Reflections On: Youth Development
Written by Dana Wellhausen, Deputy Director
When the Rogers Family Foundation announced the sunsetting of our Oakland education strategy in October 2020, our team knew we’d reach a point of reflection on our grantmaking and improvement efforts over the last two decades. That time is now. This piece represents the first in a series designed to highlight the work and reflections of grantees across our strategic focus areas over the lifetime of the Foundation. Our hope is that these pieces will remind our grantees, partners, and community of their incredible journeys, lessons learned, and accomplishments in service of students and rally efforts to persevere for years to come.
From its founding in 2003, the Rogers Family Foundation’s mission has been to support the youth of Oakland. The Foundation has always sought to support excellent organizations that help children learn, grow, and reach their full potential. While schools were a main focus area of the Foundation strategy, the time and programs that children spend out of school can be just as instrumental to their growth and learning. The symbiotic scaffolded supports, safe environment, and caring mentoring relationships provided by out-of-school youth development organizations play an important, and at times critical role, in the growth and development of young people. Therefore, the Foundation made an early commitment to funding quality youth development programs in addition to quality schools.
Early grants to youth development organizations and programs focused on college readiness, science, the arts, sports, and safety. After a few years of making grants to various youth development organizations, we began to notice an important distinction between the organizations that created short term impact, and those that were truly moving the needle for Oakland children. Our learning as a Foundation is that the most effective youth development organizations, those which create sustainable positive growth and learning for students, are anchored in the community they serve. Only by being truly embedded in a community is an organization able to foster trust, increase access, bolster program relevancy, build multi-generational relationships, and create the long term positive outcomes that children need to thrive. Below we highlight three such deeply rooted organizations – East Oakland Youth Development Center, East Oakland Boxing Association, and the Boys and Girls Club of Oakland. The Foundation has had the privilege of working with each of these organizations over the last 19 years.
[…]
East Oakland Boxing Association
The East Oakland Boxing Association has been a beacon of light at the corner of 98th Avenue and San Leandro Street since 1987. While EOBA remains connected to its roots in boxing, over the years the organization expanded its programs to include academic support, cooking and nutrition, art and media, and a broader range of sports and exercise. Recognizing that need within their community doesn’t stop with youth, today EOBA aims to serve the whole family knowing this will have rippling impacts on youth and the community at large. In 2021, EOBA welcomed Tonya Allen as its new Executive Director. Tonya was instrumental in getting EOBA open after the COVID-19 pandemic so the organization could continue to support youth, their families, and the community. EOBA’s stable, consistent presence in the community and its potential to be a long term force for good in its East Oakland community is what drew Tonya to lead the organization. She approaches the work through a lens of love and a focus on what families and the community need most.
Learning is always more fun with friends at the East Oakland Boxing Association after school program.
Photo Credit: EOBA Staff
As a new leader working on solutions to long-standing problems in the community, Tonya felt it was important to reground the organization and return “to the basics.” In the past EOBA grew and expanded its program offerings as an attempt to meet the complex and continuously changing needs of Oakland’s youth and families. A risk of this approach for any organization is over-diversifying their programs. “EOBA was becoming an octopus on roller skates,” Tonya shared. “As a new person coming in to lead an organization sometimes they’re afraid to move in a different [direction],” says Tonya. She also realized quickly after taking the helm that she needed time to truly understand the current reality of the organization and the impact of decisions from the past. Tonya’s reflection and instinct to reground EOBA and find a solid foundation for programs is important for any youth development organization as well as community facing nonprofits.
Tonya acknowledges that EOBA families need support and services outside of what she and her team can offer. The reality is that no one organization can do it all. She is a proponent of tactful collaboration which enables EOBA to hone in on core programs while tapping into other resources in the community. Any resource Tonya and her team can share with families, even if it is provided by another organization, puts families in a better place. From Toyna’s perspective, “I want to collaborate. You be the success and expert in your area. We just want to partner with you.”
As a youth development organization, it is key for a leader to understand, empathize, and be part of the community they serve. This requires daily active listening – by both the leader and their team. For Tonya and her team, this means keeping track of youth and paying attention to what motivates them to come in or causes them to stop coming in. The youth and their families can feel and see the intention, focus, and love from the EOBA team who truly care about the experience of participants. Tonya reflects on how she would want to be treated or what services she would want if she was an EOBA family. This kind of reflection and thoughtfulness drives the ability to serve from a place of love each and every day.
