In 1996 Youth Together was formed by youth, community members, parents and school officials in Oakland, Berkeley, and Richmond, California concerned about inter-racial violence and inadequate school conditions.

Because of the organization’s youth leadership programming, student centers, and campaigns, six local high schools are developing positive, long-term solutions to fight social, political, community, and educational inequities in their lives, serving as a model for empowering change in other communities.

Community members were inspired to form Youth Together in 1994 in response to inter-racial conflicts in schools. Since that time, young people in Youth Together have fought for, won, and continued to struggle for a new vision of their schools and communities.

For more historic details click on our Timeline.

Youth Together utilizes four main programs to meet our mission:

1. Youth Together Student Teams: Youth Together operates student organizing clubs on six school campuses to develop student leadership skills, multiracial solidarity, and to improve school conditions.
2. School-Based One Land, One People Youth Centers/Collaboratives: Youth Together operates multi-service collaboratives and youth centers on high school campuses.
3. Community-Based Youth Centers/Collaboratives: Youth Together advocates and organizes for community based multi-service collaboratives and centers and partners with local officials to design, plan, and develop these centers.
4. Regional Programming: Youth Together provides regional programming to core youth leaders and is the lead member of the ODB network, a regional network of youth-serving organizations working to improve a variety of issues which impact the areas’ young people.