CHECK OUT THESE ORGANIZATIONS! YOU'LL BE INSPIRED!

Peace! I arranged a business trip with a couple of co-workers to California to visit these dynamic organizations. If you work with youth or within the social justice area and need some ideas or inspiration, check out the web-sites to these great orgs. They are doing great work and have really good, innovative creative models. We are hittin up everywhere accept the People's Grocery (boo...I want to go there so badly! A People's Grocery is needed in so many neighborhoods without proper access to organic produce). All of these places are in Oakland, CA. It was pretty easy to arrange visits with everybody (most people we are meeting with are Executive staff)...just give them a call or email and be persistent. With all the drama goin on out there, there are some positive things happening. I am truly proud to be from the Bay!

I Medina



1) School of Unity and Liberation (SOUL)

www.schoolofunityandliberation.org


Focus of Org: youth leadership development, youth organizing, trainings on social justice issues. Curriculum manuals for sale





2) Youth Uprising-

www.youthuprising.org


Focus of Org: comprehensive youth centered facility and programming (Performing Arts, modeling, Career Exploration, GED Prep, Personal Development, Neighborhood Unity, Youth Leadership)




3) Leadership Excellence

www.leadershipexcellence.org


Focus of Org: Freedom school, Sister Circle, Brother Circle, Youth Leadership, Summer Camp, Trip to Africa




4) Silence the Violence/ Urban Peace Movement

www.ellabakercenter.org


Focus of Org: Utilizing the arts to bring youth in different neighborhoods together, Turf Unity Project




5) Art in Action/ Green for All-April 9, 12:30pm

www.greenforall.org (check out user guide)

www.artinactionworld.org


Focus of Org: Utilizing the arts to bring youth in different neighborhoods together (Art in Action) and Resources for community campaigning, strategy, and implementation of Stimulus Bill (Green for All).





6) Ella Baker Center for Human Rights

www.ellabakercenter.org


Focus of Org: Books Not Bars (Juvenile justice), Green Collar Jobs Campaign, Soul of the City (community education, ecological sustainability, community leadership), Silence the Violence (it emerged from the Ella Baker Center but is now its’ own entity), Bay Area Police Watch




7) People’s Grocery-

www.peoplesgrocery.org


Focus of Org: Innovative means of supplying organic locally grown produce to neighborhood residents of West Oakland, youth staff and youth led workshops, Nutritional Cooking classes, community education




8) Youth Together


www.youthtogether.net

Focus of Org: 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