Dear Friends,
It's always important and encouraging to know that there is good work being done in this world, and unfortunately there is not enough of this kind of news these days. I'm happy to report about something truly remarkable (and very necessary) that has been going on in San Francisco, hoping you can take home some hope and inspiration from knowing about this. Perhaps you will even become motivated to take action in your own communities.

Have you ever considered the fact that it is difficult for people in poor neighborhoods to get access to healthy food? Think about it ­ there are rarely any quality grocery stores in low-income communities of color. Instead, people buy their food at fast food outlets or at corner stores that predominantly sell malt liquor, junky snacks, and soda. Literacy for Environmental Justice in San Francisco is engaging teenagers and young adults to do something about this situation and to help get the neighborhood into healthier eating and cleaner living.

Literacy for Environmental Justice is a San Francisco-based nonprofit educational organization dedicated to engaging urban youth in traditional environmental problems by drawing concrete linkages between the state of human health, the environment, and urban quality of life. The successful work of this organization has shown that once these interrelationships are recognized and understood, many young people feel compelled to become involved in the cause of creating a Ślivable' city. Students leave these programs with skills and a shared experience of positive and visible work.

LEJ staff members teach and/or employ young people to research, design and organize educational, neighborhood improvement projects. They offer free educational programs for public schools and paid high school youth leadership programs. LEJ works both in the public school system and in partnership with other community-based organizations.

Founded in 1998 by Dana Lanza and Juan Barragan, a Bayview teen, LEJ now works through the Tides Center for fiscal sponsorship. Their office remains in the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco.

Bayview Hunters Point is predominantly a low-income community of color that has historically served as the dumping ground for San Francisco's most toxic industries. This has resulted in breast cancer rates two times higher than that of the surrounding Bay Area and childhood asthma rates four times higher than California's average. While one third of the Bayview's residential population are children (approximately 12,000 youth), there are over 325 toxic sites in this six square mile community. Under these circumstances it becomes imperative that youth recognize their unique surroundings and understand their civil rights in regard to environmental and redevelopment regulations.

Since 1998 LEJ has led over 5,000 public school students in neighborhood improvement initiatives, as well as having hosted workshops and conferences on youth empowerment, community involvement and environmental justice nationally.

Their efforts have grown to encompass seven program areas:

• Environmental Justice Education
• Heron's Head Park Programs
• The Living Classroom Project
• Youth Envision
• Youth IMPACT
• Slough Youth
• Youth Promoting Green Energy

Here are some details about some of LEJ's programs:
Youth Envision
Employs and trains 6-10 high school-aged youth per year as community organizers around Bayview's food security and environmental justice initiatives. This program is in partnership with the Department of Public Health. Youth work 2 to 4 days per week and participate in an intensive program that includes:

• Community-based needs assessments
• Public speaking
• Event planning
• Public Advocacy
• Partnership building
• Workshop facilitation for both youth and adults

Youth Envision is working with our District Supervisor's office to pass a "Good Neighbor Agreement" which will limit the amount of shelf space available for the sale of alcohol and tobacco products in corner stores.

Currently the youth have partnered with a local corner store to test the feasibility of healthy food sales in the community. The store will be the sole source of fresh, organic food for sale on Third Street, the main thoroughfare in our community. The young people will launch an advertising campaign to support the product placement as well as provide 'food taste-testing' in the store.

Examples of past and current activities include:

• Organizing a national youth-led conference on food security in San Francisco
• Organizing for local merchants to adopt a resolution to replace 10% of their junk food products with healthier alternatives

About Our Training and Employment Programs for Youth ages 14 to 25:
LEJ actively seeks to recruit urban youth into careers in the environment and non-profit sector. Our work serves as an important training ground for motivated young people to build professional and academic skills through real-life experiences.

Living Classroom:
Sustainability and Clean Energy Project-Based Learning Programs

The Living Classroom will be an off-the-grid greenhouse and classroom at Heron's Head Park, and an educational model for alternative energy systems and sustainable design. Although the building will not be completed until 2003, the project involves select student groups in project-based learning programs throughout the design and construction phases. The Living Classroom is a partnership between LEJ, The Port of San Francisco, and Van der Ryn Architects under a special grant from the Department of the Environment.

Examples of past projects have included:

• Design workshops in which students explored their ideal learning environment and drew floor plans and concepts for the Living Classroom
• Conceptual design workshops in which students mapped and oriented the Living Classroom and discussed the ways in which the building's spaces should relate to one another.

Literacy for Environmental Justice
6220 Third Street
San Francisco, CA 94124
Phone: 415-508-0575
Fax: 415-508-0576
http://www.lejyouth.org
Our mission is to foster an understanding of the principles of environmental justice* and urban sustainability in our young people in order to promote the long-term health of their communities. LEJ creates positive, school and community-based opportunities for young people to play a role in the determination of their neighborhoods.

*We define Environmental Justice as the right of all people to their basic needs: clean water, healthy food, non-toxic communities, open space, safe energy, and equitable educational and job opportunities. At LEJ we teach young people that a relationship to the earth and access to a healthy environment are human rights.