Guest commentary: Adelante… into the New Year with Café on A

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By Armando Vazquez / Guest contributor

It is hard to believe but this will be the 17^th year that Debbie and I have been operating the Café on A; but here we are 2016 and so much work to do. Below are highlights, ideas and goals that we have to help empower the lives of our brothers and sisters of the greater Oxnard plains and all of Ventura County.

Community Activism, Café on A, and Democracy: Our votes count in 2016: As much as possible we want to get out the register to vote message to our community. So at every event and social gathering that we are having this year we will have a voter registration table, and information of local and national interest. Let us work to register ms many new voter in this year’s very crucial Presidential Election.

Education: The Acuna/Olin On-Line High School is in full operation. The high school is FREE, all student receive a free laptop. We are WASC accredited. We have some of the finest and most dedicated teacher in the area. Additionally our all of our local student receive individualized academic and educational counseling and guidance from Dr. Debbie DeVries and Armando Vazquez, M.Ed. The Café on A is the resource center and hub of educational operations. We are here to help all high school youth in Oxnard and Ventura County that are struggling in the traditional brick and mortar schools. Contact us we are her to serve all youth of Ventura County.

Arts and Culture at the Acuna Gallery: In the month of January we find ourselves in the middle of curating a major art exhibition featuring some of the major works of George Yepes, one of the greatest contemporary artists of the world. We will also have local artist complement and support the George Yepes exhibit. We tentatively have set the Opening Night Reception for the George Yepes for Friday, January 29, 2016. Event flyers and more information are forthcoming. The city of Oxnard is currently funds an Arts in Public Places AIPP) program, which is designed to help local artist and art organization with limited funding and support. As always the AIPP program is facing an uncertain year with respect to funding dollars, please help keep AIPP alive, thriving and empowering our community through the transformational power of the arts. The Levitations Writers Project has just self published LEVITATIONS, 2015, an Anthology of Resurrection, Redemption and Love. You can purchase a copy of this eclectic and unique book by contacting Armando at the Café on A.

The Oxnard Multicultural Mental health Coalition (OMMH): OMMH believes that a healthy mind and health body go hand in hand. Simple to state yet so very hard to execute! So at the Café on A with the generous help of OMMH member we have a variety of exciting and empowering programs for mental, physical and spiritual growth. The Unity in Recovery Project are for folks looking to work on mental health issues and concerns, this program is in its second year of operation Unity in Recovery meets at the Café on A, on Wednesdays from 12-1:30 PM. OMMH has become a recognized and respect voice in addressing mental health in the Oxnard and Ventura County area. The concept of Community Defined Evidence Practice is our local mission to have our community defined mental health well practice respected, expanded and included as viable and effective mental health modalities in the current institutional construct. We believe that the historical and effective mental health practices that we have used in our diverse community and is handed down from one generation to another are highly effective, user friendly mental health modalities that can only strengthen our local existing institutional mental delivery. OMMH meets at the Café on A every Friday, from 5:30-7 PM. Join us, let us share our unique community defined mental health wellness practices. Mosaic is the latest group to use the café on A; addressing women’s local issue and concerns through the arts. The first meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 17, 2016, from 5-8 PM. The event is open to all women!

The One Love Dance Company is in 6^th year of providing Dance/Zumba and Cardiovascular Exercise programs; the group meets Monday-Thursday from 7-8 PM. The ACCESS Water Oxnard is into its 7^th year of working to provide low income non-swimming youth of the greater Oxnard area with certified swim lessons. One of the great ironies of city of Oxnard is that it has one of the greatest beach fronts in the entire world; yet according to our research we find that more that 90% of our low income youth cannot swim. ACCESS Water wants to change this dangerous reality. We believe that if you teach a kid to swim, in the process you create a conscience and confident environmentalist advocate.

Love, Peace, Justice and Happiness

— Armando Vazquez, M.Ed., is the executive director of The KEYS Leadership Academy@ Café on A in Oxnard.