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Kidworks Teaches Urban Kids How to Make a Difference
By Craig Pinley
SANTA ANA, CA (October 28, 2001) - David Benavides was only supposed to work in Santa Ana for a few months as an intern at a community development youth organization called Kidworks.
Five years later, Kidworks remains a vital part of his life and the community is glad he's still around. Benavides, director of community development for Kidworks, has fallen in love with central Santa Ana. He hopes to plant El Puente Covenant Church in his neighborhood next year with the help of Newsong Community Church in nearby Irvine. Kidworks is part of the Hispanic Ministry Center (HMC), which has been helping Santa Ana's central neighborhoods for eight years.
Benavides grew up in Los Angeles and lived in a neighborhood much like the one he now serves. He attended Biola University in southern California, not far from Santa Ana in Orange County, and came to Kidworks as a summer intern. Benavides enjoyed his experience so much that he stayed in the area. He now ministers to more than 100 children daily, along with numerous young adults and families. His wife, Emily, has also found a home working with area kids as a schoolteacher.
"I thought I would be here for eight weeks and now we've been here for five years and bought a house in the neighborhood," Benavides said. He recently finished an internship at Tapestry Covenant Church in Santa Ana and attends Newsong Community.
"It's about training urban youth workers to make an impact in their neighborhoods," he said of his work. "Within the urban culture there aren't many resources to help connect Latino youth with
their communities and make the gospel real and relevant."
Kidworks works with K-12 students, involving three full-time and five part-time workers. Tutoring is available for students on weekdays and a pre-kindergarten program helps them
learn English before they attend school. Meanwhile, the Teen Leadership Academy works with high school students and the six-week program helps teens learn everything from how to fill out a job application to giving them leadership tools to help others.
"A lot of families are first generation families with minimal formal education," Benavides said. "Parents are struggling because their first language is Spanish and one of the practical ways we can speak to a need is to help teach their kids. But there are other aspects we have to deal with and it's an uphill battle in these neighborhoods. It's our job at the church to tell people 'Jesus loves you . . . and we want you to become empowered to speak to the needs of the community.'"
In addition to providing education, Kidworks partners with the city of Santa Ana in the Sports in the Streets athletic program that incorporates city recreation staff into the neighborhood activities. The city blocks off certain streets to allow kids to participate in the program. Benavides is thankful for the city's interest, saying that the city of Santa Ana now supplies half of the funding for the annual Kidworks budget of $200,000.
"The city had our two neighborhoods as hot spots and when they found out we were working in that area they invited us to be part of a neighborhood revitalization committee," said Benavides. "Many staff members live in the community and the city committees have been asking us what they can do to help us. So we've been able to start a preschool program, a computer lab and a teen character development program."
Kidworks has found other ways to help its community. It partnered with residents to alert the city to the lack of quality facilities at a local park and eventually the city helped secure $80,000 of federal funding for an urban cleanup and renovation project. Benavides believes that the
presence of a community church in the area will help him assist his neighborhood in even more practical ways while spreading the gospel message.
"A lot of churches are traditional and the younger generation is not connecting," he said. "Our leaders are leading from their Latin American contexts. The first generation, and a lot of (second generation) youth are leaving the church. This program is contextualizing youth ministry and addressing the issues that kids are dealing with. Through prayer and consideration, we sensed God leading us to start a church that would be an advocate for the community. It gets discouraging at times, but at every turn God has encouraged us. God is definitely at work and He is passionately in love with this city and this vision."
Kidworks helps provide resources for two local neighborhood centers in Central Santa Ana. It does so under the umbrella of Hispanic Ministry Center, which was founded by president Larry Acosta. The center provides assistance to the community through leadership development and training programs and conferences.
For more information about Kidworks, email Benavides or Ava Steaffens at Kidworks@hmconline.org or call 714-554-7500.
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