Baldwin Park's Residents and “Healthy Teens on The
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Success Story: Baldwin Park Corner Stores Baldwin Park’s Residents And “Healthy Teens On The Move” Take Campaign For Healthy Food Choices To Corner Stores Located Near Schools he City of Baldwin Park, 20 percent of foods and beverages miles inland from downtown sold in city-sponsored youth facil- TLos Angeles, began as an ities, including a vibrant new teen agricultural region in the 1860s. center, complied with the same Today, this suburb of more than state nutrition standards (S.B. 12 75,000 residents is mostly young and S.B. 965) that now regulated (two out of three are under age food sales in schools. 35) and Hispanic (four out of five), and finding nutritious, affordable But schools and youth centers food is a challenge. According are not the only places that chil- to the Retail Food Study by the dren buy food. In fact, at con- A local supermarket displays the “Healthy Selection” California Center for Public Health venience stores located near logo designed by local high school students. Advocacy, for every supermarket schools throughout the city, or farmers market, Baldwin Park young people account for most chips, soda, and beer were in has six corner stores and liquor of the business, stopping in daily front of the store. Fruit, water, stores, far exceeding the state- on their way to and from school. and milk were in the back. In wide ratio of one to four. Healthy Teens on the Move terms of nutrition bars, peanuts, recognized that these stores baked chips, and other nutri- “Healthy Teens on the Move,” were a critical part of the food tious snacks, there were few an advocacy committee of stu- environment, too. or none. Produce areas, if they dents from two local high schools existed at all, were poorly marked in Baldwin Park, have made it Working closely with Christina and maintained, and of very their mission to improve Baldwin Cardenas, Advocate Coordinator limited range.” Park’s physical activity and food for the Healthy Eating, Active environment for local children, of Communities (HEAC) initiative Nor was she surprised that sev- whom one in three is overweight. in Baldwin Park, a group of 10th eral store owners did not allow Taking their concerns before the through 12th graders conducted the surveys to take place. “We city council and school board, a Cornerstore Marketing Audit in understood that we needed to the teens were actively involved the spring of 2007. “We mapped develop relationships through in bringing healthy changes to out cornerstores and small mar- education and awareness-build- school cafeterias, where lunch kets and found 17 of them within ing with these owners in order to time was increased and salad a two-mile radius surrounding be successful,” says Cardenas. bars were brought in. Fresh fruit schools,” says Cardenas. Armed is now standard fare and the with cameras and notepads, they Undeterred, the teens and resi- sale of junk food is banned, in also documented the marketing dents worked with Judy Rabbani, accordance with state-mandated environment and the presence of HEAC marketing consultant, to nutrition standards. Beyond junk food within each store. help make the case to store the schools, Baldwin Park also owners that strengthening their passed the first city ordinance Cardenas was not surprised by healthy offerings was a win-win in California to ensure that 100 what the group found. “Candy, proposition. Not only was it good 1 Baldwin Park Corner Stores (Continued) for children’s health, it was good recommendations that they pre- That relationship will be strength- for business. “During these dif- sented to the city council. ened by the city’s concurrent ficult economic times,” says “Healthy Baldwin Park” campaign. Cardenas, “the owners began The students learned that junk As part of a strategy to strengthen to see that this was actually an food manufacturers spend mil- and promote small businesses innovative business practice, lions of dollars a year market- while improving community a new healthy-offerings mar- ing their unhealthy brands to health, Baldwin Park Mayor ket niche that could bring in young people. One of the ways Manuel Lozano is developing more customers.” they wanted to fight back was a recognition program whereby by creating their own “Healthy businesses will earn the right to In the end, eight businesses were Selection” logo to identify all display a “Healthy Baldwin Park” willing to collaborate with HEAC products that met state school banner and a plaque from the in the “Healthy Selection” pro- nutrition standards. They held city honoring their participation gram. Each store made a com- an open design competition, in the program. mitment to develop in-store and now signs and stickers of Healthy Selection areas, share the winning logo, designed by a Competing banners advertis- consumer nutrition handouts, Sierra Vista High School