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recreational opportunities, soccer fields already used beyond their capacity, high levels of demand for <br />strained nonprofit services, and youth asking simply for more adult mentors and role models. In many <br />regards, the prospects may look grim and the obstacles to overcome seem steep. <br />Nevertheless, this report's assessment of the challenges facing Santa Ana youth suggests many <br />favorable opportunities that demand little in the way of financial obligation or organizational overhaul. <br />Many recommendations focus on greater coordination of agencies: between the city and the school <br />district; volunteers and nonprofits; and the private and public sectors. Through more joint-use <br />collaborations, schoolyards could be used for after-school athletic play. Careful targeting of policies in <br />park-poor neighborhoods and "unhealthy" school catchment areas will lead to greater social equity city- <br />wide. Action on these recommendations could aid in deterring youth from getting involved with gangs <br />and could offer children and teens safer places to exercise and socialize as they develop into healthy <br />adults. <br />Given that the city is now entering a 10-year Healthy Communities Initiative with funding from the <br />California Endowment, there is even greater cause for hope. This report and its findings may well offer <br />data and support as the initiative goes underway. Further, implementing the report's recommendations <br />can support many of the Healthy Communities Initiative's objectives and outcomes. Interventions now <br />can lead to a significantly healthier City of Santa Ana for many years to come. <br /> <br />