Category: Youth

SEEAG’s Summer Celebration on Aug. 16 to honor local farmers, support ag education and raise funds for proposed new 2.5 acre educational farm campus

by Community Contributor • June 25, 2025 • Comments Off

The Summer Celebration will be held at the Ventura County Agricultural Museum in Santa Paula. Guests will enjoy the flavors of summer with brunch stations, appetizers, and locally crafted beverages curated by Seasons Catering—featuring fresh, locally sourced ingredients from SEEAG’s farm partners and artisanal products from Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Attendees can learn about SEEAG’s programs, be the first to view its vision for its new farm campus, explore the museum’s current exhibition, enjoy live music, and participate in a live auction.

Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara announces winner of 2025 Solo Piano Concerto Competition

by Community Contributor • June 25, 2025 • Comments Off

SANTA BARBARA — The Music Academy of the West is thrilled to announce that Min Joo Yi has been selected as the winner of the 2025 Solo Piano Concerto Competition, held on June 20 at Hahn Hall as part of the Music Academy’s 2025 Summer Music Festival & School.

Min Joo Yi captivated the audience and a panel of judges with a commanding interpretation of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37, earning the opportunity to perform as part of the Santa Barbara Symphony’s Beethoven Piano Concerto Marathon on Saturday, January 17, 2026 — the first concert in a two-concert weekend showcasing all five of Beethoven’s piano concertos, each performed by a winner of an international piano competition. In addition to this prestigious performance opportunity, the winner receives a $2,500 award from the Music Academy.

UCSB — The Current — ‘What does it mean to be ‘Hapa?’ Artist Kip Fulbeck reflects on 25-year identity project’ and more news, events

by Community Contributor • June 25, 2025 • Comments Off

An expanded exhibition at San Diego’s Museum of Us revisits Fulbeck’s landmark portraits and the evolving identities behind them.

Ventura Improv Company still standing

by Community Contributor • June 25, 2025 • Comments Off

VENTURA — The Ventura Improv Company (VIC), making audiences laugh with made-up-on-the-spot comedy since 1989, is happily at home at NAMBA Performing Arts Space these days.

Closing the theater space in 2017 and losing long-time Artistic Director Gary Best in 2023 were two challenges that almost silenced the group permanently. But then, not wanting to end the run just yet, Judy Gottlieb stepped in.

“We already had a new home at NAMBA,” says Gottlieb, a long-time performer and current Artistic Director of the VIC. “Our monthly shows continue to draw audiences, and our drop-in improv workshops started to grow. I felt like it wasn’t time to quit.”

Bilingual report — Peoples’ Self-Help Housing (PSHH) — Cleaver & Clark Commons in SLO: Pre-Applications Coming Soon | Cleaver & Clark Commons: Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles pronto

by Community Contributor • June 25, 2025 • Comments Off

Pre-applications available Tuesday, July 8, 9AM at pshhc.org/CCC
Pre-solicitudes disponibles el martes 8 de julio a las 9AM en pshhc.org/CCC

Stuff the Bus — Help United Way of Ventura County provide backpacks with essential school supplies for 1,000 local homeless youth

by Community Contributor • June 24, 2025 • Comments Off

Museum of Ventura County — Photography Workshop with Diego Huerta, more events

by Community Contributor • June 24, 2025 • Comments Off

Saturday, August 16
3 – 8 p.m.
@Museum of Ventura County
100 E. Main Street., Ventura

Diego Huerta, the resident photographer behind the Enfoque exhibition and internationally acclaimed for documenting Indigenous communities throughout the Americas, leads this outdoor portrait workshop at Surfer’s Point. Designed for intermediate to advanced photographers ages 16 and up, the 60–90 minute session focuses on using natural light, flash, and strobe to create compelling portraiture.

?Participants must bring a DSLR or mirrorless camera, tripod, filters, lenses, and lighting gear. Be prepared to navigate uneven terrain and embrace changing weather conditions—this workshop runs rain or shine. Dinner is included after the session. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to learn from a master in the field. Cost: $250 non-members, 15% off members. Register HERE.

City of Ventura — Marina Park Playground now open

by Community Contributor • June 24, 2025 • Comments Off

VENTURA — The City of Ventura is thrilled to officially open Marina Park’s new playground, delivering a modern and thoughtfully designed play space for the Pierpont Bay community and surrounding areas.

