People for Parks Los Angeles

One Watts photos

Peter Vidmar of the Governor's Council, Gov. Jerry Brown, Karl Stephens
of One Watts and program participant Justin Hamer (age 12) at the awards ceremony.

One Watts Brings Home the Gold

LA City Parks logo The Governors' Council on Physical Fitness has announced its 2011 Spotlight Awards, and this year's Gold Medal for parks programs goes to One Watts, a collaboration between People for Parks and the City of L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks.

One Watts is a cluster of programs serving residents of the Nickerson Gardens, Jordan Downs and Imperial Courts housing projects and the 109th Street Rec Center. It is the first parks program based in L.A. County to win any medal in the six years since then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger created the competition in 2006.

Thanks to an accompanying $10,000 award, a Cal South Soccer grant and PFP contribution, One Watts will receive more than $43,000 for programming. The cluster's "smart recreation" programs build meaningful friendships between youth of the different neighborhoods. In the 2010-11 season, a total of 336 boys and girls between 8 and 12 participated in soccer, baseball, softball, basketball, and flag football.

The Governor's Council is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting physical activity for all Californians, with an emphasis on children and youth.

Anthem Blue Cross sponsors the Spotlight Awards to highlight "individuals, organizations and events that employ innovation, inspiration and initiative to positively impact physical activity, fitness levels and the well being of California children and youth."

Read the official report here

Images taken by Lisa Weingarten of the recent One
Watts/Watts Unido Soccer event at Markham Middle School.

Building a Broader Sense of Community
in South L.A.

Watts is a vibrant community with a diverse population. It is also home to some of the most violent gang activity in Los Angeles. One Watts/Watts Unido is a collaborative program between People for Parks, the City of L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks, and the LAUSD to offer a recreation program at Markham Middle School designed to build a sense of community for young residents of the Nickerson Gardens, Imperial Courts and Jordan Downs housing developments.

According to studies of Southern California gang members, the most common reasons for joining a gang are protection and territory. Studies also show that the most successful time to intervene is during the critical middle school years. One Watts/Watts Unido activities at the 109th Street Recreation Center and facilities at all three housing complexes promote meaningful friendships that cross local boundaries, break down the territorial/protection reasons that foster gangs, and develop social skills and ability to make good decisions.

Cal South Grant for South L.A. Soccer

Cal South logo In June, the Cal South Soccer Foundation awarded People for Parks a $10,000 grant to expand recreational opportunities available to the children of Watts. PFP has already committed $30,000 this year to continue building One Watts with the City of Los Angeles’ Dept. of Recreation and Parks (which operates the 109th Street Rec Center and centers in the Nickerson Gardens, Imperial Courts and Jordan Downs housing developments), and the LAUSD, which is putting the finishing touches on a state-of-the-art soccer complex at Markham Middle School.

1330 W. 12th St., Ste. A
Los Angeles, CA 90015

Phone: 877-776-9630
info@PeopleForParks.org