Noche de Ciencias – November 5

Celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) – November 1

Izcalli and Jacobs Presents invite you to an authentic cultural festival for Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. This FREE event honors the Mexican and indigenous tradition of celebrating the spiritual journey of deceased loved ones with altars, food, music, and entertainment.

Sunday, November 1
Noon – 9 pm

Market Creek Amphitheater
310 Euclid Ave.
San Diego, CA 92114

Grow Your Career by Going Green! Apply for our Green Assistance Program

Did you know that some of the fastest growing jobs are Green? Now is the time to enhance your skills and gain valuable hands-on experience by applying for our Green Assistance Program.

The San Diego Green Building Council and the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation are teaming up to offer an 80-hour hands-on training for anyone working or interested in careers related to urban planning, facilities management, hospitality, building trades, or sustainability and clean energy. Classes will be offered monthly starting in mid-October.

APPLY HERE

The deadline to apply is October 7

What you will gain:

• Skills in sustainability management, green building practices, and general project management
• Leadership skills
• Certificate of Completion from the San Diego Green Building Council
• San Diego Green Building Council membership benefits for one year
• Preparation for the LEED Green Associate Credential exam

The cost of the program is $75 for the general public and $35 for students. Scholarships are available for residents in the Diamond Neighborhoods! 

For more information send an email to DiamondJobs@JacobsCenter.org or call (619) 527-6161. 

Full STE[+A]M Ahead Celebration Dinner Recap and New Public Art Concepts Unveiled

This summer’s Full STE[+a]M Ahead youth program drew to a close last week with a celebratory dinner. At the event, the #fullsteam15 Track 1 students presented their final projects to the hundreds of family members, friends and community members that came out to support these incredible students.

The five student groups worked for three weeks on projects that incorporated the lessons they learned throughout the program. Attendees were then able to vote on their favorite project, with the team that earned the most votes winning $100 Best Buy gift cards for each member. Here’s each project from the Full STE[+a]M teams.

Team 1: Composting

The Composting team’s project created a sustainable composting center that provides healthy soil for growing fruits, herbs, and vegetables. It is their overall mission to have community members take part in the running of the compost center by treating it similar to a recycling center. Their compostable materials could be converted into rich soil, enabling healthier growing in their home and community gardens.

Team 2: Water Conservation

The Water Conservation team created a project that could be very helpful to the community and city as a whole considering California’s current drought. They created plans for an aquaponics vertical garden waterfall, where they could keep fish for sale and consumption. Proceeds would help maintain the waterfall.

Team 3: Water Conservation 2

The second team to work on a water conservation project created a rooftop garden at a local school. With this project, they felt they could provide the school’s cafeteria with organic fresh fruits and vegetables grown on the grounds.

Team 4: Food Production

This team focused their project on creating a garden that grows organic food crops, which is much-needed in food swamps. Their garden would be located in the Diamond Neighborhoods and use no pesticides. The team designed their large community garden, incorporating trees and planting beds into their garden. With this garden, the team felt they could help the community and challenge obesity in America.

 Team 5: Permaculture

The team designed a backyard permaculture system that reintroduced healthy nutrients and ecological harmony into a localized area. They had various elements, including a tree guild with fig trees and rosemary shrubs, a portable chicken coop to distribute waste, graywater for which to recycle sink and bath tub water, and shaded benches containing a compost worm bin underneath.

While all the teams did an amazing job on their project, the team that received the most votes was the Composting team that created a recycling center for compost soil. Their happiness and excitement was evident when their name was announced. We were very happy for all of the students and applaud their hard work.

As Track 1 presented their projects, Track 2 shared the work they did during their two-week program. As we mentioned in a previous post, Track 2 of Full STE[+a]M Ahead added the arts component to the curriculum. The AjA Project came in to teach students about storytelling through film and digital photography, creative placemaking, and ways they can help positively change their community through the power of the arts. Throughout this process, students used their images to create a dialogue around their community, past and present, and the role that creative placemaking plays. The process of using the visual arts and STEAM principles to research, document, and discuss creative place-making in a digital world made a lasting impact on the students, who learned to see their neighborhood in a whole new way.

Through these lessons, students created public art concepts that may replace the Community Faces murals located on the outside walls of Food 4 Less in Market Creek Plaza. The pieces they created are beautiful and would be seen by thousands for years to come.