[…]
Challenges Facing Youth Development in Oakland Today
Tonya, Selena, and Calvester all reflected on the challenges that students continue to face as a result of the pandemic. Staff across their organizations see challenges with socialization after isolation, high anxiety, and low self-esteem. Tonya shared that these challenges can ripple out to families who often feel they are getting the runaround when they seek help. Calvester spoke about the mixed signals that youth hear from adults – inconsistency in what they say and what they do – particularly adults who operate in the spotlight. Our youth need consistency in their community and adult allies to support continued growth and development, despite ongoing challenges. Selena touched on the challenges of social media on young people who bear the pressure of knowing that their image or what they say or do could be captured and shared any day. In addition, young people don’t have consistent access to technology, skills to navigate the media, and regular engagement in issues that impact them now and in the future, like the climate crisis and environmental justice. Tonya shared an uptick in how many families are accessing EOBA’s weekly food distribution service. While she is glad EOBA can respond to the increased demand, this reflects the harsh reality that more families are struggling with food security. The leaders spoke about the lack of secure housing, which forces many Oaklanders to seek housing in surrounding communities even when their families, social networks, and hearts remain in Oakland. This has reverberating impacts on organizations and programs as communities become fragmented and youth relocate to places without a network of free, culturally relevant programs and services.
Hopes for the Future
These leaders and their teams continue to be hopeful for the future. Tonya finds joy and hope in the smiles of the youth who come to EOBA each day, “You can’t fake that. A kid is going to tell you the truth.” Those smiles and continued participation are some of the greatest indicators of success for Tonya and her team. Selena is inspired by Gen Z – their ability to question the status quo, develop solutions that blend creativity and technology, and approach the world with an open mind. She finds inspiration in the work of community elders and ancestors who continue to both teach youth and move their own work forward, as well as local nonprofits creating spaces dedicated to fostering community and supporting self-determination. Calvester focused on the fact that people in the community continue to show up and step up to support youth. The needs of youth don’t stop even as our collective attention shifts from one crisis to another. Calvester emphasized that kids will have needs regardless of whether a pandemic or heavy inflation is happening in the community. The fact that individuals continue to give their time, attention, and money to youth is testament to a desire to support their dreams and aspirations.
Building fundamental literacy skills at the East Oakland Youth Development Center. Photo courtesy of East Oakland Youth Development Center
The community must take part in the solution to create a better Oakland for our youth. These dynamic leaders are dedicated, and we feel the passion in their calls for change and calls to service. Selena powerfully framed the challenge to “see youth as the leaders of today and tomorrow.” This is a critical reminder that youth today have the creativity, passion, and power to lead. We need to collectively support opportunities and platforms that allow their leadership to grow and thrive. Tonya spoke to the reality that Oakland does not have a future without an investment in safe havens for youth and academic and educational systems. Those in positions of power need to consider long-term impacts of their choices and find the confidence to stray from the norm if it means a brighter future for the children and youth of Oakland. That said, all the leaders drove home the importance of understanding community needs before designing any work – listening and understanding before acting is critical. Calvester called on Oaklanders to help “raise our kids” and give them a fighting chance. Youth today face a multitude of challenges and it is incumbent on all of us to consider our part in creating a village of care and respect. This includes leaders taking action against the rise in senseless crime across the city that continues to devastate our communities. The leaders also touched on the lessons from the pandemic and how those years showed us how deeply we are all connected and have the collective ability to come up with new, creative solutions. We must remember these lessons, demand a new way to understand social challenges and find solutions – there is no “return to normal.”
The Rogers team expresses deep gratitude to Tonya, Selena, Regina, and Calvester for taking the time to share their perspectives, wisdom, and lessons, as well as the life changing work they do each day for Oakland’s youth. Over the course of the Foundation’s history we have built relationships with many youth development programs and organizations across Oakland. We also thank and recognize them for their tireless work and dedication to the children, youth, and families of Oakland. A complete list of our youth development grantees can be found here under Youth Development.
…
Originally posted on https://rogersfoundation.org/foundation_updates/reflections-on-youth-development/