senior, ing beer and soft drinks are not place stickers and signage on are posted throughout the eight likely to go away. But “a program healthy options, and be featured participating stores, serving as that supports small stores with as part of a marketing campaign a helpful guide for customers signs advertising healthier food that included attractive new sig- of all ages. will be good for our community,” nage, free ads in the local news- said one student. “It should tell paper and on cable access TV, “Labeling ‘Healthy Selections’ is kids and their parents that eat- recognition on the city’s web the first step in changing busi- ing healthy is more important site, and inclusion in a press ness practices,” say Cardenas. than anything.” release. Resulting media cover- “It has allowed us to get our foot age included two upbeat photo- in the door and begin a relation- illustrated newspaper articles ship with store owners, which is about the stores. crucial to achieving permanent policy change in collaboration The project’s success depended with the City of Baldwin Park.” on perseverance backed by thor- ough preparation at every step. The youth activists met every Saturday for several months. For more information: After deciding on their goals, they received training and guidance Healthy Eating, Active Communities: from the Berkeley Media Studies www.healthyeatingactivecommunities.org Group and from the L.A. County Department of Public Health, To learn about Baldwin Park, go to: www.healthyeatingactive- which helped them to develop communities.org/grantee_showcase1_1.php the survey tool they would use for their Cornerstore Marketing Christina Cardenas, Advocate Coordinator, HEAC Baldwin Audit. To carry out the survey Park, (626) 962-5022, [email protected] they split up in adult-chaperoned teams to cover all the stores. Judy Rabbani, HEAC Marketing Consultant, (626) 962-5900, Finally they analyzed their find- [email protected] ings and compiled a report and 2 Success Story: Chula Vista Park Access Youth Reclaim Their Neighborhood Park, Enlisting The City’s Support And Using Environmental Design Principles or many years, Lauderbach representatives of nearly every more picnic tables and trash Park was a favorite place department actually showed up, cans were installed, and pedes- Ffor children growing up in from police and public health trian pathways were enhanced. the crowded apartment com- to parks and recreation, to lis- The student leaders took special plexes of southwest Chula Vista ten to their concerns. Finally, the pride in a new water fountain that to play and hang out with friends. youth and promotoras developed actually worked. But, over the course of a decade, a wish list of improvements which, the park had gradually become through discussion and compro- Some 400 people attended too dangerous, taken over by mise, were shaped into a set of the park’s official re-opening in gangs and prostitution, drugs recommendations and presented September 2008. Since then, and alcohol, litter, and graffiti. It to the city council. more families and children visit lacked restrooms and a function- the park, drinking and smoking ing water fountain. Transients With park safety a top priority, the are banned, there are plans for camped out in the park and coalition’s efforts centered around a community garden, and orga- children attending the adjacent a transformation of the built envi- nizers are enlisting local busi- elementary school learned to ronment based on a set of prin- nesses to “adopt” different areas simply avoid it. ciples called Crime Prevention of the park. Through Environmental Design Enter: A group of five high school (CPTED). CPTED helps increase Meanwhile, the students’ efforts students who’d grown up in the positive interaction between a have not gone unnoticed. They neighborhood and had many place and its users, discourag- received the 2009 Public Health happy childhood memories of ing criminal behavior while at the Champion Award from San Diego Lauderbach Park. Dismayed that same time encouraging people to County, and the 2009 Golden children no longer played there, “keep an eye out” for each other. Footprint Award from Walk San they were determined to make In Lauderbach Park, the height Diego, a regional coalition pro- the park a safer and more hos- of bushes was reduced and a moting walkable communities. pitable place. Beginning in June tall, overgrown chain-link fence They are now at work on Los 2007, working with local proma- was removed and replaced by Niños Park, where gang activ- toras—Spanish-speaking health a low, transparent one, making ity and teenage drinking has promoters who served as the once-hidden areas visible and been on the increase; and five students’ mentors—the students less inviting to criminal activity. other Chula Vista parks are now launched a coordinated effort to In addition to new landscaping slated for revitalization adopting make concrete improvements.