We thank all the students who participated in this year’s Full STE[+a]M Ahead summer youth program. Not only did the number of participants double from last year, we are absolutely thrilled to report that the program had a 100% retention rate. Not a single student dropped out of the program. Some even walked an hour to make it to their classes. We are so very proud of their commitment to their education.

We also have a special thanks to the educational partners who created an enriching experiencing for the student: Elementary Institute of Science (EIS), Project New Village, the AJA Project, the San Diego Futures Foundation, Groundwork, and UC San Diego Extension. Next year, EIS will take over Full STE[+a]M Ahead and continue to have UC San Diego’s continued support in this fantastic program. We are confident that they will take Full STE[+a]M  to even greater heights.

Jacobs Presents: An Evening of Tango – August 22

Jacobs Presents and San Diego’s Tango community invite you to an Evening of Tango with TintoTango! Experience Tango music, dance, art, and culture at this 21+ event. Whether you are a beginner or a Tango enthusiast this event has something for everyone. You’ll have a chance to see a cultural performance and learn Tango moves at 6 pm. Then at 9 pm, the Jacobs Center’s Celebration Hall transforms into Club Milonga, for an extraordinary cultural Tango experience!

Tickets are only $29.00! You don’t want to miss this extraordinary experience.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Cultural Performance and Tango Lessons

• 6 pm – 7:15 pm check-in
• 7:15 pm – LA’s amazing Argentinean Tango ensemble TintoTango performs with professional dancers
• 8 pm – History & Culture of Tango facilitated by The Art of the Dance Tango with instructor Florentino Guizar and other exceptional San Diego dancers
• 8:15 pm – Tango lessons

Club Milonga!

• 9 pm – 12:30 am – Milonga – Tango dance experience, with TintoTango performing

Happening at the Joe & Vi Jacobs Center, Celebration Hall
404 Euclid Avenue
San Diego, CA 92114

This is a 21+ event. For more information contact Liz Faris, Communications Manager at LFaris@JacobsCenter.org or (619) 527-6161 ext. 376. 

Learn more at www.JacobsPresents.com.

FREE Community Learning Series: Introduction to Video Storytelling – August 13

Do you like movies? Would you like to learn how to make one?

Join us for a FREE Introduction to Video Storytelling information session. The class will be taught by local filmmakers David Jester and Matt Helbig, co-founders of Fifty Square Feet Productions. 

Learn how to write, shoot, and edit documentaries, films, webisodes, and more! The course will cover the art of storytelling, basic video, audio, and lighting.

Thursday, August 13
5:30 pm
Joe & Vi Jacobs, Community Room (First Floor)
404 Euclid Avenue
San Diego, CA 92114
Free parking is available on-site.

SPACE IS LIMITED.
REGISTER HERE.

If you have access to a cell phone that takes video and an interest in learning film, you have everything you need to attend!

Contact Beatriz Garcia, Director of Community Engagement at BGarcia@jacobscenter.org or
(619) 527-6161 ext. 371 for more information. 

Jazz at the Creek Concludes with Nick Colionne, Reggie Codrington, and Daneen Wilburn – August 15

The Jazz at the Creek series finale, presented by M.A.N.D.A.T.E. Records, Inc. concludes with red-hot guitarist and vocalist Nick Colionne joined by vocalist Daneen Wilburn and saxophonist Reggie Codrington.

Saturday, August 15
3 p.m.
Market Creek Amphitheater
310 Euclid Avenue, San Diego, CA 92114
(located behind Food 4 Less)
FREE parking is available at the 
Joe & Vi Jacobs Center
404 Euclid Avenue, San Diego, CA 92114

BUY TICKETS HERE

A portion of the proceeds goes to the San Diego Food Bank’s
Food for Kids Backpack Program. 

Don’t worry this isn’t your last chance to experience Jazz in the Diamond. Stay tuned for more information on our upcoming Evening of Jazz with Michelle Coltrane on
October 2!

National Night Out at Gompers Park

FREE Community Learning Series, Entrepreneurship: Food 101 – August 1

Are you a local artisan or food supplier? Are you looking for more information on how to get your product
onto the shelves of local markets?