Local dignitaries, City staff, project partners, and community members gathered on Tuesday, June 24, for a celebratory ribbon-cutting to commemorate this exciting milestone.

Bilingual report — Joint Statement from the Fire Departments of Ventura County: Emergency services are for everyone

by Community Contributor • June 20, 2025 • Comments Off

VENTURA COUNTY — Every fire department in Ventura County is united in our commitment to protecting lives—no matter who you are or where you’re from. Everyone in our communities deserves safety, emergency care, and compassion. Our firefighters respond to every emergency without hesitation or judgment. Immigration status is never a factor in the care we provide, and we do not ask, record, or report that information.

Bilingual commentary — Compassion vs. Caution on the Street

by Community Contributor • June 20, 2025 • Comments Off

Having more time to walk the streets of the Oxnard and Ventura areas lately, I find myself navigating a world that had not been entirely apparent to me in the past. I am more aware now of the great number of people who are distressed, troubled, and immersed in mental illness.

Their plight becomes obvious as I witness people who are talking animatedly with themselves—sometimes cheerfully, but too often they are angry and threatening. It’s hard to feel safe when someone close by is screaming something such as, “I’m gonna kill every single person I find!”

Bilingual report — Gold Coast Health Plan denounces sharing of Medicaid enrollment data with Department of Homeland Security

by Community Contributor • June 20, 2025 • Comments Off

CAMARILLO — Gold Coast Health Plan (GCHP), the local Medi-Cal plan for Ventura County, is deeply concerned about the possibility of sensitive Medicaid enrollment data—including names, addresses, and immigration statuses—being shared with the Department of Homeland Security as reported by the Associated Press. According to the article, the data sharing was conducted “despite internal objections from Medicaid officials” and without consent from states, health plans, or members.

The data includes information from individuals in various states, including California, that allow those with “unsatisfactory immigration status” to enroll in Medicaid programs funded by state dollars.

“This breach is not just a policy failure—it is a moral one,” said Dr. Felix Nuñez, GCHP’s chief executive officer. “Trust is the foundation of our health system. Undermining that trust by turning health care into a tool of immigration enforcement jeopardizes the well-being of entire communities. We must protect the right to seek care without fear.”

CLU School Management Community Newspaper

by Community Contributor • June 19, 2025 • Comments Off

Hard to believe, but another academic year has come to a close. Just a few weeks ago, School of Management undergraduate and graduate students walked the stage at Cal Lutheran’s annual Commencement on our beautiful Thousand Oaks campus.

They worked tirelessly to reach this milestone, and for many, the experience was bittersweet. During their time at Cal Lutheran, the School of Management has become a home — a place where they found their tribe, discovered their calling, built skills that will stay with them for life. Now, they look ahead with excitement: to entry-level opportunities in the corporate or nonprofit worlds, to promotions at their current organizations, or to further study in graduate programs. Whatever comes next, we are proud of them and remain committed to supporting each one of them every step of the way.

New state oversight board’s report highlights need to improve nonprofit contracting practices in California

by Community Contributor • June 19, 2025 • Comments Off

Two bills pending in California State Senate — including Assembly Bill 880 by Assemblymember Steve Bennett (D-Ventura) and Assembly Bill 1039 by Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) — deserve Governor’s support

NeighborWorks Week 2025: Cabrillo Economic Development Corp. brings vital resources to residents

by Community Contributor • June 19, 2025 • Comments Off

VENTURA COUNTY — Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation (Cabrillo EDC) concluded its 2025 NeighborWorks Week celebrations with two community-focused events that brought critical services and resources directly to residents. Under this year’s theme, “Creating Homes, Building America,” Cabrillo EDC’s resource fairs united neighbors, service providers, and local leaders to facilitate connections and opportunities.

CSUCI Biology faculty member and students return endangered fish after rescuing them from the Palisades fire

by Community Contributor • June 19, 2025 • Comments Off

CAMARILLO — A crisis that began with the Los Angeles fires came full circle this week with a CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Environmental Science & Resource (ESRM) faculty member, his students, and other agencies and organizations returning endangered fish back to a safe environment after five months.

On June 17, ESRM faculty member Brenton Spies and students from a CSUCI summer research program helped to return Northern tidewater gobies back into the Topanga Lagoon after the fish spent five months in two Southern California aquariums, the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach and Heal the Bay Aquarium in Santa Monica.

