Welcome to the December issue of the California Convergence eNewsletter!  You will notice some changes in this issue.  To highlight the work of California Convergence partners, and to better support local policy work, this and future eNewsletters will focus on specific policy topics.  Topics will be selected from the policy priorities identified by community leaders, starting with Joint Use, followed by Healthy Food Retail, and then other priority policy strategies such as Climate Change and Zoning.   Through these changes we will explore the California Convergence priorities in greater depth as well as lift up community stories, successes and challenges.  We have, however, kept two key sections the same:  you will still find upcoming events of interest to advocates for healthier food and physical activity environments; and you will still find a listing of grants, funding, and award opportunities related to this work. 
 
We know that for people to be physically active, they need access to places where they can do so. While some neighborhoods in some communities have public parks within easy walking distance, many neighborhoods in California do not. And yet, in some of those same communities that lack public parks, other public facilities, such as school yards, sit locked and empty on weekends and after school. Communities across California are working to make school or other municipal facilities available for broader community use. This strategy is widely referred to as Joint Use, an agreement that allows the community as a whole to use school facilities during non-school hours, as a safe space to engage in healthy activities and programs.  This approach provides a low- or no-cost option by making available public spaces that are currently underused. 
 
The opportunity is ripe to make Joint Use agreements across California the norm, and California Convergence communities have identified this as a key priority for action now.  In this issue, two Convergence site leaders share stories of Joint Use efforts in their communities.  These site leaders invite you to contact them to share further ideas and compare experiences.
 
Be sure to also take a look at the resources and tools included in this issue, to learn more about Joint Use and how you can better advocate locally.  A special thanks to The Joint Use State Task Force (JUST) established by the Strategic Alliance and the Prevention Institute, to California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN), and to Public Health Law and Policy for sharing these resources.  These organizations also invite you to contact them for further information.
 
Next month's California Convergence eNewsletter will focus on Healthy Food Retail.  If you would like to share resources, success stories or challenges related to Healthy Food Retail please contact Kevin Cloud at Kevin.Cloud@partnershipph.org.  As always we also appreciate any feedback, comments, or ideas you may have on this eNewsletter.  And be sure to check out Ning, where you can share resources, best practices, join the discussion boards, or simply network with other advocates working to improve food and physical activity environments.