Join us for Entrepreneurship: Food 101 and talk with local food expert and forager Dwight Detter on standards, labeling, procedures and everything in between!

Saturday, August 1
9 am – 1 pm
The Joe & Vi Jacobs Center
404 Euclid Avenue
San Diego, CA 92114
FREE parking is available on-site.

This is a FREE event. Space is limited.

REGISTER HERE

For more information contact Beatriz Garcia, Director of Community Engagement at BGarcia@JacobsCenter.org or
(619) 527-6161 ext. 371.

Community Comes Together to Focus on Redevelopment at Town Hall 2

Last night more than 100 residents, community partners, and Jacobs Center staff gathered in the auditorium at St. Rita’s Catholic School for the second in a series of Town Hall meetings dedicated to the revitalization of the Southeastern San Diego’s Diamond Neighborhoods. This Town Hall meeting focused on redevelopment projects, primarily infrastructure improvements that will create the foundation to transform the community into a vibrant town center.

The evening started with a lively performance by Souljahz Ministry, a local Samoan youth dance troupe that got the crowd involved and ready to participate and a wonderful welcome form local resident and member of our Redevelopment Community Working Group Keryna Johnson.

Jacobs Center Vice President of Economic Development, Stephen Maduli-Williams updated residents on recent and upcoming projects that will restore the natural and built environment. Hazard Construction was announced as the general contractor for the Chollas Creek Restoration Project which will start construction later this summer. This project includes re-planting native pants, removing invasive plant species, and preventing erosion to create a space where residents can gather and enjoy the outdoors. A pedestrian bridge will also be added providing a safer pathway for students attending Horton Elementary School.  Also coming soon is a new look for the decade old Market Creek Plaza. The bustling retail center will be refreshed and reinvigorated with a newly painted exterior, a restriped and resurfaced parking lot, and the addition of landscaping. Additionally, at the end of July our artistic powerhouse Writerz Blok will be moving to a new temporary space in Festival Park next to the Market Creek Amphitheater, behind Food 4 Less to make space for more developments in the Market Street and Euclid Avenue area. Writerz Blok will continue to offer urban art programs and pathways to creative careers for local youth in their temporary home.

Residents were specifically asked for their feedback on several projects and plans that will make the Diamond Neighborhoods more walkable and bike-friendly. Among these projects is the creation of a Community Facilities District to proactively address necessary infrastructure upgrades in the Market Street and Euclid Avenue area. The Jacobs Center is partnering with the City of San Diego on this special financing district that will help increase property values and encourage future investments in the area. The Jacobs Center’s draft Community Economic Opportunity Plan was also available for public review and comment. This plan will help ensure that investments in the Diamond are maximized to enhance the quality of life for all residents. The goal for the final plan is create a community with a stronger, more equitable economy. The draft plan is also available for review and comment online until mid-July.

Additionally, residents were asked to choose their preference for a new color palette for the exterior of Market Creek Plaza and a name for the Trolley Residential multi-family apartments set to break ground soon. They also had a say in whether or not a movie theater would be a good addition to the community.

The results of the Jacobs Center’s Redevelopment Survey that concluded last month were also shared at last night’s Town Hall. The survey asked what restaurants, retailers, and services residents would like in their community. The survey listed options of businesses that are growing and asked residents for their ideas.  The top choices in each category were:

Full Service Restaurant: BJ’s Brewhouse, California Pizza Kitchen, and Islands

Casual Dining Restaurant: Phil’s BBQ, Denny’s, and Buffalo Wild Wings

Fast Casual Restaurant: Wings N’ Things or Wing Stop, Pick Up Stix, and Nektar Juice Bar

Retailers: Petco, Sally Beauty Supply, and AutoZone

Service: A Credit Union, Planet Fitness, Supercuts, and Massage Envy

Moving forward, the Jacobs Center will explore these options and see which are compatible with the local market in the Diamond. Having a strong anchor business in place will also help to encourage local businesses to come to the community. A desire for more local businesses was also expressed in the survey feedback.

Our Town Hall series will continue next year. In the meantime you can see more photos from the second Town Hall on our Facebook page and see what people had to say on social media and share your thoughts using the hashtag #JacobsTownHall.