“The fish are doing really well,” Spies said. “They were kind of on a vacation, getting fed twice a day, with no stress of predators.”

Bilingual report — June news from Peoples’ Self-Help Housing (PSHH)

by Community Contributor • June 19, 2025 • Comments Off

June is Homeownership Month and so I would like to shine a special light on our own Home Ownership department: the oldest team in our organization, the very reason we were founded 55 years ago. If you haven’t yet had a chance to check out some of People’s Self-Help Housing’s amazing early history, you can do that right here!

Of course, it is the incredible owner-builders themselves, the people who learn to dig, saw, hammer, and drill, who have been the stars of the show ever since the self-help program began. The physical and emotional investment made by the over 1,200 families who have completed building with us since 1970 is of a magnitude few of us could commit to. Usually over 40 hours a week (on top of regular day jobs!), 14 months of construction, and the desire to push through whatever the weather, or the date on the calendar.

Our organization has many facets which help those just trying to have a safe, decent, and affordable place to enjoy life. I hope you’ll join me this month in recognizing the efforts and achievements of just one of those – affordable homeownership.

Peoples’ Self-Help Housing (PSHH) — Reminder: Cypress Place (Oxnard) Pre-Applications due Tuesday, June 24 | Recordatorio: Cypress Place Las pre-solicitudes deben entregarse el martes 24 de junior

by Community Contributor • June 19, 2025 • Comments Off

Reminder: pre-applications due Tuesday, June 24 at 5PM
Recordatorio: pre-solicitudes deben entregarse el martes 24 de junio a las 5PM

Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to meet June 24

by Community Contributor • June 19, 2025 • Comments Off

View this email online The next regular meeting of the County Board of Supervisors is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 24, 2025 County Administration Building Board Hearing Room, Fourth Floor 105 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara The public may participate…

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara — Announcing the Jury! – Call for entries

by Community Contributor • June 17, 2025 • Comments Off

Arte Del Pueblo is now on view until July 27th!

Thank you to everyone that came to the opening reception. We really enjoyed spending time with you all and celebrating these amazing artists together.

Make sure to come visit us before the exhibition is over… And keep an eye out for upcoming events surrounding Arte Del Pueblo!

Help United Way of Ventura County provide backpack with essential school supplies for 1,000 local homeless youth

by Community Contributor • June 17, 2025 • Comments Off

United Way’s Stuff the Bus campaign aims to increase school readiness of homeless youth and lessen the financial burden of back-to-school expenses on their families. Over 8,000 youth have been identified as homeless in Ventura County. The average cost for back-to-school supplies for one child is almost $600, which can be a challenge for low-income families.
Studies show that barriers to school readiness can lead to increased absenteeism, developmental delays, poor literacy, and decreased emotional well-being. Students who come from low-income families are also seven times more likely to drop out of school than those from families with higher incomes.
New school supplies are essential for a student’s success in school. By providing homeless students with essential school supplies, our campaign helps pave the path to academic success by ensuring that students start the school year with the tools they need to learn. With your support, we can increase school readiness among homeless youth in our community and help them stay in school.

Workzones ignites Santa Barbara’s startup scene

by Community Contributor • June 17, 2025 • Comments Off

SANTA BARBARA — As layoffs and “return-to-work” mandates increase, more people are forging careers as independent contractors and entrepreneurs. Workzones, a premier coworking community located in downtown Santa Barbara, is playing a pivotal role in this transformation, not just a provider of flexible office spaces, but also as a supportive launchpad for the region’s startups.

For more than a decade, Workzones has served the Santa Barbara independent worker and business community by offering shared co-working facilities, flexible private offices and meeting and event space. More recently, the company has expanded its offerings to meet the growing demand for mentorship and support among startups and fledgling entrepreneurs.

Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics’ partnership with physician’s assistance program is growing the next generation of community healthcare healers

by Community Contributor • June 17, 2025 • Comments Off

SANTA BARBARA — The A.T. Still University Central Coast Physician Assistant (CCPA) program has two incoming students at Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics. (SBNC). The program seeks students who align with their mission and whose personal goals include serving diverse medically underserved populations and who are professional, culturally humble, and have a desire to serve these communities. Applicants who are first-generation college students will also be given special consideration in the review process.

