Attachment A:
Table of Contents
I. Youth Commissioner Appointees 2 II. Letter from Staff 3 III. Youth Leadership Development 4
A. Internal Trainings
B. Commission Meetings
C. Commissioner Accolades
IV. Youth Voice in City Affairs 7
A. Adultism Training
B. ReCAST
C. Community Events
D. Social Media Engagement
V. Policy Work 14
A. Youth Vote
B. Youth Housing
C. Digital Equity for Oakland
VI. Looking Ahead 22
VII. Commissioner Reflections 23
I. Oakland Youth Commission Appointees
Name District School Age Years Served
Mia Hatfield 1 Oakland Tech High School 18 4
Haniel Kebede 1 Oakland Tech High School 18 2
Olivia Richardson Feldman 2 Lick Wilmerding 18 2 Ana Xu LI 2 Oakland Tech Alumni; UC Berkeley
19 2
Kayson Naik 2 Head Royce 15 1
Calupe Kaufusi 3 Mcclymonds High School 15 2
Tengis Turmur 3 Oakland Tech High School 18 1
Quincy Russell 3 College Prep 16 3
Ashley Tchanyoum 3 Oakland Tech High School 16 1 Bryce Hunt 4 Lick Wilmerding 17 3
Edamevoh Ajayi 4 Oakland Tech High School 16 1
Diego Garcia 4 Skyline High School 18 1
Nathan YuHeng Li 5 Arroyo High School 17 3
Katie Liang 5 Oakland High School 18 2
Steve Nguyen 5 Oakland Tech Alumni; UC Berkeley 20 2
Michelle Wong 5 Oakland High School 18 2
Amber Johnson 6 Oakland High Alumni; UC Berkeley 19 2
Sofia Castro 6 Skyline High School 18 1
Ella Killingsworth 7 Skyline High School 18 1
2 II. Letter from Sara Tiras, Lead Staff to the Oakland Youth Commission Dear City Council Members, What a year! As our city and country experience unprecedented political turmoil, the Oakland
Youth
Commission
(OYC)
continues
to
lead
and
advocate
towards
a
more
equitable
and
just
future.
Oakland
youth
commissioners
were
leading
throughout
the
Town
-
infused
through
local
media
outlets
and
community
organizing
efforts
and
served
as
a
strong
reminder
of
the
power
of
youth
voice
in
making
change.
This term, the OYC welcomed 7 new youth, increasing our BIPOC representation from 80%
to
95%
and
Oakland
public
school
representation
from
70%
to
79%
from
the
previous
year.
In
addition,
overall
attendance
improved
from
the
previous
term
and
for
the
first
time
in
years,
no
youth
commissioners
vacated
their
positions
mid-term.
In addition to our 16 annual commission meetings, we continue to host two retreats a year
to
allow
our
group
ample
time
to
build
their
leadership
skills
and
relationships
with
each
other
to
strengthen
our
work
throughout
the
year.
Our
group
continued
to
create
many
strong
connections
with
each
other,
for
many
of
them,
this
is
the
only
space
that
brings
together
youth
from
very
different
backgrounds
and
a
wide
range
of
experiences
within
Oakland.
Over
and
over,
they
express
appreciation
for
the
chance
to
get
to
know
one
another
as
part
of
their
experience
on
the
commission.
Our five ad-hoc committees focused on Youth Vote, Recast, Digital Equity, Adultism and
Youth
Empowerment
education,
and
advancing
the
CTE
Hub.
Our
main
focus
this
year
was
in
launching
the
first
ever
Oakland
youth
vote!
We
made
history
as
the
first
major
urban
city
in
America
to
allow
16 and
17 year
olds
to
vote
in
school
board
elections.
This
took
up
the
bulk
of
our
energy
and
we
couldn’t
have
been
more
proud
to
play
a
leading
role
in
educating,
and
mobilizing
our
city’s
youth
to
register
and
turn
out
to
vote.
