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<br />The Safe Routes to School Program includes: <br />? <br /> conducting school-wide surveys to identify current ways students get to school and factors <br />that affect their decision; <br />? <br /> teaching safe bicycling and bike maintenance in the classroom and after school; <br />? <br /> conducting weekend bike clinics for parents and students; <br />? <br /> identifying barriers to walking and biking, evaluating solutions, and developing funding <br />options; <br />? <br /> developing routes that are appropriate for youth cyclists and leading biking and walking <br />groups to school; <br />? <br /> collecting traffic data near school; <br />? <br /> providing families with information about Lane Transit District’s bus service and Smart <br />Ways to School program; <br />? <br /> providing police patrols to enforce traffic safety laws; and <br />? <br /> holding in-class focus groups to aid in developing the City’s Pedestrian and Bicycle <br />Strategic Plan. <br /> <br />A “How Do You Get to School?” contest will be conducted to encourage participation and make the <br />program fun for the students. Students who walk, bike, ride a bus, or carpool to and from school can <br />enter a contest for prizes. Winners will be drawn each week for six weeks from April 23 to May 29. <br /> <br />The partners involved in the project will also consider submitting an application for an Oregon Safe <br />Routes to School grant to help fund education, encouragement and engineering improvements. For <br />more information, contact Lee Shoemaker, pedestrian and bicycle coordinator, at 682-5471 or <br />lee.shoemaker@ci.eugene.or.us. <br /> <br />Recreation Services’ Hip Hop Gives Youth Hope <br />Spring Break has concluded, and Eugene has 23 teens who can now say they helped create a new Hip <br />nd <br />Hop CD. The 2 annual Hip Hop Hope – Eugene spring break camp was a tremendous success this <br />year. The camp, a partnership between the City’s Recreation Division, the Oregon Country Fair, and <br />Jefferson Middle School, uses facilitators from the Power of Hope organization. It provides a creative <br />and supportive environment for youth to tap into their hearts and minds and share through their words <br />and voice. Local Hip Hop artists and musicians are brought together to help teach the teens how to <br />express themselves in a positive and healthy manner, eliminating the negative stereotypes of the Hip <br />Hop music industry. <br /> <br />The teens were up to the task during this very busy week. As staff built a trusting and supportive <br />environment, the participants were encouraged to take personal risks in sharing their thoughts and <br />experiences by writing songs, poetry, and spoken word pieces. They participated in writing workshops, <br />beat making, music construction, and artistic expression. One outcome of the project is the creation of <br />the “Hip Hop Hope – Eugene” CD, but the greatest outcome is the positive reinforcement and personal <br />growth experienced through the discovery of appropriate methods of self-expression, and the self power <br />developed by doing so. The week was definitely a Developmental Asset-rich experience. <br /> <br />The City of Eugene also supports the Oregon Country Fair in its ongoing creation of “Culture Jam Youth <br />Camp.” Culture Jam is an overnight summer camp where many forms of artistic, theatrical and musical <br />methods of expression are used to empower youth to share their experiences and to express themselves <br />in healthy ways. For your own copy of the “Hip Hop Hope – Eugene 2007” CD, and for more information <br />on these programs, contact Peter Chavannes, youth leadership coordinator, Recreation Services, <br />682-6359. <br /> <br /> <br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 6 <br />April 5, 2007 <br />