Working with the Community
Working with the Chumash community is at the core of all SYCEO does. We support several events throughout the year that revolve around community and environmental betterment. Our annual events include an Chumash Earth Day at the Chumash Reservation, Coastal Cleanup in September and Pow Wow in October. Special events continue throughout the year within the Tribal community as well as the surrounding community. SYCEO staff collaborate with other departments on a number of youth and education events, including past summer teen trips to the Channel Islands, G.O.N.A. with the Tribal Clinic, Camp K., and Lake Tahoe. In addition, SYCEO participates in a number of tribal and local community events, including the Inter-Tribal Pow-Wow and Santa Barbara Earth Day.
Community Gardening
In 2012, the SYCEO team, lead by Carmen Sandoval, developed the first Chumash Community Garden. The garden is intended to be a demonstration of sustainable gardening techniques and expand the knowledge and pallet through the plethora of vegetables and fruits grown there.
An additional community garden was completed in later 2012 at the newly constructed Learning Center to supplement the community’s youth after school programs.