To see Felix Miranda play guitar is to see a young man in his element. As his fingers fly up and down the fretboard, his right hand alternating between furious strumming and delicate picking, his face conveys deep contemplation, intensity, and joy. The sound pours out of Felix’s guitar, but the music undeniably flows from him.
Felix, now 30, first picked up a guitar when he was nine after seeing a flyer for free lessons at the Roosevelt Townhomes, where he lived in East Salinas. Community Housing Improvement Systems and Planning Association (CHISPA), the nonprofit housing developer that manages the Townhomes, offered the lessons as part of an effort to cultivate a sense of community through educational and recreational opportunities for residents.
Felix describes this as a life-changing event. “When I play guitar,” he says, “that’s when I feel the most free.” At 18, he started teaching lessons through CHISPA, and he’s been sharing the gift of music with other young people ever since.
Stories like Felix’s – young people finding their passion, purpose, and pathway in life – were core to the Packard Foundation’s Salinas Youth Initiative (SYI), a 10-year partnership with 14 community organizations, including CHISPA, to invest in young people in East Salinas. This year marks the end of SYI, and we are looking back to celebrate the initiative’s impact.
Salinas’ Story
Salinas, California is one of the most prolific agricultural producing locations in the country. Home to many farmworkers and their families, Salinas has the highest proportion of Latino residents of any California city.
Agriculture in Salinas is a $2 billion industry, supplying 80% of the country’s lettuce and artichokes. At the same time, economic inequality is pronounced, with home prices soaring, wages stagnating, and the workers and families who literally sow the seeds of Salinas’ economy often left out of reaping its rewards.
Salinas isn’t a new city, but it is a young one. Almost half its residents are younger than 30, and 30% are younger than 19. The complexities of growing up in Salinas can be frustrating for young residents, who beam when they speak about a rich cultural identity – food, music, art, and a strong sense of community – but also clearly see the challenges facing their community.
![Artists Diana Renteria and Luis Rodriguez of Urban Arts Collaborative at their booth during the 2016 Ciclovia event in east Salinas. UAC is a constant presence at community events and celebrations.
Salinas Youth Initiative: Urban Arts Collaborative
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, The Packard Foundation, Urban Arts Collaborative, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, social justice, social services, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-UAC-20-1-1024x680.jpg)
![Holding their notes on fragrant herbs, children from east Salinas visiting the Agriculture & Land-Based Training Association (ALBA) organic farm listen to Luis Rodriguez of Urban Arts Collaborative. From left, they are Estefania Morales, Sayuti Manzano, Naxhiely Toriz, and Evelyn Medina.
Salinas Youth Initiative: Urban Arts Collaborative
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, The Packard Foundation, Urban Arts Collaborative, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, social justice, social services, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-UAC-16-1-1024x680.jpg)
![Urban Arts Collaboratives Luis Rodriguez, right, and Danny Montenegro, not pictured, work with members of the Alisal High School Be Yourself club on several artworks created for the second LatinX LGBTQ Film Festival in Salinas.
Salinas Youth Initiative: Urban Arts Collaborative
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, The Packard Foundation, Urban Arts Collaborative, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, social justice, social services, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-UAC-04-1-1024x680.jpg)
![On a wall at the Agriculture & Land-Based Training Association (ALBA) organic farm, Juan Carlos Gonzalez of Urban Arts Collaborative helps kids from an after-school program in east Salinas express themselves.
Salinas Youth Initiative: Urban Arts Collaborative
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, The Packard Foundation, Urban Arts Collaborative, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, social justice, social services, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-UAC-01-1-1024x680.jpg)
![Photographed in October of 2016, a view of the progress Hijos del Sol artists are making on the groups new education-themed mural at the César Chávez Library in east Salinas.
Salinas Youth Initiative: Hijos del Sol
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, The Packard Foundation, Hijos del Sol, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, social justice, social services, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-HDS-19-1-1024x680.jpg)
![Women painted as Catrinas walk along Main Street in Salinas as part of Hijos del Sols 2016 Day of the Dead commemoration.
Salinas Youth Initiative: Hijos del Sol
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, The Packard Foundation, Hijos del Sol, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, social justice, social services, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-HDS-14-1-1024x680.jpg)
![Josué Rubio, center, and David Aguilar of Hijos del Sol walk along Main Street in Salinas in the evening Procession of Catrinas, part of the group’s 2016 Day of the Dead commemoration. (c)Jay_Dunn_1_773_817_0547](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-HDS-13-1-1024x680.jpg)
![At Hijos del Sols studio in east Salinas, David Aguilar works on a painting to be shown at the groups annual Day of the Dead commemoration at the National Steinbeck Center.
Salinas Youth Initiative: Hijos del Sol
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, The Packard Foundation, Hijos del Sol, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, social justice, social services, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-HDS-08-1-1024x680.jpg)
![Kids like Victor Hernandez, right, and Angel Alvarez have a free hand in choosing their art projects. they are attending a free Hijos del Sol workshop at the Migrant Activities Center in east Salinas.
