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Ventura County Civic Alliance

Civics Education & Work-Based Learning Experiences in the Cities of Oxnard and Camarillo and the County of Ventura

Ventura County Civic Alliance and its partners have four goals in developing their Summer at City Hall experiences:

  • Create a high school to career pipeline to ensure a more diverse and prepared public sector workforce.
  • Expand Youth Civic Engagement opportunities including community leadership, volunteerism, advocacy, activism, voting and philanthropy.
  • Increase youth knowledge of how local government operates.
  • Strengthen intergenerational relationships and improve adult knowledge of youth and youth issues/concerns.
During their time they got to meet with city and county officials. Oxnard’s Mayor and the Deputy City Manger explained the importance of being engaged in community. The City Clerk and County Clerk also gave information on the importance of voting on important laws and issues within their communities and the process of running for city, county and state offices.- Mary Anne Rooney, Ventura County Civic Alliance
Text reads "Summer at City Hall Oxnard" with a graphic of a building and stars in red, white, and blue.

Oxnard began its Summer at City Hall experience in 2016 to build upon the City Council’s March 2015 resolution declaring itself a Linked Learning City. The city partnered with the Oxnard Unified High School District (OUHSD) and the Ventura County Civic Alliance (VCCA). 

Oxnard SACH: Executive SummaryCalendar of SACH Oxnard ExperienceSample Student Project: Parklet PamphletOxnard's Law & Public Services AcademyAlliance for Linked Learning (Oxnard)Oxnard SACH - Profile PageStudent Recognition at School Board MeetingWestern City Article - GEY: Preparing for College, Career and Civic LifeCity of Oxnard's Summer at City Hall Model2018 Case Story - Ventura County Civic Alliance
About Oxnard’s Summer at City Hall 

The SACH experience served 13 underserved/underrepresented youth in 10th, 11th and 12th grade, aged 15-17. The program provided youth the opportunity to learn skills and knowledge such as:

  • Public speaking
  • Job readiness
  • Employability skills
  • Computer skills
  • Public service knowledge
  • City and county government functions
  • College and career pathway experience
  • Public engagement
Highlights 
  • Five week program curriculum for SACH
  • Internships for each student in the amount of 45 hours and received recognition by the OUHSD (see document at right)
  • Each student received school credit in the amount of five (5) credits
  • Donation in the amount of $5,000 to pay for stipends for the students internship was secured
  • Students presented their projects at a session with leaders of the City, OUHSD staff, and VCCA members
  • Video documenting the program and student projects was developed
  • Students and participants made a presentation at City Council meeting
  • City benefited from youth experience and abilities with the completion of the following student projects:
    • Parklet Pilot Program Guideline booklet developed for the Development Services Department
    • Flyer and participation in the Stand Down initiative with the Fire Department
    • Snap Chat page for the Public Relations Department
    • Public Safety Announcement for the Police Department
    • Assistance with the Summer Reading Program for the Library Department
    • Flyer for a community arts program for the Performing Arts and Convention Center
A timeline from August to September showing project milestones, meetings with city officials, funding secured, and presentations.
This graph demonstrates the planning and execution of the inaugural Oxnard SACH experience.
Internship Experiences 
  • Digitizing archived data
  • Creating public service announcements
  • Updating websites
  • Cataloging and inventory of hardware
  • GIS tracking and update of software
  • Review of files for desalination project
  • Archiving City Clerk files for expansion of vault
Growth of Student Participation in Ventura County GEY Models 
Growth of student participation in Ventura County GEY Models from 2016-2018, showing increases in students and economic impact.
Oxnard SACH Youth and Staff Experience (Videos) 

In the video below, hear from youth and staff about their experience participating in Oxnard’s SACH. Youth learned about civics and local government and shadowed in seven departments, including:

  • Public relations
  • Fire
  • Library
  • Development services
  • Police
  • Parks and recreation
  • Performing Arts and Convention Center

Internship highlights and impacts are shared in this video featuring youth, staff and thank yous to the generous sponsors.

Oxnard’s Interns share their experience and interview agency staff about SACH.

Why Internships Matter from a City Professional’s Perspective

Highlights from the City of Camarillo’s Summer at City Hall Experience

Collaboration Among Partners 

Oxnard is a community that has taken a unique approach to supporting youth through a highly collaborative effort uniting OUHSD, VCCA and many partners. The network of partners includes:

  • Employers
  • Workforce Investment Board
  • Community based organizations
  • Economic development partners
  • Elementary schools
  • County Office of Education
  • Colleges and universities
Diagram showing collaboration between OUHSD and Civic Alliance with linked entities such as employers, education, and community organizations.
Oxnard's SACH is a model of collaboration among many partners. The OUHSD and the VCCA are the primary partners.