Youth Rally

The Youth Rally-Hollister is for ALL Youth in San Benito County.

Mission: To create fun and engaging activities throughout the year that will install values, community connections and leadership opportunities for the youth of San Benito County.

Vision: That the residents of San Benito County would rise up and meet the needs of all youth in our community by providing free activities throughout the year, on a monthly or quarterly basis, for youth who may not be able to afford them. In doing so, adults would mentor youth and provide them with positive role which would  encourage them in their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being.

Our goal is to make this a FREE event and in order to make this happen we need community volunteers to organize and resource their contacts to donate time, raffle items, games, activities, and more. I am currently working on setting up an account the Community Foundation for tax deductible donations to be accepted.

How this came about:

After the stabbing death Andres Guzman, a local Hollister teen, there was much public outcry and the community shouted ENOUGH!

The local Neighborhood Watch page on Facebook was blowing up with comments about ENOUGH being ENOUGH.

Many people provided input on the fact that there is little for youth to do in our community that is affordable to the low-income population. Youth need to have positive reinforcement and a sense of belonging. Without that they put themselves at risk of being lured into gangs in order to feel they are part of a family. Years ago the community held an annual Teen Rally.

After the downturn in the economy many of the agencies involved no longer had the funding or the manpower to continue organizing the event. The last Teen Rally was held in May 2006. After reading all of the comments, I stated that I was involved with the Teen Rally Committee back then and, if the community was willing to step up to the plate, I would be willing to take the lead to help revive the Teen Rally.

A Teen Rally Brainstorming meeting was held on Saturday, August 24, 2013. At that meeting those in attendance came up with ideas on what types of activities should be included, who could be contacted and what date the event should be held.

Youth in attendance decided they wanted this event to be open to youth of all ages and not just teens. This way, the older youth could mentor the younger youth. Ideas consisted of: Dance competitions, Battle of the Bands, Art Wall, Poetry Slam, Tie Dye Station, Craft/Recycling Art Table, Sports Challenges, 3on3 Basketball, Pick-up Volleyball, Laser Tag, Dunk Tank, 50 foot Ice Cream Sundae, Treasure Chest (Free Flea Market) and much more.

Our goal is to make this a FREE event and in order to make this happen we need community volunteers to organize and resource their contacts to donate time, raffle items, games, activities, and more.

Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/youthrally-hollister