Students from Marc Flacks’ Sociology 10 class have been mentoring kids from the “R-Spot” program since January. “R-Spot” was created for kids who wanted to hang out and do creative and learning projects, which was created and maintained by Harmony Health Family Resource Center.
Harmony Health FRC, a non-profit organization, started a research project to find what the Linda community needed. While doing research they asked a group of kids what they thought.
The kids told the Resource Center that they felt unsafe spending time in their community and felt like there was no place to spend time with friends. They told the Center that they were seeing alcohol in their school playgrounds, unsafe road conditions, drug abuse, and violence.
The Center told the kids that they would be able to give them a place to interact if they wanted it. The kids soon started coming and hanging out at the room that the Research center provided. After awhile the group started calling themselves “R Spot”.
Soon the Center decided what the kids needed was a program in which they could come and do projects.
With money from cigarette taxes (Proposition 10), Harmony Health FRC was able to help create projects for the kids. With the help from Yuba College instructors such as Marc Flacks they started to structure projects and trips.
When asked what the kids would like to do the R Spot group told the Resource Center that they would like to learn about their community and how to make their homes a better place to live.
Since then the R Spot group has visited the Sacramento River to learn about mining, refurbished Fernwood Park in Linda, and in January they traveled to Nevada City to the Wild and Scenic Film Festival, where they watched documentaries.
Currently, the Yuba College mentors and the “R Spot” group are working on learning about film making and about their communities history.
If you are interested in learning more about Harmony Health FRC, or R Spot, or if you are interested in becoming a mentor for the R Spot group contact Marc Flacks at mflacks@yccd.edu or at (530) 740-4831
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