PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: CASTLEMONT
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Greetings!
It was a busy summer at YU, but we have have not forgotten about you!
YU remains an East Oakland oasis serving and supporting thousands of youth and community members! YU continued advancing its mission to transform East Oakland into a healthy and economically robust community through developing young leaders, offering hands on assistance with educational goals, career growth, work experience, mental and physical wellness, and providing access to critical resources that meet their basic needs.
Specifically, this summer YU:
- Employed and trained over 100 youth through our Career & Education Department in partnership with the City of Oakland and a host of community minded businesses.
- Sustained and grew our social enterprises, employing young adults in the fields of food service, landscaping, and janitorial work.
- Expanded wellness services, providing nearly 200 hours of mental health services to young people.
- Re-established our Community Care program, providing groceries to nearly 150 families.
- Launched YU's Baby Care program, providing a range of supports, from diapers to parent-child play groups
- Celebrated YU's 15th Annual Back Pack Give Away, providing necessary school supplies to Middle and High School students
Thank you for your continued support and Happy Halloween!
-The YU Family
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Chef Sarah Germany & Corners Café staff
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Cuisine Noir magazine profiled our social enterprise, Corner’s Café, this month. The Café provides healthy and delicious food to East Oakland’s food desert.
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YOUTH OF THE MONTH: BRANDY
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As soon as you meet Brandy you know she loves a challenge. So
despite being terribly shy, she
joined the Corners Café staff to pursue her passion for cooking. But, the real challenge came when the Café Manager assigned Brandy to the register, which requires her to greet and interact with all the customers! Looking back, Brandy remembers being overwhelmed initially. Now Brandy is proud of how she pushed through her shyness to be more confident.
That's what YU is all about, creating opportunities for young people to discovery who they are, what they are capable of, and how to become their best selves. Corners is Brandy’s first job and through the café’s employment training program her sense of self and leadership skills have blossomed. Her manger remarks that she can run the place without her, and that makes Brandy beam with pride. “I don't mind staying longer than everyone else. That's how I taught myself all the different parts of the job. I even know how to fix the cash register now!"
At 17, Brandy is a senior at Castlemont High School and East Oakland resident full of promise. She aspires to be a mechanical engineer and YU is wrapping around her to ensure her success. Our leadership development program has involved Brandy in community efforts to develop creative housing solutions for the homeless. And, YU's Career & Education Program is working with her to make sure she's prepared to attend the Historically Black College of her choice -- she's already been accepted to Dillard University. Brandy's newfound confidence coupled with YU supports gives her the opportunities she deserves to fulfill her potential.
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BALLERINA MISTY COPELAND VISITS YU
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YU recently hosted Misty Copeland, who made history as the first African American Female Principal Dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre.
Misty, whose husband is an Oakland native, was in town to learn more about Oakland's unique Turf Dancing culture and share her experience as a pioneer in American dance. She was joined by author and filmmaker Nelson George (CB4, The Get Down, Strictly Business) in a meeting with YU alumni The Turf Feinz and their proteges Turf Inc.
The gathering enjoyed an afternoon of rich discussion about the power of artistic expression, the history of Oakland originated dance styles, and the importance of creating spaces to celebrate young artists.
It was an honor to have Misty and Nelson join us to learn more about Turfin’ an art form that is deeply entrenched in not only our legacy, but also Oakland’s.
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YU was born out of youth leadership development, with young people initially leading in all aspects of moving YU from vision to a reality. Our commitment to youth empowerment continues today with YU’s in-house youth leadership team, Rise-Up.
The current Rise-Up team, supported by Brooklyn Williams, is focused on executing high impact community service projects. Through our extensive training program Rise-Up Members learn leadership and life skills. They practice prioritization of the issues that affect their neighborhoods, and how best to design and execute campaigns to improve the policies underlying those issues.
In coming editions of our newsletter we will update you on Rise-Up's efforts to transform East Oakland.
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PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: CASTLEMONT
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YU Hosts Castlemont's Registration Day
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Castlemont High School, adjacent to YU, has always been a core partner. Over the years, as both YU and Castlemont have evolved, so has our collaborative relationship. In September, YU again hosted Castlemont students and staff for their Back-To-School Registration Day. This year, we were thrilled to support Michael Scott as the new principal of Castlemont. Mr. Scott, in his former role as AP, has been a leader on campus for many years. It is with great expectations that his promotion enables us to deepen and expand this long standing partnership with our neighbor.
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UPCOMING YU ANNUAL EVENTS
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- 11/25 Thanksgiving Event
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- Development & Data Associate
- Office Administrative Assistant
- Case Manager
- Academic & Education Tutor
Click
here
for full job postings.
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YU's Corners Café menu is about as local as you can get, sourcing produce from Castlemont High School's farm!
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Thank you for your support!
YU is dedicated to providing services and opportunities for youth and the community at large. We would not exist without supporters like you.
Please make an online donation!
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