Salinas Youth Initiative: Hijos del Sol
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, The Packard Foundation, Hijos del Sol, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, social justice, social services, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-HDS-05-1-1024x680.jpg)
![A happy pet licks Summer Rae Worshams face after Movie Night at the Epicenter in Salinas.
Salinas Youth Initiative: The Epicenter
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, The Packard Foundation, The Epicenter, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, social justice, social services, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-EPI-11-1-1024x680.jpg)
![With members of other community groups, Miranda Mossey of the Epicenter marches in support of LGBTQ rights at the 2016 El Grito Parade in east Salinas.
Salinas Youth Initiative: The Epicenter
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, The Packard Foundation, The Epicenter, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, social justice, social services, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-EPI-02-1-1024x680.jpg)
![A young goalkeeper makes a save during CCFAs World Cup, where free clinic participants square off representing their favorite teams.
Salinas Youth Initiative: César Chávez Fútbol Academy
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, The Packard Foundation, César Chávez Fútbol Academy, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, social justice, social services, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-CCFA-07-1-1024x680.jpg)
![During a Saturday afternoon practice, CCFA’s Carissa Purnell leads young members like Francisco Moreno in conditioning exercises at a local high school. (c)Jay_Dunn_1_773_817_0547](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-CCFA-01-1-1024x680.jpg)
![Timekeeper Jasmine Rios listen to candidate responses at Youth for Changes political forum in east Salinas.
Salinas Youth Initiative: Youth for Change
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, The Packard Foundation, Youth for Change, Center for Community Advocacy, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, social justice, social services, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-CCA-19-1-1024x680.jpg)
![At the groups November 4th candidate forum, Youth for Changes Jasmine Rios marks time, as Mariluz Tejeda, Azucena Barrios, and Jennifer Rios listen to responses.
Salinas Youth Initiative: Youth for Change
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, The Packard Foundation, Youth for Change, Center for Community Advocacy, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, social justice, social services, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-CCA-02-1-1024x680.jpg)
![During a rehearsal of the Salinas Movement Project at Teatro Campesino, poet Manny Garcia is detained by Emily Morales.
Salinas Youth Initiative: Artists Ink
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, The Packard Foundation, Artists Ink, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, social justice, social services, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-Art-Ink-14-1-1024x680.jpg)
![Alba Roland, right, of Artists Ink listens intently as the group writes pieces of what will become the Salinas Movement Project.
Salinas Youth Initiative: Artists Ink
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, The Packard Foundation, Artists Ink, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, social justice, social services, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-Art-Ink-13-1-1024x680.jpg)
![Artists Ink actors Jacob Juarez, left, as a field worker, and Daniel Ibarra as an immigration agent during a final rehearsal of the Salinas Movement Project on March 31st, 2017.
Salinas Youth Initiative: Artists Ink
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, The Packard Foundation, Artists Ink, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, social justice, social services, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-Art-Ink-03-1-1024x680.jpg)
![Artists Ink theater mentee Daniela Razo has her skeleton makeup done before participating in Journey Through Mictlan, a unique Day of the Dead event on November 3rd, 2016. A collaboration between Teatro Campesino, Baktun 12 and Artists Ink, the evening included a live performance which moved through the streets of east Salinas.
Salinas Youth Initiative: Artists Ink
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, The Packard Foundation, Artists Ink, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, social justice, social services, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-Art-Ink-02-1-1024x680.jpg)
![From left, Elizabeth Murillo, Daniel Ibarra, Jacob Juarez, Emily Morales, Emmanuel Garcia, Eduardo Esparza, and Carlos Cortez, in the final scene of the Salinas Movement Project, which debuted on March 31st, 2017 at the Alisal Center for the Fine Arts in east Salinas.](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-Art-Ink-01-1-1024x680.jpg)
![Ignacio Becerra, right, appreciates what Angel Contreras is playing in an ACAN class at Jesse Sanchez Elementary School in east Salinas. (c)Jay_Dunn_1_773_817_0547](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-ACAN-11-1-1024x680.jpg)
![As part of ACANs Latin Jazz Ensemble, Angel Cervantes plays his saxophone as Gary Meek, one of several visiting instructors from the Monterey Jazz Festival, looks on.
Salinas Youth Initiative: Alisal Community Arts Network
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, The Packard Foundation, Alisal Community Arts Network, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, social justice, social services, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JDunn-SYI-PF-ACAN-01-1-1024x680.jpg)
![Happy residents play on a newly renovated basketball court, part of the Acosta Plaza Recreation Area in east Salinas, CA, which formally opened on Sunday, April 24th, 2016.
Acosta Plaza Recreation Area
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com, Acosta Plaza, Alisal, The Packard Foundation, recreation, health, community organizing, outdoor activities, parks, basketball, outside](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/160424-jd-AcostaRec06-1-1024x680.jpg)
![Children participate in a sack race at the opening on Sunday, April 24th, 2016 of the new Acosta Plaza Recreation Area in east Salinas, CA.
