Santa Clara. She could make
life difficult for Major League Baseball by
raising the specter of hearings on its antitrust-
exempt status.
Then there's Neukom. Team sources say he
won't let the A's move into Giants land without
a fight, even if means going to court - he's no
lightweight there. He's a former general counsel
for Microsoft and past president of the Ameri-
can Bar Association.
Meanwhile, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and
the rest of the East Bay political family - who
had already kissed the team goodbye - are hav-
ing second thoughts.
In spite of Wolff's statement Friday that the A's
have "no interest in covering old ground" - i.e.,
talking to Oakland - city officials are preparing
to lobby Feinstein, Sen. Barbara Boxer, House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and local Democratic
Rep. Barbara Lee to keep the team in Oakland.
Or at the very least, to get another shot at nego-
tiations.
In any event, it's still a very long way to San
Jose.
San Jose A’s? It all depends. By Guru Ram
1 V o i c e
Page 6
Dolphins can swim and sleep at the same time.
This year, acai berry product adver-
tisements have conspicuously domi-
nated the air waves as the “wonder
weight-loss food” with claims of over
30 pound losses from people every-
where dropping. Have the advertise-
ments any validity or are they simply
o v e r - h y p e d s c a m s ?
Acai berries are a reddish-purple fruit
that grow on the Acai Palm Tree
which is native to South and Central
America. A close relative of the cran-
berry and blueberry, acai berries were noted for
their extraordinarily high amounts of antioxi-
dants, healthy omega fats, and amino acids.
Acai berries contain anthocyanins and flavon-
oids, which are two powerful antioxidants.
Antioxidents help boost immunity, slow down
aging, and prevent disease. However, Acai Ber-
ries have not been demonstrated to have
health benefits that other similar fruits cannot
offer (such as blue-
berries and cranber-
ries).
Acai berries help
weight loss by pro-
moting more effi-
cient fat burning. By
boosting your im-
mune system and
increasing overall
health, Acai Berries
enable your metabo-
lism to work more efficiently and thus boosts
energy levels. It is for this they are often used
in weight-loss supplements. The Acai Berry
has no known negative side effects with the
exception of those who are allergic to it.
As its popularity grew, many manufacturers
began to sell Acai Berry products utilizing its
roots and seeds. In reality though, the most
nutritious, ergo desirable parts, of an Acai
Berry are the berry skin and its pulp. So, al-
though the products do contain Acai Berry
elements, they, in themselves are not suffi-
ciently nutritious enough to have a substantial
effect.
Because Acai is very expensive, manufacturers
will also blend Acai with green tea extract, or
other sources of cheap nutrition to supple-
ment the nutritional value of its Acai pills. So if
you’re thinking about testing out this “super-
food” make sure to purchase the right prod-
uct. To achieve the results all the websites
brag about, the average daily consumption of
pure Acai should be 1000mg. Check the label!
Finally, although Acai Berries do indeed help
weight-loss, and perhaps are great nutritional
food, remember that Acai Berries cannot re-
place exercise and a healthy lifestyle.
Opinion Article: The Buzz about Acai Berries: Are they really as great
as everyone says? By Sherry Xu
V o l u m e 1 , Is s u e 2 Page 7
How dare, how dare, I ask of air what dark hearts ask of sorrow; that it turn the world with all its murmurings and embrace the remnants of fallacious hope. To weave the sky—it was but a dream unanswered, echoes fluttering against the night. And Truth: so frail, so fragile... a cripple smothered in rose-blue silence. The stars are crumbling into ephemeral ashes, but pursuit of facades and learning to love them leads to apathy as reality approaches its final breath. Verisimilitude rises from [ancient] fires—yet incarnates no phoenix. Illusion's grace shapes the skeins* of death; forfeited essence, evading the present, shall fade from eternity. Belatedly, Fate will be discovered; yet when it is time to depart, the staircase will have disappeared.
with blizzard hands and liquid motions, she dances in the gale, her body moving like water, and she weaves herself into stone castles of carolina blue.
she croons like a goddess carved by the hands of winter, snowdrops pinned to her china skin, and for a second I swear she looks like she's flying upon the starry-cheeks of july with firefly lashes and latern-lit bones.
but she wears snow like an oversized sweater to hide her collapsed soul- she's dreaming, dreaming of something more.
Carolina Blue By Roopa Shankar
Artist: Cindy Huang
Verisimilitude By Frances Guo
Photographer: Roopa Shankar
96% of people put the peanut butter on first when making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
The Youth Advisory Council of District 1 (YAC) is an active group of youth, 14-20
years of age who dedicate their time, talent and ideas to promote positive
change in their community. YAC members identify and tackle youth issues, host
special events, participate in volunteer activities and address the needs of their
district residents. In the past, the District 1 YAC has hosted dances, movie nights,
and barbeques. YAC empowers youth to make change in their communities.
For more information, please contact District 1 Youth Commissioner Kavya
Shankar at [email protected].
JOBS
Conversational English Instructors
Tom Tang & Vicki Young
Send Resume: [email protected] or
Call: 408-828-5547 or 408-504-7177
Description: Provide direct instruction on the
English language to students in China through
internet/webcam
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Bookshare
Bookshare is a company that increases the
availability of literature to those with print
disabilities. This non-profit turns print books
into audio files and creates a network for book
lovers, not just those who are visually impaired.
Volunteers can help Bookshare by proofread-
ing scans of literary works or writing summa-
ries while reading books they really enjoy!
Those 15 and older can volunteer at http://
www.bookshare.org/about/volunteerOverview
INTERNSHIPS
KICU TV 36/San Jose
Roy Avila
2102 Commerce Drive
San Jose, CA 95131
408-95406177
Internship: Studio and Field Production,
Sports, Community Affairs, Advertising Sales,
Promotions
Compensation/Work Schedule: College credit,
8-16 hours/week
KNTV News Channel 11
Judy Betro
2450 N. First Street
San Jose, CA 95131
408-432-4580
Internship: News, sports, programming, pro-
motions, production, public affairs/
community, sales
Compensation/Work Schedule: Internships
renew by quarter/semester
Parents Helping Parents
Parents Helping Parents is an organization
intended to help families that have children
with special needs. On Saturday, December
5th, they will have their Annual Holiday Party to
help those families enjoy a visit with Santa as
well as crafts and snacks.
Contact: Joanna Jaeger ([email protected])
Website: www.php.com
San Jose Public Library
Volunteer at any San Jose Public Library
Branch by helping tutor at the homework
center, providing technology assistance, and
performing clerical assignments.
Those 15 and older can volunteer at http://
www.sjlibrary.org/about/sjpl/volunteers/
Job, Internship, & Volunteer Opportunities
Kavya Shankar, District 1 Youth
Commissioner
Email: [email protected]
Uniting to create an empowered
voice for youth
Y o u t h A d v i s o r y C o u n c i l
We’re on the web:
yac.sjdistrict1.com
Executive Board Chair: Kavya Shankar
Vice-Chair: Catherine Kong Secretary: Belinda Tang
Members Gene Burinsky, Mihir Deo, Frances Guo, Cindy
Huang, Nina Kamath, Kayoung Lee, Megan Lee, Sandeep Peddada, Anup Sonti , Peter Tang,
Pavan Upadhyayula, Kevin Xie, Sherry Xu, Olivia Zhu
Youth Advisory Council of
District 1