On November 30th, over 50 Youth Together students gatheredat city hall in Oakland, Ca. and then marched to a local Chevron

gas station to demand more money for education.

Because of laws like proposition 13 Chevron, the largest cooperation in California, enjoys millions from its under-assessed properties and Youth Together and our Kids Count! campaign wants to bring attention to this.

Chevron is the  largestcorporation in California:

• They make billions!
  
• Pay little or no tax at all!
• Buy our government!
• Get bailed out at our expense.
• Don’t pay their fair share 

Chevron enjoys millions from its under-assessed properties under Prop. 13 and this must stop!!

They need to pay their Fair Share!!

View more videos at: http://nbcbayarea.com.

Sahnicthe Salazar

For the past decade Sagnicthe Salazar has been a part of the Youth Together family. She has grown up with us and become a great leader and teacher to not only the students but to her peers. It is with great appreciation and a bit of sadness that at the end of the month, we say good bye to Sagnicthe as she leaves Youth Together to pursue her dreams elsewhere. In the following interview Santi talks to her about her time at Youth Together, how she got started what she will remember most.

How long have you been at YT?
I have been at YT for 10 years since 2001, when I was an 8th grader

Wow that’s a long time, how did you get started in YT?
I started because my older sister was in the program and I went with her to meetings to stay out of trouble.  I usually just waited around while everyone was in the meetings till the site organizer started getting me engaged.  She asked me to arrange and co-facilitate presentations in some of my eighth grade classes because they were doing recruitment for the summer program that Youth Together hosted for incoming ninth graders.  I enjoyed having a leadership position and I soon got really interested in the campaign that Skyline Youth Together students were doing to open up a School Based Youth Center.  I felt that having something like that at my middle school would have been really helpful for me and my peers to get the extra support and services and was really surprised to find out that this was something that students had to fight for.  I was encouraged by the site organizer to speak about my experience in front of school board meetings and city council meetings in order to gather support and funding to make the center a reality.  The work of the campaign led me to apply for an Least Student Organizer position when I started Freshman year at Skyline and I have been in leadership at Youth Together ever since.

Why have you stayed so long at Youth Together?
Feeling the power as a student and seeing the concrete changes that we could make made me want to stay in the organization after I first joined, but throughout the years having the opportunity to witness the transformation that young people make and seeing them understand their own power has been super powerful and has made me stay for so many years.

What are your most memorable moments at YT?
One of my most memorable moments as a student was the opening of the One Land One People Youth Center at Skyline.  Being able to see the fruition of the work we had put in and after fighting with middle class neighbors who were against the idea of students of color getting more resources, seeing the portable drive on to the campus and being able to paint it and decorate it was amazing.  As a staff one of my most memorable moments was the action we coordinated in Conquered at the head quarters of ETS – the company that manufactures and profits from standardized testing.  We were able to get hundreds of students and many Organize Da Bay Coalition organizations protest this big company and come face to face with the people who are making money out of stealing the futures and education of our communities.  The most amazing part of this action for me was getting to see one of the first students that I was developing, step up and speak in front of the crowd for the first time and in that moment, I could see how she was beginning to understand the power that she had a young person!

What will you miss the most?
The thing that I will miss the most about YT is young people.  Watching young people grow and make a commitment to social justice has been the most regarding thing that I have done in my life and I thank YT for introducing me to this experience.

What are your plans for the future?
I plan to continue working with young people in Oakland and in the Bay area and transforming the education system.  I hope to one day be able to open up a school where I can integrate many of the values and models that I have learned in Youth Together so that the next generation of children in Oakland can have a place that serves as a center of their community and serves to empower and develop them into individuals that think critically and play a positive role in the upliftment of our communities.

What do you think about Youth Organizing in the Bay?
I think that the Bay Area is full of resources, full of talent from community as well as young people, full of creativity, and ripe for change.  As we continue the work here in the Bay Area we need to really pay attention to the young people and allow them to drive the work.  Young people are full of answers and if we listen to them I think the work in the Bay Area could really take off.  I think that its important that we also get our young people to build across sectors and organizations so they can really understand what it means to be a part of a movement!
How will you say active in the organizing community?

I plan to continue my work with Xicana Moratorium Coalition and continue working on issues impacting migrant communities, young people, our Oakland Community and continue building international solidarity amongst Xicanas and other communities who are struggling to protect land and life!

What were your biggest lessons you’ve learned over the past10 years?
The biggest lesson that I’ve learned over the past ten years is that anything is possible.  I have seen tremendous changes in the district, the city and in the Bay Area that have resulted from young people, community and organizations believing in our vision and working to make it happen.  Student Engagement in OUSD has been transformed, centers have opened, OUSD is implementing A-G curriculum as a graduation requirement, Restorative justice is being implemented in all school in Oakland, and many other changes have resulted from the organizing work.  The second most important lesson that I have learned is that we need to not depend on institutions to implement our vision.  Changing policies is great, but policies don’t necessarily change people’s lives and people’s hearts in the way that the organizing work and the movement can.  As this work continues changing lives, more and more young people will be going into the world to create tremendous change and really implement our vision in a way that no policy or institution can.

