San Jose NSE Committee: Volunteer Report & Youth Plan Update - April 10, 2025
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Neighborhood Services and Education Committee Meeting - April 10, 2025
The Neighborhood Services and Education Committee (NSE) of the City of San José met on Thursday, April 10, 2025, at 1:30 PM in Council Chambers. The committee reviewed two reports: an annual report on Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (PRNS) volunteer management programs and a status report on the Children and Youth Services Master Plan. Both items were accepted unanimously. The committee also deferred a report on Sports Fields Use and Equity to a future meeting.
Consent Calendar
- No items were on the consent calendar.
Public Comments & Testimony
- On the Children and Youth Services Master Plan: Ten members of the public spoke in support of the plan, including representatives from Healthier Kids Foundation, Grail Family Services, Somos Mayfair, Catholic Charities, and youth advocates. Speakers emphasized the importance of the plan for East San Jose, highlighted the need for adequate staffing, technical support, and sustained funding, and praised the collaborative, community-centered approach. Several speakers shared personal experiences with health screenings, child care deserts, and the impact of the plan on families.
Discussion Items
- Review of Work Plan: The committee voted to defer the Sports Fields Use and Equity Status Report (CC 25-0581) from the April 10, 2025, agenda to the June 12, 2025, NSE Committee meeting. The motion was approved without public comment.
- Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Volunteer Management Programs Annual Report (CC 25-0571): Staff presented an overview of volunteer engagement across three divisions. Highlights included:
- Recreation: 34,773 volunteer hours in FY 2023-24, including 25,000 hours from 232 older adult volunteers in the senior nutrition program.
- Community Services: Beautify SJ coordinated 430 litter cleanups with 15,000+ residents contributing 38,000 hours; Project Hope contributed 4,600 hours.
- Parks: 37,025 hours volunteered across 140 park locations; 90 of 212 parks are adopted. Volunteer efforts are prioritized using the Healthy Places Index (HPI) to focus on lower-scoring areas.
- All programs reported operating at full capacity, with demand exceeding staff coordination capacity. Pre-pandemic volunteer levels for older adults have not fully recovered. Parks staffing has remained the same since FY 2018-19, while events have doubled.
- Councilmember Candelas asked about pre-pandemic staffing comparisons and noted the need for better data on which programs are oversubscribed. Councilmember Doan suggested creating certificates for volunteers to aid in college/job applications and inquired about outreach to retirement communities. Chair Ortiz highlighted the HPI map showing District 5 with the lowest score, linking to upcoming discussions on park funding equity.
- Children and Youth Services Master Plan Status Report (CC 25-0592): Staff reported on progress one year after council approval. Key accomplishments include:
- Co-design of a “no wrong door” system of care with 62 organizations and 120 representatives.
- 3,000+ participants in college and career pathways (FY 2023-24).
- 934 health screenings conducted through Healthier Kids Foundation, with an additional 700 expected by end of FY.
- Completion of the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth Audit recommendations.
- Demonstration sites in Mayfair, Poco Way, Seven Trees, and Santee, with an 18-month pilot to test and refine the system.
- Over $1 million in grant funding leveraged for community-based organizations.
- Councilmember Doan asked about financial literacy programs and how the plan will remain relevant as youth needs evolve. Staff noted existing library programs and a commitment to ongoing community engagement and evaluation.
- Councilmember Candelas praised the transformative nature of the plan and the importance of long-term investment. Chair Ortiz emphasized the need for infrastructure, staffing, and funding, and noted that a March 2025 budget message requested additional resources for the plan.
Key Outcomes
- Deferred: Sports Fields Use and Equity Status Report to June 12, 2025 (unanimous).
- Accepted: Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Volunteer Management Programs Annual Report (motion by Councilmember Candelas, seconded, passed unanimously).
- Accepted: Children and Youth Services Master Plan Status Report (motion by Councilmember Doan, seconded, passed unanimously).
- Directive: The committee acknowledged the need for additional staffing and technical support for the Children and Youth Services Master Plan, as noted in the Chair’s March budget message. The item will be further considered during budget discussions.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome all to uh the neighborhood services and education committee meeting of April 10th. Uh, before we begin, I want to remind the committee members and members of the neighborhood services and education committee. Public speakers will not engage in a conversation with the chair, council members, or staff. All members of the committee, staff, and the public are expected to refrain from abusive language, failure to comply with the code of conduct, which will disturb, disrupt, or impede the orderly conduct of the meeting will result in removal. This meeting of the neighborhood services and education committee will now come to order. Can the clerk please call the role? Campos. Candelas. Here. Cohen. Vice Chair Duan. Here. And Chair Ortiz. Here. You have a quorum. Thank you so much. Now that brings us to uh item B, review of the work plan, items recommended to be added, dropped or referred. Uh and then item one B Sports, Field Use, and Equity Status Report. Do we have I guess we have a recommendation to defer this item to that's great? Okay. Does anybody can get a motion? All right. Uh we got a motion. Is there any uh public comment for this item? We have no speaker cards. Okay. And we have a we have a motion, we have a second. Can we please vote? Okay. All right, the eyes have it. I don't see anything on the consent calendar. Let's go to uh item D1 reports to committee. Uh Parks, recreations, and neighborhood services volunteer management program annual report. Looks like we have a presentation from Andrea Flores Shelton, Olympia Williams, Maria De Leon, and Tor Tori O'Reilly. Good afternoon, committee. I'm Andrea Flores Shelton, Assistant Director of Parks Recreation Neighborhood Services, and I have my stellar colleagues with me, Olympia Williams, Deputy Director of Community Services, Maria Delion, Deputy Director of Recreation, and Tori O'Reilly, our Division Manager of Parks Maintenance and Operations. We're pleased to present the PRS annual volunteer report, which provides a comprehensive overview of volunteer engagement across our three operating divisions parks, recreation, and community services. Each year, dedicated volunteers contribute thousands of hours, and you also contribute quite a few hours. Applying our volunteers apply their skills to maintain parks and trails, enhance community center programs, beautify neighborhoods, and engage with residents to foster a stronger, more connected community. However, all volunteer programs are operating at full capacity, with demand outpacing the supply of staff to coordinate and facilitate all this volunteer energy. Volunteers play a crucial role in supporting the city's mission to improve public spaces and services and further investing in the infrastructure to support them will amplify their impact. With that, I'll pass it over to this is you. Oh, this is me as well. Oh, yes. So I'm going to pass it over to you. Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Maria de Leon. And we just want you to know the volunteers are truly beloved and essential in filling service gaps and fostering connections with volunteers and program participants. Stated by a volunteer advocate, quote, volunteers don't get paid, not because they're worthless, because they're priceless.
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