Gabriel Estrada has gained firsthand medical experience as a medical assistant at Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics for three years. The UCSB graduate earned a degree in Biological Sciences in 2022. He learned that SBNC had become affiliated with the A.T. Still CCPA program and believed that, for him, the PA route was preferable to medical school.

SBCC to begin construction on Physical Education Replacement Building

by Community Contributor • June 16, 2025 • Comments Off

SANTA BARBARA — Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) is pleased to announce the commencement of construction on the highly anticipated Physical Education Replacement Building Project, beginning Monday, June 16, 2025. This significant milestone marks the start of the (soft) demolition, abatement, and general construction mobilization efforts on campus.

To ensure safety and visibility, fencing will be installed around the construction zone, showcasing architectural renderings of the new facility along with a QR code directing viewers to the official project website: sbcc.edu/measure-p/physical-education-building-replacement

Ventura Music Festival — Summer is in the Box Office!

by Community Contributor • June 16, 2025 • Comments Off

See what’s up next, join the VMF volunteer party, and get your Summer tickets! OTTMAR LIEBERT Friday, June 27 at 7:00 PM The Majestic Ventura Theater Information & Tickets Prepare for an unforgettable evening as 5-time GRAMMYnominee Ottmar Liebert brings…

MICOP — With Dignity & Respect: ICE Out of Ventura County! See related news stories here

by Community Contributor • June 13, 2025 • Comments Off

(Amigos805.com Editor’s Note: Also see national new stories about immigration raids in the 805 region courtesy of ABC7 News, KTLA 5, NBC LA and MSNBC.

VENTURA — In response to escalating federal immigration raids, the deployment of National Guard troops at peaceful protests in Los Angeles, and the confirmed presence of ICE activity across Ventura County the “ICE Out of Ventura County and 805 Immigrant Coalition,” with community partners held a press conference on June 12 in front of the County of Ventura Government Center.

“ICE Out of Ventura County” is a call to action against the ongoing criminalization and militarization targeting our immigrant and Indigenous neighbors.

(MICOP also announced that a press conference was also on June 12 at the Joseph Centeno Betteravia Administration Building in Santa Maria featuring a variety of migrant community support organizations.)

“These past few days have been incredibly painful for our community, beginning with the unjust raids targeting our hardworking brothers and sisters across various industries in Los Angeles. But nothing prepared us for the devastation of what happened here at home,” stated MICOP’s Community Organizing Director Juvenal Solano, “On Tuesday, June 10, our city of Oxnard was the target of mass raids—families ripped apart in an instant, children left waiting for parents who never came home. The heartbreak is unbearable. The rage is deep.”

Bilingual commentary — Delighting in Cruelty

by Community Contributor • June 13, 2025 • Comments Off

Every day since the beginning of this year, I listen to the news from reliable, respected sources. Since the beginning of the year, I often find myself wondering why our federal government seems to delight in what seems to be a policy of cruelty.

Consider the following recent issues:

the blitzkrieg mass firings of new and experienced government employees
the hostile takeover of cultural centers
the treatment of immigrants, both legal and illegal …

Bilingual report — Ribbon cutting ceremony highlights safer pedestrian access to El Rio neighborhood of Oxnard

by Community Contributor • June 13, 2025 • Comments Off

VENTURA — Supervisor Kelly Long’s Office and the Ventura County Public Works Agency (VCPWA), in collaboration with community partners and local leaders, celebrated the completion of the El Rio Pedestrian Improvements Project with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, June 2, 2025, at the First Baptist Church of El Rio.

The event brought together members of the Rio School District, Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP), Nyeland Promise Advisory Board, Gold Coast Transit District, construction teams, residents, and other key stakeholders who contributed to the project’s success. The celebration featured performances from children of the Mariachi Academy and folklórico dancers from the Rio School District, showcasing the vibrant spirit of the El Rio community.

El Concilio Family Services — Need to renew your permanent resident card?

by Community Contributor • June 13, 2025 • Comments Off

OXNARD — Let El Concilio help you stay protected and prepared! *** Nuestro equipo acreditado a nivel federal está listo para ayudarlo. Ofreciendo renovaciones gratuitas de tarjetas de residencia permanente. Renovaciones Solo para Tarjetas que han vencido o vencerán dentro de los próximos 6 meses.