With the massive budget cuts coming from Sacramento, schools likes Youth Empowerment School (YES) are becoming the front line of the ongoing war on public education.  Due in large part to the de-funding of public education in CA and around the country, at the end of the 2011 school year YES will be closed.  As the writing of this update, students have yet to get the news.  Knowing the numerous ways in which many students in OUSD and similar district are undervalued, under appreciated and under-resourced, it’s likely this news will be both devastating and at the same time not suppressing.  While major corporations in California continue to rack in significant profits, young people and their families are forced to deal with a shuffle that could potentially be devastating to folks who are already struggling with years of abuse in an institution that purports to care about young people.  YES staff, administration and the Youth Together OLOP Youth Center/Collaborative are stepping up to support students and families in dealing with this major transition.  As long we allow the state of California continue to de-prioritize investing in young people and their families, it’s likely that what is happening to YES will continue to happen to other schools, students and families.  Education is a Human Right.  Organize to make it a reality for all.

Peace,
Fela
Youth Together – One Land One People
Youth Center & Collaborative Director
Youth Empowerment School
(510) 729-4307 – YES OLOP Youth Center
(510) 645-9209 ext. 302 – Youth Together
(510) 569-7042 – Fax

In the past month, the youth center after school program has seen an increase of students and parents seeking more academic support. As of March 14, 2011 the after-school program currently supports thirty students one on one and over seventy-five collaboratively across campus. OLOP has five college tutors in partnership with East Bay Consortium along with ten peer tutors who average above a 3.8 GPA. We also offer morning tutoring and study hall from 7:00-8:00am.

OLOP Collaborative
On Wednesday, February 9, 2011 from 11:30am-12:30pm the Youth Center hosted its second collaborative meeting of the academic school year. EAOP, EGC, AHS, EBC, AYPAL, OLOP Team, Skyline’s After School Academic Liaison, Youth Together, and Native American Health Clinic participated in the meeting. The Student Research Team Coordinator, Tola Asuni gave a quick presentation and update on the new school based health center. Sagnicthe and Liz from Youth Together gave a presentation on YT’s regional campaign.

Youth Action Team Collaborative
The Youth Action Team hosted their fourth collaborative meeting of the year on March 11, 2011 from 3:30-4:30pm. Student representatives from the variety of ethnic clubs discussed next steps for the multicultural assembly scheduled on June 1^st, 2011 at 7pm. The YAT student organizers have finalized their acts and programming and are now in the process of creating a video that will focus on peace, unity, and cultural relevant education.

Community Events – Skyline Idol, Teacher Talent Show 2011, & Jazz Band at Yoshi’s
The One Land One People Skyline Youth Center after school program awarded students and families with tickets purchased by the Youth Center as a to recognize student achievement in academics, community service, or consistent attendance. Twenty-five students went to Skyline Idol, thirty students and parents attended the teacher talent show, and fifteen parents and students went to Yoshi’s.

Cooking Class
Channel 2 news showed up because our team from last semester that did the Healthy Recipes challenge made the semi-finals. The Spanish chickpea stew recipe was one of fifteen to be chosen from over 340 recipes from across the nation. We will now be cooking it again for the school lunch at Skyline when the judges from USDA come in May 2011.

First Friday (2^nd Event)
We  had our second 1st Friday event of the year and it went pretty well. Break dancing, graffiti arts, Project SOAR, & education academy did an amazing job by engaging the student population during lunch. The overall goal of 1st Friday’s is to showcase the different services we provide to Skyline and the opportunity for students to engage with providers. Today, the peer educators of the education academy engaged with over 70 Skyline students by distributing reproductive health information, Project SOAR had 30 seniors, graffiti arts had 10, and break dancing pulled in a huge crowd! We also raffled off a Cold Stone ice cream gift certificate to all students who receive information from the different providers. Below are the pictures from the event. Enjoy and have a beautiful weekend!

Youth Together Skyline One Land One People Youth Center After-School Programs receive 4.8 out of 5
On April 6^th, 2011 Public Profit, evaluation consultant for OUSD after school programming, conducted a site visit at Skyline which the after-school program received high marks in providing a safe and supportive environment. The Youth Center offers student support services programming in the areas of academics, enrichment, emotional and social development, and leadership development.

Painting the Yard 2011 Competition
On April 14th, 2011 five Skyline students entered a competition by demonstrating their talent through spray paint cans on 4′x8′ wooden canvases located in the upper parking lot from 3:30-5:00pm. All participating students received sketch books.

