There is an empty park in South Los Angeles. Tall fences surround its perimeter, the gates are locked, and the sign above the padlock states that community members must get a permit to enter. It does not give information about how to obtain that permit.
The surrounding community is literally locked out of this park, a place that could facilitate exercise and physical activity.
This park is just one of the many resources denied to South Los Angeles residents, and the area’s students are fed up.
Twenty students from the Accelerated School teamed up with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health in August 2008 to spread awareness about obesity in their community. A similar program was established in Baldwin Park. Their means: a social networking website called We’re Fed Up.
We’re Fed Up combats obesity by allowing youth to express their feelings and experiences through blogs, videos, and slideshows. Photographs and written narratives that describe life in South Los Angeles, like the locked park, stimulate conversation about the issues in the community.
“We went with a social networking site because countless, countless numbers of teens have Myspace or Facebook or whatever. That’s what they do, they go on the Internet and they talk to each other,” said Britanni Marie Dighero, a Youth Ambassador for We’re Fed Up.
The social networking element of the site allows it to extend its audience beyond South Los Angeles.
“We expect to reach the world. I know that’s a really lofty goal and for many people to have or even to consider. But, just today, we got people from other countries to the site, some people from India, some people from the Philippines,” said Ruben Brambila, the project manager for Youth Activism Against Obesity offered by Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
The website features healthy eating tips, information about physical activity, and the nutritional facts of fast food and packaged food options.
We’re Fed Up focuses on healthy eating and living because of the high youth obesity rates in the area. In South Los Angeles, 33 percent of children under the age of 18 are overweight. In fact, the area boasts a higher rate of obesity, overweight individuals, and Diabetes than the Los Angeles County average.
Sharlene Gozalians, the youth coordinator at South Los Angeles’ The Accelerated School, believes the obesity statistics can be attributed to the lack of healthy food options in the area. “You need to step back and look at environment and really think about it. When eight out of ten eateries in your neighborhood are either fast food places or liquor stores, what are your options? What else are you going to eat?”
The site also protests the lack of safe parks in the area. It displays pictures of empty lots and closed parks in its Photo Voice section. These images hope not only to expose the issues in the community, but also to encourage change. In fact, the site extends beyond obesity to address general community issues.
“The biggest thing [that drew me to We’re Fed Up] was to give a chance for youth to speak up and actually take action to improve our community. Cause you don’t really get that. Mostly programs are just run by grownups,” said Carolina Vázquez, a Youth Ambassador for We’re Fed Up.
Most importantly, We’re Fed Up empowers youth to work for change in their community.
As Youth Ambassador Darrell Williams said, “We have the technology, we can use it, and we should use it for a good purpose.”
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Where and what is the park that you talk about in your story?
And please add links to the website you reference.
You can check out the website at http://www.werefedup.com.
Thanks for the link. And the topic. This is an important story.
And where is the park? “There is an empty park in South Los Angeles. Tall fences surround its perimeter, the gates are locked, and the sign above the padlock states that community members must get a permit to enter. It does not give information about how to obtain that permit.”
The park to which I referred is South Park and it is located around 51st and Main St. I hope that helps!
Great article, it seems like this is an ongoing problem throughout North American and is really scary.
Although there is a problem with getting access to parkland in south LA. The authorities are locking up this park to reduce violence that can happen when these parks are not properly policed. It is a sad indictment of the state of safety in the south LA area. I hope they can get this park open to the people of LA. Exercise is every bit as important as diet in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I exercise every day at the gym. I usually wear Dereon Shoes and these look better if you are slim.
It’s hard for kids to get exercise if they are being locked out of parks. Hopefully the city will fix the parks and staff security in the parks so kids can stay active while still being safe. While diet is important, I think it’s easier to get kids to be active than eat right.
There is a big problem in La between black people and the police. I hate discriminate from the bottom of my heart. It does not help anyone. We are all equals. I just hope the best for Oscar Grant and that the court provides justice for this case. Research Papers AND Term Papers AND Buy Thesis