Acosta Plaza Recreation Area
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com, Acosta Plaza, Alisal, The Packard Foundation, recreation, health, community organizing, outdoor activities, parks, basketball, outside](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/160424-jd-AcostaRec03-1-1024x680.jpg)
![A child enjoys newly installed swings on March 26th, 2016 at the Acosta Plaza Recreation Area, soon to be formally opened in east Salinas, CA.
Acosta Plaza Recreation Area
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com, Acosta Plaza, Alisal, The Packard Foundation, recreation, health, community organizing, outdoor activities, parks, basketball, outside](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/160326-jd-AcostaRec01-1-1024x680.jpg)
![During a community cleanup on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2016, kids play around the new picnic tables at the nearly-completed Acosta Plaza Recreation Area in east Salinas, CA.
Acosta Plaza Recreation Area
United States, California, Monterey County, Salinas, Monterey, Jay Dunn, photographer, freelance, photography, multimedia, video, photojournalism, www.jaydunn.org, jay@jaydunn.com, Acosta Plaza, Alisal, The Packard Foundation, recreation, health, community organizing, outdoor activities, parks, basketball, outside](https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/160202-jd-AcostaRec03-1-1024x680.jpg)
Young people from Salinas participate in tutoring, music lessons, art classes, sports, mentoring, and civic engagement through the Salinas Youth Initiative between 2014 and 2024.
Salinas Youth Initiative
In 2012, when the Packard Foundation began its coordinated effort to strengthen organizations working to support young people in Salinas, the community was going through a difficult period. Several high-profile instances of violence, gang activity, and friction between the community and law enforcement put a spotlight on the challenges facing Salinas youth.
In developing SYI, we engaged local organizations already working to address these issues. We believed that by investing in and partnering with organizations that had deep relationships with the community, we could help young people in Salinas find their purpose, passion, and pathway. Knowing that the community’s challenges were symptoms of broader inequity and injustice, we also believed that an engaged and thriving youth population in Salinas could drive a more resilient and vibrant future.
Our partners had been deeply engaged in their community through programs such as tutoring, music lessons, art classes, sports academies, mentoring, and civic engagement. We set out to strengthen these organizations and bring them together in a collaborative effort; we envisioned a field of mutually supportive, connected organizations that shared a vision for the future and invested in building a collective voice for young people in Salinas.
More than a decade later, as the initiative ends, we’re honored to celebrate what these partnerships made possible. To help us understand SYI’s impact, we engaged an evaluator, who was a critical part of the program team, to help us learn and adapt throughout the duration of the initiative. Her report, available here, tells the story of the initiative’s design and impact, grounds this work in a rich cultural and historical context, and outlines lessons and insights for the future.
Impact can be hard to quantify for work that, by design, operates on such a personal and individual level. But as SYI ends, we know that its impact is undeniable – evident in the vibrant and collaborative community of youth-serving programs that is poised to continue growing in Salinas. And each personal story reminds us that the most meaningful impact will flow from young leaders invested in deeply engaging in their community.
Lessons Learned
During a decade-long journey, we learned valuable lessons about how best to build stronger relationships with community partners through pursuing the mutual goal of greatest impact. Our evaluation reinforces some key lessons:
Engage Deeply and Respectfully with the Community
There’s no substitute for experience. Local leaders are experts, and building trust with them acknowledges their deep connection to their community and their potential to drive meaningful change. Listening to community perspectives allowed us to see beyond the data and recognize the rich histories and experiences of real people facing complex challenges, which informed our program design on an ongoing basis.
Redefine Relationships and Share Power
Those closest to the issues often hold the solutions. We challenged typical philanthropy power dynamics by fostering true partnerships required us to be humble, open to learning, and willing to share decision-making power. Encouraging honest exchanges and valuing the unique contributions of each partner allowed us and our grantees to make an impact based on mutual respect and a shared vision for the future.
Embrace a Flexible Approach
Lasting social change requires patience and flexibility. There’s no single best approach to supporting grantees and partners, and needs may change as challenges and opportunities arise. Taking the long view of progress enabled us to embrace and learn from grassroots leadership and innovation.
Encouraging experimentation and ongoing learning allowed our partners to evolve their strategies as necessary.
Giving Back, Looking Forward
Reflecting on ten years of partnership in Salinas, my colleagues and I feel immense gratitude. This experience reminds us that when funders are willing to do things differently, and when trust is at the center of true partnerships with communities, a sort of magic can happen.
We are honored to share how our learning has influenced our grantmaking moving forward, and how SYI showed how powerful working authentically and meaningfully with the communities we serve. And we hope these lessons are valuable to other funders seeking to build lasting partnerships.
The true legacy of SYI, of course, will be the young leaders like Felix Miranda who are helping write the next chapter of Salinas’ story.
When Felix talks about teaching music, he lights up. He describes lessons and rehearsals as “like therapy” for both him and his young students. Being able to share his passion with others is “truly a blessing.”
To watch Felix teach guitar is to see a young man doing what he was meant to do. The feeling he gets from teaching, he says, “makes me realize it’s not just a coincidence that I’m doing this. I honestly believe it’s my purpose.”