Gonzalez, Barbara

Professor Melisa Malvin

English 114B
April 4, 2016
A Peaceful Place for the Community
Thesis: Canoga is a disenfranchised and marginalized community that needs a recreation
center established near Canoga Park High School that focuses on the needs and benefits for the
youth and the Hispanic community, in which it benefits the Los Angeles society as a whole.

This project of the recreation center for youth community in Canoga Park will bring the
differences together and create something beneficial and comforting for society as a
whole. This project will hire and train young adults on taking positions and learning
responsibility for the recreation center. At the recreation center we will provide available

staff to discuss the concerns of the active members in the community.

The people of Los Angeles or any other community get heard by writing their letters of
complaints or concerns to city hall and/or downtown recreations parks administration.
Here their letters will be processed and whoever wrote the complaint will be contacted
after carefully processing and acknowledging the subject matters. There will be board
meetings in which complaints can also be brought up to float and discussed in a civil
manner. The board meetings will be conducted by members of the community and

leaders of the recreations and parks organization.

Empathy comes to play when we place ourselves in someone elses shoes and bring unity
within the community. For example, I was in the shoes of these teens, therefore I know
the struggle of trying to build connections and spend my time wisely. In addition to this,
my parents were in the shoes of those other parents in the community struggling to see
their children succeed and be productive with their time. This program will begin with the
observations I have made throughout my time and experience of when I was their age and

in their position. Since every child is different I would run a survey and/or interview with

as many people as I can to receive feedback.

Not all neighborhoods are served equally by government funds, city services, police
department policies, job creation/availability or/and access to a quality education. There
is racism, classism, and/or other forms of discrimination and division in the city of
Canoga Park, in which it is very noticeable. although there is no physical boarder
dividing Canoga park from west hills and/or woodland hills, I have noticed that the youth
are far more comfortable spending their time at Lanark Park where they see a lot of the
same class of people even though it gets very full and busy, rather going and spending
time at warner center park. They feel as though they are not welcome on the other side.
However, this recreation center will bring people from all over the community and will
be welcoming and supportive to all the youth.