How Transform’s Program Team Engages Across Communities
One of the reasons Transform’s program work is so successful is that we are intentional about working with a range of stakeholders in each project. We work with administrators, PTA members, housing developers, and other high-level stakeholders, but we also engage with residents, students, and other community members. Lifting up the voices of the people most directly impacted by our work is a core part of our mission.
Uplifting community leadership
While community members donate their time to our programs, we find ways to acknowledge them for their time and effort whenever possible. For a person who might be holding down multiple jobs or juggling caring for family members with school or work, getting a stipend for work that helps their communities is an important uplift. And it recognizes the value of their contributions in the most meaningful way.
At our Mobility Hub sites in Oakland, San Jose, and Richmond, local residents had the opportunity to become paid Site-Level Team members. These team members played a crucial role in designing our Needs Assessment and connecting their communities with free and low-cost transportation options, ensuring the success of our pilot program. Their deep community ties allowed them to engage residents far more effectively than our organization could within a limited timeframe while building long-term grassroots leadership.
One standout team member, Tanisha Rounds from our Oakland site, was even recognized at All Aboard, Transform’s gala, for her outstanding contributions. Tanisha was a dedicated advocate for over five years, helping to educate, encourage, and inspire her neighbors to explore new mobility options. She is a trusted resource in her community, frequently called upon to answer questions and troubleshoot transportation challenges. Her dedication and leadership have been instrumental in making the Mobility Hubs program a success.
Our Safe Routes to Schools Programs (SR2S) works closely with parent and school staff volunteers — who we call champions — to ensure SR2S programming is implemented at schools. In the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), we’ve partnered with Alameda County Public Health to secure stipends for OUSD SR2S Champions. These Champions volunteer a lot of their time and energy to ensure SR2S comes alive at school sites, and paying them for their efforts to help young people discover the joy of active transportation is a no-brainer.
A grassroots approach
Not only do we work directly with community members, but Transform also reaches out to decision-makers at all levels. Our Safe Routes team regularly works with principals and school community managers, but we also engage with school district superintendents and curriculum specialists to help spread the program to more schools and make it easier for schools to participate.
We also make sure elected officials are engaged in our on-the-ground work. During SR2S countywide events, like International Walk and Roll to School Day, elected officials are invited to participate in activities within their jurisdiction. The mayor of San Jose attended our EV car share press event at the Betty Ann Gardens Mobility Hub. Their presence helps strengthen the connection between local leaders and the community, creating opportunities for meaningful engagement. By attending, elected officials such as the mayor can gain firsthand insight into the community’s needs, fostering a deeper understanding and more effective support.
In Alameda, Safe Routes Youth Task Force members were invited to chat with transportation planners and youth across the island who were interested in learning more about transportation’s effects on climate change. During the meeting, the students explored how each mode of transportation impacts different factors that are important to health, wellness, and our climate. They were interested in hearing just how much transportation can affect all of us and were excited to spread awareness and encourage transportation mode shift among their peers.
Helping cities realize goals
Transform also collaborates with city staffers, providing research to guide programs, partnership on special projects, and support for their work in the community. For example, we worked closely with staff at the City of Richmond to install EV chargers as a response to the Nystrom neighborhood’s needs assessment as part of our Mobility Hubs pilot.
We’re about to begin work on our “West Alameda Mobility for All” Needs Assessment in partnership with the City of Alameda. Staff from the Transportation Department will be involved from start to finish so they can hear firsthand community members’ transportation challenges and their ideas for making travel easier and more affordable.
Oakland Making Moves is a project where the Transform team helps to support Alameda County Public Health’s Nutrition Services Team to encourage healthy lifestyles in Oakland housing sites. The Nutrition Services Team hears the concerns of the communities it works in and brings them to Transform. We use our expertise around walking, rolling, and transit to tailor messages and create educational presentations to create successful programs to support mode shift to clean transportation options.
Transform’s work thrives on collaboration. In our on-the-ground programs, our strength is bringing all the stakeholders into the process and giving them meaningful ways to participate and have an impact. Our work is so successful because of the rich diversity of the communities we work with.