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Grantee Profiles

Oakland, Alameda County

San Antonio Neighbors for Active Living (SANFAL)

Collaborating grantees:

The Alameda County Public Health Department (lead agency); East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC); and Oakland Unified School District. Other partners include Urban Ecology; Cycles for Change; Roosevelt Health Center; Oakland Children's Hospital; La Clinica de La Raza; San Antonio Neighborhood Clinic; Alameda Alliance for Health; Blue Cross; City of Oakland; Oakland Office of Parks and Recreation; and several active youth and parent groups. SANFAL is a community partnership dedicated to promoting physical activity and healthy eating among children, youth and families residing in Oakland's San Antonio neighborhood district and has a proven track record of policy and advocacy that has fostered strong diverse relationships with both the community and other institutions.

Community Description

The San Antonio community is rich in cultural and linguistic diversity. This area lies in the flatlands east of Lake Merritt. Asian and Pacific Islanders comprise the largest proportion (41%) of the community, followed by African Americans (24%), Latinos (23%) and Whites (8%). Fitnessgram results for the nine target schools in the San Antonio community (2002-2003 school year) indicated that 25% of fifth, seventh and ninth graders were overweight, while 80% were physically "unfit."

SANFAL was established in 2003 with a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 'Active Living by Design' grant. EBAYC played a key role in establishing SANFAL and has a longstanding working relationship with the local public schools and has trained hundreds of multi-cultural and multi-lingual parent leaders in advocacy and community change efforts. EBAYC also worked with Alameda County Public Health Department during the Partnership for the Public's Health Initiative (2000-2004).

The Oakland Unified School District was the first school district in the state to pass a district-wide policy banning sodas from middle and high schools. In 2006, the district hired a Physical Education (PE) Teacher on Special Assignment to develop a PE curriculum that incorporates State PE standards, and to coordinate and train PE instructors to increase the quality and quantity of minutes for physical education. At the neighborhood level, Oakland has been able to build on long-term built environment efforts, such as increasing the street safety and walkability of neighborhoods and creating safe bike paths, through funding from various public and private sources.

Key Policy Goals and Strategies

• School Sector
  • Develop, adopt and implement an Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) Wellness Policy that incorporates SB 12 and SB 965 nutrition standards and State physical education standards.
  • Engage and train parents, youth and families to become stronger advocates for healthy lifestyle changes in nutrition and physical activity

• After School Sector
  • Engage after school practitioners, parents, and youth to develop and implement nutrition standards, in accordance with SB 12 and SB 965, and standards for physical activity, in after school programs
  • Build partnerships and advocate for OUSD and City of Oakland policies and budget priorities that establish and sustain comprehensive after school learning centers, including regular physical activity and nutrition programs, at every elementary and middle school in Oakland.

• Neighborhood Sector
  • Establish and expand local and family-operated urban farms to supply organic fresh produce to school-based produce stands and neighborhood stores.
  • Engage youth, parents and teachers to improve built and natural environments to support healthy eating and physical activity.

• Health Care Sector
  • Provide training and technical assistance to health care providers in communication with parents and youth regarding weight management.
  • Develop an on-line resource for health care providers to refer children, youth and their families to services related to overweight/obesity prevention and management.

Accomplishments

• Development and adoption of an Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) Wellness Policy. On-going involvement in Wellness Policy Implementation.
• Establishment of produce stands in Franklin and Garfield Elementary Schools to increase access to and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables of students, parents, teachers and neighborhood residents.
• Establishment of the Full Circle Farms in Alameda and Sunol as a San Antonio resident-operated and neighborhood-based food security system that supplies organic produce to produce stands in local schools, and to neighborhood stores.
• Collaboration with OUSD and Alameda County Public Health Department for ongoing healthy eating school campaigns, such as Harvest Fairs, Community Meals, Fresh Produce Taste Testing, and Breakfast for Champions.
• Establishment of the San Antonio Park Community Garden as a safe and accessible center of nutrition education and physical activity for youth, families and neighborhood residents.
• On-going training for San Antonio District students, parents, community members, OUSD Nutrition Services staff, as well as school-based Coordinated School Health Councils, Healthy Living Councils and Parent Action Committees in 9 HEAC schools, to become advocates for Wellness Policy implementation and for healthy lifestyle changes in nutrition and physical activity.
• New and expanded opportunities in HEAC schools for healthy eating and physical activity during after-school/out-of school hours.
• On-going media campaigns with local mass media agencies to encourage youth involvement in promoting school-based produce stands and advocating for better access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Youth-driven campaigns of salad bars and free/reduced breakfast and lunch programs in HEAC schools.
• Training, through a Grand Rounds at Children's Hospital, to health care providers in effective communication techniques to work with families on weight issues.
• Training to partner health care organizations on the KidShape Program, a family-oriented weight management program for youth and their families, for the implementation of a local program in 2007.

• California's First Lady visits HEAC grantee.
  California First Lady Maria Shriver visited the San Antonio Neighbors for Active Living Collaborative and the East Bay Asian Youth Center, HEAC grantees, as part of her statewide Listening Tour on Health, Nutrition and Activity.
  Download: Chronicle - First Lady's Oakland Visit [30k pdf file]

To Learn More, Contact:

Alameda County Public Health Department
Tamiko Johnson - HEAC Oakland Site Coordinator
Phone: 510-595-6439
Fax: 510-595-6486

East Bay Asian Youth Center
David Kakishiba
510-533-1092, Ext.25

Oakland Unified School District
Alicia Rozum
510-879-2407