Think back to when you were a teen. Who was influential in your life? What were the messages you received about what’s important? Maybe you were like me and playing sports and getting advice from your coaches was really important. Or maybe you had someone in your life like Greenfield Walking Group’s leader Gema Perez, who educates and inspires youth of color to work towards the betterment of their Greenfield community in Kern County.

At such a young age, the Greenfield Walking Group Youth’s resume is impressive. Within this past year alone they have led a youth roundtable at American Public Health Association, served on a panel at Cal Walks’ PedsCount! Summit, participated in Mobility Justice Advocacy Day, applied and received a grant for Safe Routes to Parks, participated in a climate march, planned and implemented a pop-up demonstration at a local park, and conducted a community clean up at Greenfield Park. I should add that three of the Greenfield Walking Group youth, Jaime Flores, Barbara Perez and Jacelyn Gomez, have done this while maintaining excellent grades, participating in school-based extracurricular activities, and applying to college. By the way, Jaime and Jacelyn are already in their first semester at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Barabra is at the California State University, Bakersfield. As we highlight their successes, it’s important to give credit where credit is due, so I want to share a little more about Jaime, Barbara, and Jacelyn, who have been at the epicenter of the Greenfield Walking Group’s work.

Jaime and Jacelyn both have a flair for verbal communications, so they’ve been the leads in talking to their Councilmembers, County Supervisors and their State Representatives about their achievements and needs of their community. They are unapologetic in their approach to talking with their elected officials and it’s a refreshing sight to see. There was one meeting in particular when the group was meeting with City Staff from the City of Bakersfield and they really pushed for pursuing a creative crosswalk. If they felt intimidated, they definitely didn’t show it because they were firm in their responses to questions from the City. Barbara normally takes the lead with written communications; she’s written blog posts highlighting the activities the group has done. She’s been the lead in many ways with bringing sidewalk improvements near Golden Valley High School.

Jaime showing us how fun painting high-visibility green bike lane markings into the late evening can be!

All three have been integral to the success of their latest Safe Routes to Parks project. This effort is advancing the safety and accessibility of three of their local parks. You’ve read about their success and their plan to implement the park improvements and park access will be highlighted in a report within the coming months. What you haven’t read about were the late nights and early mornings the youth spent painting high visibility markings, including vibrant green bike lanes or setting up cones used as barriers for the bike lane. The youth were determined to see the event through and always found ways to make even the most tedious task fun.

These three youths are just starting their college careers, yet they’re still so intrinsically linked to the Greenfield Walking Group as mentors and supporters. Jaime and Jacelyn consistently text to stay in communication and tell us how they miss being part of the group and joke that we should take a quick detour to pick them up on meeting days. They still help with any activities they can remotely. With such a solid community foundation, I can only imagine the amazing things they’ll continue to do in their academic and professional careers. If the work they’ve done in their youth is any indication of their trajectory, they truly are going to change our lives for the better.

They will be succeeded by younger members of the Greenfield Walking Group, like Diana Cuevas and David Martinez. Diana has been involved with the group since she was much younger and her family was integral to advancing the group’s community garden. David is a newer member to the group but he brings a lot of energy and laughter to the meetings and work. More updates on the Greenfield Walking Group’s work and college adventure stories to come!

Community Rooted: Greenfield Walking Group Youth Go to College!