The Children of Southeastern San Diego Welcome Congressman John Lewis and the Co-Creators of March

The Civil Rights Movement Comes to Life in Southeastern San Diego!

Activist and respected member of Congress John Lewis and his award-winning co-creators Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell of the graphic novel series March make a special presentation following their 2015 Comic-Con appearance.

Don’t miss your chance to hear from someone who marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

SUNDAY, JULY 12
3:30 – 5 PM
(Doors open at 3 PM)
Joe & Vi Jacobs Center, Celebration Hall
404 Euclid Avenue, San Diego, CA 92114
Free parking available on-site

March has become a key resource to teach the next generation about a pivotal moment in our nation’s history. Congressman Lewis is an international icon, and his story is now more relevant than ever. See why this project has become such a phenomenon – Join the March!

All are welcome to attend this FREE event. Space is limited. Reserve your ticket online at MarchinSESanDiego.EventBrite.com or call Evonne Smith at 858.361.2562.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Please plan to arrive by 2:45 pm. Arrive with everyone in your group. The program will start and doors will close promptly at 3:30 pm.

Be Part of Building Your Community! Construction Careers Event – June 18

Construction Careers Recruitment Event 

The Jacobs Center is starting work on a new redevelopment project. Join us to meet the Chollas Creek Restoration Project general contractor and subcontractors as well as construction training providers. Residents of the Diamond Neighborhoods are strongly encouraged to attend. 

Thursday, June 18
3-5 pm
Joe & Vi Jacobs Center, Community Room (first floor)
404 Euclid Avenue, San Diego, CA 92114

Chollas Creek Restoration
This project will remove invasive plant species, re-vegetate the creek with native plants, and re-direct creek flows to reduce flooding. It will also beautify the area with public art works and create places for residents to gather and enjoy the outdoors. A pedestrian bridge across the creek will be added to provide a safer pathway for students attending Horton Elementary School.

For more information or questions email DiamondJobs@JacobsCenter.org.

This project is funded in part by the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006 (Prop 84) and with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program funds provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). 

Shock’N the Park is this Sunday, June 7 – FREE

Join us for hip-hop, break, and street dance performances by The Culture Shock Dance Troupe Family, professional entertainers ages five to 45!

Sunday, June 7
1 – 4:30 pm
Market Creek Amphitheater
310 Euclid Avenue, San Diego, CA 92114 (located behind the Food 4 Less)
Parking is available at the Joe & Vi Jacobs Center, 404 Euclid Avenue

FREE

Bring your hats, mats, and blankets. Join the open freestyle session pre- and post-show!

 Guest Emcee Lenon Peachlum will be on hand to get you pumped up as well as:

• All Styles Youth 2on2 Competition
•  DJ Bodyrawk
• CSLA Youth Troupes
• HTHMA’s Killa Arts
• HTMMA’s Illest Arts Crew

All are welcome to attend this FREE event. Learn more about Culture Shock Dance Troupe at cultureshockdance.org/sandiego 

Town Hall 2 – Find Out What’s Coming to the Neighborhood, June 25

Be part of creating a more walkable and beautiful community! Come learn about new options for housing, dining, entertainment, and much more.

JOIN US!
Thursday, June 25
5:30 pm
St. Rita’s School Auditorium
5115 Churchward Street
San Diego, CA 92114
(Directly across the street from St. Rita’s Church. Free parking is available) 

Your comments and ideas are valuable to the revitalization of the Diamond Neighborhoods!

Refreshments will be provided by True Roots Catering, a social enterprise of the Jacobs Center.

All are welcome to attend this FREE event. RSVP by Friday, June 19, to Liz Faris at LFaris@jacobscenter.org or (619) 527-6161 ext. 376.

Join the conversation on social media using #JacobsTownHall.

Jacobs Center to Receive National Endowment for the Arts Grant. Award is Among 1,023 Made Nationally.

Through its grant-making to thousands of nonprofits each year, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) promotes opportunities for people in communities across America to experience the arts and exercise their creativity.

In the second major grant announcement of fiscal year 2015, the NEA will make a $30,000 award to the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation to support its Chollas Creek Gateways project. The grant will allow the Jacobs Center to work with artists and design teams to develop design concepts for artistic gateways as a complement to the Chollas Creek Restoration Project. The NEA will make 1,023 awards totaling $74.3 million nationwide in this funding round.

