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Question:
I am a sixteen-year-old high school student from Los Angeles. In my community there is small park that is not in very good conditions. As I walk by it every afternoon, I cannot ignore the tagging and the broken sign that has destroyed our park. In addition, the park is not securely locked in the evening making it very dangerous. I came across The Community Tool Box while reading Section 6: Improving Parks and Other Community Facilities which inspired me to change the conditions of our park and revitalize it. I would like to know who I could contact and what steps I could take to make our park beautiful again. Thank you for time.
Answer:

Dear Quetzally,
We are so excited and impressed that someone your age is interested in providing such a valuable service to your community!  It sounds like you will need to engage in some advocacy.  First, I would suggest reading the Toolbox chapters on Organizing for Effective Advicacy -- Chapters 30 through 35 and Toolkit #10.
You will also need to engage some adults in your efforts. You might start with your City Council representative or other elected official representing the area where the park is located. If this is a City park, it is something the city will need to address, so find out who to contact there as well (for example, in the Parks Department). You might also check to see if there is a teacher at your school who would be interested in helping -- for example, someone who teaches government classes.
Good luck with this effort, and please write again if you have more questions.
The Community Toolbox Advisor

Question Date: Mié, 11/19/2014