UCI student mentors play with and tutor students from Abraham Lincoln Elementary School. Photos by Patricia DeVoe
After-school organization partners with Social Ecology Field Study program to offer academic, social and health programs in Anaheim
By Mimi Ko Cruz
For 11-year-old Maya, interacting with the mentors of Higher Ground Youth and Family Services, the after-school program she attends in Anaheim’s Lincoln Park, is the highlight of her day.
“Whenever I’m sad, they make me laugh,” the sixth-grade Abraham Lincoln Elementary School pupil says. “They listen to me, they help me with my homework, they play games with me. They make me feel good about myself.”
Making a difference in the lives of their young charges is the ultimate highlight for the mentors — UC Irvine and other university student interns and Higher Ground staff and volunteers.
“What I find most rewarding is that each student I meet has as much of an influence on me as I have on them,” says Anjanina Binas, a psychology and social behavior major. “Knowing that my presence may have a substantial effect in the long run has inspired me to pursue child psychology.”
The mutual student benefits are the aim of the partnership between UCI and Higher Ground. UCI’s students can choose to do their field study at the nonprofit organization and gain real-world experience there and Higher Ground, in turn, provides more services to the children of central Anaheim. Since the School of Social Ecology was founded in 1970, every one of its undergraduate students has been required to participate in field study, doing 100 hours of service at one of more than 200 partner sites, which include nonprofit organizations, municipal agencies, local governments and businesses.
It’s a win-win situation, declares Alfonso Valdez, sociology lecturer and director of UCI’s Public Policy Lab who forged the partnership with Higher Ground’s founder Joe Baldo four years ago.
Valdez, a Higher Ground board member, says he has his students volunteer there and at other sites around Southern California because the youth they serve are considered at risk of dropping out of school, joining gangs or getting involved in behavior that could land them in jail.
“So, my students are learning theory and seeing how it applies in the real world,” explains Valdez, a former Anaheim police officer and Orange County District Attorney’s Office investigator. Because the college students serve as role models, mentoring the kids, he says, disciplinary problems and truancy rates are down and grades are going up at Lincoln Elementary.
Hundreds of youngsters are served by Higher Ground each year and the programs are expanding, thanks to volunteer service and generous donations.
“It’s not childcare,” Baldo says. “It’s an organization that engages youth in many meaningful activities on a daily basis in order to educate, equip and empower our youth to explore life’s possibilities.”
Baldo created Higher Ground in 2012 after selling his video production business and having spent years as a volunteer at Orange County’s Juvenile Hall. Today, the organization operates out of five modular units he purchased and are stationed at the park. It offers area kids and their families everything from tutoring services, music lessons, arts activities, sports, health screenings, CPR training, exercise programs, college planning workshops, a food pantry, counseling sessions and cooking and parenting classes.
“We are providing a safe place for at-risk kids to explore new life experiences with mentors who want to help them reach their full potential,” Baldo says. “Studies have shown that at-risk youth can greatly benefit from a caring adult in their life.”
The mentors also walk away having gained a valuable experience.
Take mentor Nicole Balbuena, a UCI sociology, Chicano/Latino studies and political science major who has been volunteering at Higher Ground since 2016. She recalls the time a girl asked her to pretend to be her big sister.
“From that moment, I understood that there is more to this than simply helping a child with academic performance,” she says. “It’s about developing a relationship with a child who needs emotional and unwavering support outside of the school setting. They need someone to help them with their confidence and self-esteem.”
Her experience as a mentor moved Balbuena so much that she created a student organization on campus that promotes healthy child-adult relationships.
“After understanding that supporting a child’s academic performance is not enough, I decided to launch Healthy Emotions and Attitudes in Relationships Today at UCI,” she says. “Through this mentoring program, UCI students will educate the students at Higher Ground about the common signs of abuse and how to formulate a healthy relationship with their relatives, community members, and other individuals. Our mission is to encourage children to value gender equality, safety, respect, and to reject violence and coercive behaviors in their current and future relationships.”
Balbuena’s action, creating her organization, exemplifies empowerment and sets an admirable example, Baldo points out.
“At Higher Ground, we believe that everyone has the right to enjoy a fulfilling life, and is born for a positive purpose,” he says. “Great role models can help youth by introducing some of life’s most beneficial opportunities as they mentor them through their young life’s journey, opening doors to their future, which inevitably lead to their purpose.”