Keith Carson: Information is Power!

Oakland Youth Movement is a group of youth trying to get their voices heard. Their purpose has been to get opinions from Oakland youth about the challenges in their communities and obtain their input about what resources are most needed to address these issues. The City and County Neighborhood Initiative brought together several Oakland youth in 2007 to develop and conduct youth surveys in two neighborhoods. The survey explores what youth think about their neighborhoods, including: what they like, what they want to change, what kinds of resources they need, and how they feel about health and violence in their community. The young people worked with staff from the Alameda County Public Health Department’s Community Assessment, Planning and Education/Evaluation Unit and conducted 200 youth surveys. After a few months of working together, the youth group named themselves the Oakland Youth Movement because they wanted to “become a movement to fight for change in our communities.”

Guest Speakers:
LaToya Carroll, a native Oaklander and was born in West Oakland. She attended Hoover Elementary, and McClymonds High School, and graduated from Berkeley High School in 2006.

Nakia Dillard, a native Oaklander and was born in West Oakland. She attended Hoover Elementary and graduated from McClymonds High School in 2005. Nakia is in her second year at Laney College.