Tulare County Receives Statewide Recognition for Step Up Youth Challenge Program

The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) honored Tulare County’s 2011 Step Up Youth Challenge program with a Merit Award in the 2012 CSAC Challenge Awards Competition.

“Tulare County is pleased to have received recognition for the Step Up Youth Challenge program,” said Allen Ishida, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. “This award would not have been possible without all of the valuable partnerships that it took to create this program.”

The Step Up Youth Challenge was created to provide an opportunity for 16 middle and junior high schools to engage a diverse group of students in a project-based learning challenge throughout the course of the 2011-2012 school year. Based on its success, the program is being offered for a second year in a row and is being expanded to include high schools. Partners included: Community Services Employment & Training; Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District; Pro-Youth H.E.A.R.T.; Tulare County Board of Supervisors, Probation, and Sheriff’s departments; Tulare County Office of Education; Visalia Police Department; Visalia Unified School District; and Visalia Youth Services.

The 2012 CSAC awards were announced September 14. The statewide awards program honors innovation in county government. Overall, 18 counties were selected as recipients for 37 awards from 225 entries, which were evaluated by an independent panel of judges.

Tulare County received one of three Merit Awards that were awarded to counties with populations ranging from 200,001 to 700,000 people.

The primary purpose of CSAC is to represent county government before the California Legislature, administrative agencies and the federal government. CSAC places a strong emphasis on educating the public about the value and need for county programs and services.