Youth
commissioners
were
at
the
forefront
of
every
effort
to
do
this.
Lastly, one special highlight this year was receiving Assemblymember Mia Bonta’s Youth
Organization
of
the
Year
Award
!
In
a
district
full
of
vibrant
and
powerful
youth
organizations,
we
were
deeply
honored
to
be
seen
and
recognized
for
our
hard
work.
The following pages of this annual report details the various aspects of our work and celebrates
the
many
hours
of
dedication
of
our
youth
commissioners.
Thank you, Sara Tiras Lead Staff to the Youth Commission Program Analyst II, Children and Youth Services 3 III. Youth Leadership Development
A. Internal Trainings The Oakland Youth Commission (OYC) is more than just a commission, it is also a leadership
development
program
that
provides
training,
mentorship,
and
thoughtful
planning
to
integrate
young
people
into
government
affairs
typically
designed
for
adult
participation.
The OYC staff planned several workshops to expand OYC member knowledge and skills
necessary
for
their
effectiveness
in
their
roles
as
commissioners.
Our
internal
workshops
have
become
an
integral
component
of
our
programming
and
require
a
considerable
time
commitment
from
our
commissioners
outside
of
regular
commission
meetings.
The
trainings
we
covered
throughout
this
year
were:
● Local Government 101 ● Campaign Building 101 ● Robert’s Rules of Order ● Adultism and Youth Empowerment ● How to Write and Give Public Comment ● Resume Writing and Building In our annual end of the year evaluation, OYC reported gaining leadership skills in the following
areas
(percentage
of
youth
commissioners
who
reported
growth):
● Personal confidence in sharing your ideas – 100% ● Increased awareness of city issues and local politics - 90% ● Restorative Justice Circles - 90% ● Confidence speaking with city leaders, and elected officials - 84% ● Resume writing – 84% ● Public Speaking - 68% ● Writing Public Comment - 63% ● Participating in a campaign – 63% ● Social Media Strategy and/or Content Creation - 53% ● Registering Voters - 53% ● Planning and facilitating meetings - 42% ● Event Planning - 32% 4 B . Commission Meetings The OYC meets twice a month, following the regular school calendar, from September-June
and
takes
a
summer
recess
in
July
and
August.
The
OYC
invited
several
guest
speakers
from
the
City
of
Oakland
Departments
and
a
few
community
organizations
to
present
and
educate
our
youth
commissioners
on
city
affairs.
Youth Commission Manager, Sara Tiras, has instituted a practice of setting up a pre-meeting
with
each
presenter
before
they
come
to
the
commission
to
plan
a
presentation
that
is
engaging
and
accessible
to
youth
to
learn
well
and
be
able
to
share
their
ideas
in
a
meaningful
way.
City staff have been very open and grateful for the suggested ideas, changes, and ways
to
adapt
their
presentations
for
youth
audiences.
In
fact,
at
recent
meeting
with
Adam
Barr
from
Department
of
Workforce
Development,
Adam
was
so
impressed
with
the
tips
for
engagement
he
suggested
we
co-present
to
the
Community
Engagement
Working
Group
(CEWG)
and
reached
out
to
Carina
Lieu
to
get
on
the
calendar
to
share
with
city
staff
the
lessons
he
learned
from
Sara
about
making
presentations
more
effective
and
inviting
to
receive
useful
feedback.
OYC meetings included presentations and youth feedback sessions from the following
City
Leaders,
Departments,
and
Organizations:
● Former Mayor Sheng Thao ● Ruth Meza and Celina Chan, Department of Transportation ● Holly Joshi and Brooklyn Williams, Department of Violence Prevention ● Khalilha Haynes, Department of Planning and Building ● Bobby Zaidi, Democracy Dollars ● Jackie Palmas, Youth Leadership Council (YLC) ● Kurry Foley, Finance, Department of Human Services ● Patrick Messac and Cinthia Diaz, Oakland Undivided ● Tony Parsons, Oakland Thrives ● Assembly Member Mia Bonta ● Adam Barr, Department of Workforce Development ● Councilmember Zac Unger ● Councilmember Rowena Brown 5 C. Youth Commissioner Accolades
Joining the youth commission is an honor and privilege. Being on the youth commission
is
yet
another
way
for
our
Oakland
youth
to
demonstrate
their
excellence
and
build
their
skill
set
that
makes
them
competitive
in
their
pursuit
of
their
goals
post
high
school.
