Formed in 1991 to advance the success of youth and families, Redwood City Together (RCT) addresses the needs of families in San Mateo County’s Redwood City and the unincorporated area of North Fair Oaks. Approximately 10,000 community members, primarily Latinx residents, low-income families and immigrants—with a high proportion of young people and first-generation immigrants—are served by RCT.

RCT collaborates among nine core organizations and agencies spanning from health care to education and the nonprofit sector, all working to improve wellness, education and equity by addressing community violence—the primary state initiative of the Accountable Community for Health (ACH). These leaders have agreed that a focus on youth is essential to taking on community violence in Redwood City.

In May 2022, over two hundred youth on bicycles took to the streets—making downtown Redwood City their own space by riding on sidewalks, doing tricks in the roads and setting off fireworks near pedestrians and businesses. Tensions came to a head later that month when a speaking event was forced into lockdown because of disruptive youth on bikes.

The community and local businesses were frightened and angry, calling for a resolution. Rather than doubling down on enforcement, RCT collaborated with their Community Collaboration for Children’s Success (CCCS) workgroup partners to tackle this community violence issue, repair police and community relations and engineer a more positive environment for youth by creating jobs and enrichment opportunities for youth and young adults.

The CCCS working group has already had an impact: launching initiatives to expand evidence-based violence prevention, expanding youth mentoring, skill development and job opportunities, providing mental and behavioral health supports at neighboring schools, and engaging youth with relevant personal experience on youth advisory boards that shape programming, services and policies.

“I feel like we’ve been doing good for our community just by showing up,” says Rafael Avendaño, RCT’s executive director. “We’re giving youth a place to be heard and we’re authentically listening to their concerns.” He says youth now have a permanent seat at the decision-making table so they can have an equal voice when it comes to developing and implementing opportunities for social, educational and career advancement.

RCT, in collaboration with Pal Center, co-created the Purposeful Action Creation & Engagement (PACE) Plan with youth, putting the ACH’s commitment to inclusivity into action. By prioritizing engagement, not just enforcement, and focusing on listening to what youth need, this program has created an innovative and lasting solution to a complex challenge. Since the program’s creation in 2022, police reports have indicated a 26.75 percent reduction in calls related to youth crime.

Equally important, RCT is helping to employ local youth. This past summer, RCT worked closely with the Redwood City Parks and Recreation Division to create more than 60 jobs for young people in the community. Close to 70 percent of them are still employed.

Learn more at rwctogether.org.