Atentamente,
El Concilio Family Services

Farm Bureau of Ventura County — Western Center for Ag Health and Safety Training on June 13 for foreman and supervisors Immigration Enforcement in the Agricultural Workplace

by Community Contributor • June 13, 2025 • Comments Off

Join the Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety on Friday, June 13th at 9 am to learn how leaders in the agricultural workplace can prepare and respond to immigration enforcement. The primary audience is crew leaders and frontline supervisors. The webinar will be in Spanish with simultaneous English interpretation. This webinar will not be recorded.

United Way of Ventura County — Stuff the Bus (June 9-July 31) and more news

by Community Contributor • June 13, 2025 • Comments Off

United Way of Ventura County’s 2025 Stuff the Bus campaign has officially launched! Help us reach our goal of providing 1,000 backpacks stuffed with essential school supplies for local homeless middle schoolers. Currently, over 8,000 youth have been identified as homeless in Ventura County and over 30% of homeless youth are of middle school age. Listed below are ways you can help this year’s campaign.

Farm Bureau of Ventura County condemns ICE Actions

by Community Contributor • June 13, 2025 • Comments Off

VENTURA COUNTY — The Farm Bureau of Ventura County, representing hundreds of farmers, ranchers, and agricultural businesses across the region, strongly condemns the actions taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Oxnard this morning. Reports indicate that ICE agents attempted to enter a local packing facility without a judicial warrant, conducted operations in agricultural fields, and initiated vehicle stops on roads frequently used by agricultural workers commuting to job sites.

As working producers and stewards of Ventura County’s $2 billion agricultural economy, we know firsthand that our industry cannot function without the contributions of our workforce. These are people we rely on, respect, and work alongside every day. They are skilled professionals who bring deep experience and an extraordinary work ethic to Ventura County’s fields and ranches. Their labor is the reason our region is recognized as one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world.

LULAC urges public calm as National Guard troops ordered by Trump Administration arrive in Southern California

by Community Contributor • June 13, 2025 • Comments Off

“We are very concerned over the inflammatory language that the Trump administration is using to describe the environment in Los Angeles, which its actions have ignited,” said Roman Palomares, LULAC National President and Chairman of the Board. “Sending national guard troops into Southern California, without regard for the authority or knowledge of local or state officials, is a deliberate tactic that is only ramping up the anger,” he adds.

Bilingual report — Celebrate the 4th of July with Ventura’s Street Fair and Parade

by Community Contributor • June 13, 2025 • Comments Off

VENTURA — The City of Ventura’s beloved 4th of July Street Fair and Pushem-Pullem Parade returns on Friday, July 4, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the heart of Downtown Ventura.

Courtesy photo.
The Pushem-Pullem Parade, presented by the Rotary Club of East Ventura, kicks off the celebration at 10:00 a.m. on Main Street in front of Cemetery Memorial Park and flows into the Street Fair. The parade is free and open to all; no registration is required. Families are encouraged to decorate bikes, scooters, strollers, or wagons and join the fun. Please note motorized vehicles are not permitted.

UCSB — The Current — ‘College of Engineering named for former dean, Robert Mehrabian’ and more news, events

by Community Contributor • June 12, 2025 • Comments Off

Mehrabian, who served as the fourth engineering dean at UCSB from 1983-1990, was responsible for major growth and advancement of the relatively young college during his tenure.

Santa Paula Art Museum — Inbox Art Exhibit: Anne Ward’s ‘Painted Seasons’

by Community Contributor • June 11, 2025 • Comments Off

On view now through July 6, 2025

Anne Ward grew up in the Westchester neighborhood of Los Angeles, wanting to be an artist. She was always painting and drawing and was given her first set of oil paints by her Aunt Peg at age 13. After completing a degree in history at UCLA, Ward went to work as an assistant to the director on films like “Wyatt Earp” and “French Kiss.” While working in France, Anne discovered the thrill of painting outdoors and returned home fully devoted to the pursuit of painting.

Bilingual report — Twenty-one recruits graduate from Allan Hancock College’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy

by Community Contributor • June 11, 2025 • Comments Off

SANTA MARIA — Twenty-one recruits graduated from Allan Hancock College’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy on June 11 during a ceremony at the college’s Public Safety Training Complex in Lompoc.

The graduating recruits of Class #25-129 celebrated the completion of an intensive 872-hour California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) course, which prepares them for careers as peace officers. The program emphasizes professionalism, integrity, and public service, with training in community policing, search and seizure, firearms, ethics, investigation procedures, physical training, and emergency vehicle operations.