Initial discussions with Ashland organizations revealed to us a tight-knit community nestled into an unincorporated area near San Leandro, CA, burgeoning with second and third generations of the blue collar residents who often work 2-3 jobs to provide for their families. We also learned that families of 4-5 members sharing a one-bedroom apartment were common, and that many teenagers were themselves becoming surrogate parents to their younger siblings as their parents worked long hours. In addition, without the constant presence of adults in their lives, youth were also found in the community to be engaging in misguided forms of attention, including gang participation, burglary, property theft, graffiti, and drug dealings, at levels significantly higher than in surrounding areas.

After a productive meeting among the Bay Area young adults and the regional Sathya Sai Organization leadership, the ACP was formed. The main objective of this partnership is to foster a long-term relationship with the Ashland community, through which various projects, targeting different populations within the community, will be carried out.

The committee began energetic discussions with Ashland and its partnering community organizations. There was a strong agreement to involve Sai centers, devotees, Ashland residents, and organizations to the fullest extent possible with the goal to work together in a concentrated geographic venue. We decided as a group to first initiate the computer project (supplemented with career development sessions), given that Ashland had expressed a real need for computer classes in the community, and this was an area in which we had past experience.

During the interim period we conducted a needs and assets assessment and became familiar with the community to determine ideas for future projects. We learned through our research that a kids' activity program, a health fair, a mentoring program, and a summer fun camp with field trips were program ideas that would address some of the critical needs of the community.

Area Centers were then invited to "Volunteer Day," an event designed to familiarize the Sai community with the different community scenarios and issues faced by Ashland residents and work on a half-day service project with the younger residents of Ashland. Sai members were also asked to complete volunteer forms to assess their talents and skills, which can in the future be matched with potential activities.

The question posed by a young Ashland girl asking us when we would be coming back truly struck a chord in many of us. From earlier conversations with partnering Ashland organizations, we had learned that volunteer dropout rate was alarmingly high in the area. The last thing the community wanted and needed were for bonds to be formed only to have them be lost in the near future. A challenge to the Sai arm of the Ashland Community Partnership was to convince the area organizations that our organization
would be a long-term mainstay in the community, rather than a fly-by-night operation, so to speak. In addition, this project has been and continues to be a learning experience as much or more so for the entire Sai community. It has brought several community service issues to the table, and we look forward to continued dialogue and project expansion in partnership with the Bay Area Sai centers, regional officers, and the residents and community organizations of Ashland.

To date, the computer literacy module in Ashland has been running successfully since its inauguration in March 2002. Many of the volunteers for the project come from Sai Centers throughout the Bay Area. Expanding the Ashland Community Partnership and working jointly with community agencies was a vision that the young adults had shared nearly a year prior to the start of the project. However, by no means did we envision such a rapid and artfully orchestrated progression of events. We offer our sincerest gratitude, efforts, and our adoration to Baba for making the vision and project a possibility, and for continuing to pave the path for our involvement and positive progression.