NEA Chairman Jane Chu said, “The NEA is committed to advancing learning, fueling creativity, and celebrating the arts in cities and towns across the United States. Funding these new projects like the one from the Jacobs Center represents an investment in both local communities and our nation’s creative vitality.”

“Projects like the Chollas Creek Gateways help enhance the natural beauty of southeastern San Diego’s Diamond Neighborhoods and provide residents and visitors with attractive places to gather and enjoy the outdoors. We are grateful for the support we have received from the National Endowment for the Arts in the past and for this new opportunity to advance our work to revitalize our community” said Jacobs Center President and CEO Reginald Jones.

Over a two-year period, the Jacobs Center will undertake an open competitive process to commission artists/design teams to develop concepts for Chollas Creek Gateways. The project will result in the design of prominent, art interventions announcing a 2.6 acre linear urban park that follows a newly restored section of Chollas Creek. The project supports City of San Diego and community planning efforts to revitalize the creek, which runs through southeastern San Diego’s Diamond Neighborhoods to the San Diego Bay.

For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, go to arts.gov.

Join us to Celebrate the Grand Opening of Walgreens! May 16 at 10 a.m.

Market Street and Euclid Avenue is your corner for happy and healthy! The Walgreens near there is NOW OPEN, providing you with easy access to a pharmacy and much more right in your neighborhood!

Join us to celebrate this milestone in the revitalization of southeastern San Diego’s Diamond Neighborhoods.

Bring the family and enjoy a jumping castle, face-painting, and DJ. Walgreens will have a raffle for great prizes and offer giveaways and special promotions at this location only.

All are welcome to attend this FREE event. Please contact Liz Faris at LFaris@JacobsCenter.org or 619.527.6161 ext. 376 with any questions.

For more information visit JacobsCenter.org or connect with us on social media.

Grow Fresh Opportunities for Your Business. Join Our Preferred Caterers List!

Are you a local caterer with a unique style? Are you the go to caterer for certain celebrations? Then Jacobs Meetings and Events wants you on our preferred caterers list!

Our 40,000-square-foot indoor and outdoor venue hosts:

• Community meetings
• Conferences
• Quinceañeras
• Concerts
• Cultural Festivals
• Weddings

Increase your business’ exposure while helping us better serve our community’s diverse cultural needs.

Click here for the selection criteria.

Applications are due by May 22.  

Jacobs Presents – Tyler’s Suite, A Celebration of Life! May 7

One in Three Students Have Been Cyber Bullied.

As part of their 30th anniversary celebration, San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus presents a special FREE youth performance about the life of Tyler Celmenti. Tyler’s Suite offers a message of hope and dignity for all LGBT youth and their families.

San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus Tyler’s Suite
Thursday, May 7
6 p.m.
Joe & Vi Jacobs Center, Celebration Hall
404 Euclid Avenue, San Diego, CA 92114 

For FREE tickets click here or call (619) 432-2244.

This inspiring choral performance, composed in memory of Tyler Clementi, the gay Rutgers College student who committed suicide after being bullied by his roommate, was co-commissioned with six brother choruses and Oscar and Grammy winner Stephen Schwarz, (Wicked and Pippin.)

TONIGHT: Best Selling Author, Award-winning Filmmaker & Hip-Hop Artist MK Asante is at the Jacobs Center – FREE

Lao New Year Festival – April 4 & 5

The Lao Community Cultural Center and the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation want to wish you a happy new year! A happy Lao new year that is. The Lao New Year Festival will take place:

 

April 4th & 5th
9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Market Creek Amphitheater
Parking is available at the Joe & Vi Jacobs Center
404 Euclid Avenue, San Diego, CA 92114 

 

Bring the family and enjoy traditional and contemporary music, dance, crafts and authentic cuisine by the Lao Community Cultural Center. The two-day festival will also include traditional alms offerings to Buddhist monks, and the ceremonial procession for the seven daughters of the legendary king whose tragic death gives rise to the celebration of the Lao New Year.

The event costs $3 per person to attend. Children in a stroller are FREE!

Don’t miss out on the fun-filled
celebration of the year!

For more information visit the Lao Community Cultural Center on Facebook or at www.LCCC-SD.org.