Skyline Youth Action Team Building Day at Castro Valley Bowl & Barney’s
On April 19th, 2011 the Youth Action Team conducted its fourth team building retreat of the year at Castro Valley Bowl and ended the day by dining at Barney’s restaurant. The diverse multicultural core team have been planning and organizing Skyline’s first multicultural night event along with other ethnic student clubs for the past eight months. The title “Grounded in our Roots” has been chosen by the youth action team collaborative for the June 1^st, 2011 event that will begin by a community potluck and concluding with student and community performances from 6:00pm-9:00pm.

Skyline OLOP Collaborative presents the third 1^st Friday Lunchtime Event
On April 1, 2011 the Skyline One Land One People Youth Center Collaborative hosted its third 1st Friday of the year during lunch! During the thirty minute lunch we were able to distribute 65+ reproductive kits and distribute information to seniors about the upcoming Wednesday Community College enrollment event. OLOP raffled three Cold Stone Ice Cream gift certificates for visiting tables and one certificate for the best dancer. Thank you to Asian Health Services, Project SOAR, Education Academy, Graffiti Arts “The YARDS”, and OLOP staff.

Our next 1st Friday will be held on May 6th, 2011 from 11:15-12:10pm.

Our 10th Annual Ethnic Studies Conferences is taking place March 16th, 2011. The vision of the conference is to promote and introduce high school students to Ethnic Studies and higher education, while also introducing them to student organizing and grounding them in their own leadership. We would love to work with you on coordinating a trip to this amazing conference with a group of your students.

This year’s conference will be on Wednesday March 16th, 2011 at the University of California, Berkeley. Over the past ten years, the Ethnic Studies Conference has attracted over 10,000 students. We are excited to collaborate with Youth Together and other organizations with the shared belief in strengthening our community’s education and the lives of individuals as we introduce students to critical thinking toward their diverse histories and current global issues. This conference is also a great opportunity for many young people of color to be introduced to higher education, explore a college campus and receive information on college-related resources.

We are asking high school youth, community organizations and teachers to organize their own field trip to the conference and join students from across the Bay Area and Northern CA to learn about their histories and cultures through diverse perspectives. The conference’s main focus is to build solidarity between people of color and to learn from each other’s struggles. The conference also works to spark interest among students so they can further develop their activism and understand Ethnic Studies as a field of study

For More information please contact Aurora Castellanos at metwestaurorac@gmail.com

Youth Together has been nominated to win $500 through YouthNoise’s 1 Click Partner program.

The Challenge – Getting 100,000 clicks by January 31st.

How you can Help -  Click Here and  and vote for us as many times as you can!

The Federal government has recognized what youth organizers have known for over a decade, that students know the most about what is needed to improve schools. On October 18th, 2010 the Department of Education, in conjunction with the Alliance for Educational Justice and California’s Campaign for Quality Education held the National Youth Listening Tour at Mills College.

“I liked that everything was mostly facilitated by the youth and the creativity used to express the conditions,” said Abbas Khalid, Alliance for Educational Justice intern, when asked about the Listening Tour.
Over 50 middle school and high school students from across the Bay area were in attendance and through art, skits and dialog were able to express their frustrations about the education they are currently getting and their hopes about the one they hope to receive.

The listening tour was charged with the responsibility of listening to what youth, parents, and local community groups across the country had to say about the education system. By participating in a National Youth Listening Tour, the DOE hopes to get recommendations on how to increase national college graduation rates from 30% to 60% by 2020.
What would an increase in college graduation rates mean? Well, for local students it would definitely mean first increasing high school graduation rates. According to new statistics from the California Department of Education, one of every four students drops out before finishing high school. These statistics should serve as a mandate for change from local school districts all the way to Washington D.C. and students themselves have great ideas for how to turn the tide of this crisis facing Education in the United States.

The National Youth Listening Tour bay area stop was put together by, Safe Passages of Oakland with the help of Youth Together, Californians For Justice, Coleman Advocates for Youth, and other local community organization.

News reporters from several local news stations showed up to cover the story. I’m glad there was a lot of media covering this story because this lawsuit will be a major step in making sure all of California’s students have access to an equitable and quality education. Community organizers along with some parents and students voiced their concerns and personal experiences. They expressed frustrations over having to put up with this school system that doesn’t provide efficient and sufficient funding for its students. I think more students should have spoke. Our voices should be heard because we’re the victims of this crime. I also noticed that there were only a few people of color that showed up to support the filing of this case. Which I think is wrong because it is us low-income, immigrant people of color that this broken system is affecting the most.

California’s school system now ranks 44^th in spending per student. But this lawsuit is not about asking for more money, it is about keeping the state in check and making sure they spend their budget wisely. Decades of working with legislators to fix our school systems have not gotten us anywhere. It seems that the only way to get the state to ensure proper funding is by suing them yet again and also showing them examples of people’s lives they affected. By this statement of having people and media and communities come together to file the lawsuit shows the state we mean real business.

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