This
year,
we
had
11 commissioners
who
just
graduated
high
school,
and
were
accepted
to
a
range
of
prestigious
Universities.
We
are
proud
of
our
OYC
Graduates’
accolades:
● Katie Liang, Graduated Oakland HS, Attending University of Pennsylvania ● Olivia Richardson Feldman, Graduated Lick Wilmerding, Attending Northwestern
University
● Bryce Hunt, Graduated Lick Wilmerding, Attending Stanford University ● Michelle Wong, Graduated Oakland HS, Attending UC Berkeley ● Diego Garcia, Graduated Skyline HS, Attending UC Davis ● Sofia Castro, Graduated Skyline HS, Attending San Jose State ● Ella Killingsworth, Graduated Skyline HS, Attending Berkeley City College ● Mia Hatfield, Graduated Oakland Tech, Attending Chico State ● Tengis Tumur, Graduated Oakland Tech, Attending Cal Poly ● Haniel Kebede, Graduated Oakland Tech, Attending Berkeley City College ● Nathan Li, Graduated Arroyo HS, Attending Berkeley City College Commissioners Ashley Tchanyoum and Katie Liang pictured with OYC Staff, Sara Tiras (center)
received
the
OUSD
District
Student
Leadership
Awards.
6 IV. Youth Voice in City Affairs In addition to giving feedback and input during commission meetings, the Youth Commission
used
their
platform
to
speak
up
for
youth
power
in
city
affairs
in
a
variety
of
other
ways.
OYC Co-Chair Amber Johnson and Staff Sara Tiras lead city staff in the our annual Adultism
and
Youth
Empowerment
Training
for
17 city
employees.
A. Leading Youth Empowerment and Adultism Trainings in the Community CityWide Training Two years ago, OYC youth and staff worked together to develop training on Adultism and
Youth
Empowerment.
This
year
on
January
29 2025,
we
offered
our
third
annual
training
for
city
employees
and
had
about
25 employees
attend
the
training
session.
This year two new youth commissioners stepped up to facilitate the training: Amber Johnson
(D6)
and
Olivia
Richardson
Feldman
(D2)
along
with
OYC
Staff,
Sara
Tiras.
Youth
presenters
facilitated
the
discussion
among
participants
to
think
about,
or
think
back
on,
their
perspectives
as
young
people
through
conversations
about
times
they
were
made
to
feel
marginalized
by
adults
as
youth
as
well
as
times
they
felt
empowered
as
young
people
and
the
difference
between
those
experiences.
The
training
included
a
breakdown
of
power,
oppression,
intersectionality,
and
used
Hart’s
Ladder
of
Youth
Empowerment
as
a
guide.
The
final
component
of
the
training
provided
participants
with
a
list
of
ways
to
incorporate
youth
perspective
in
their
work
as
adults
and
city
employees.
7 CASA Volunteers Amber and Olivia led the training again for over 30 volunteers at CASA who work as adult
allies
to
foster
youth
navigating
the
court
system.
Many
well
meaning
volunteers
don’t
have
the
training
and
framework
to
understand
the
powerlessness
and
experiences
of
foster
youth
from
a
framework
of
oppression
and
youth
empowerment.
The
training
was
really
inspiring
and
empowering
for
many
of
the
CASA
volunteers
who
shared
how
helpful
it
was
to
them
in
their
work.
Participants
wrote
in
their
evaluation:
“I really liked the professional facilitation - kept the presentation moving.
And
I
enjoyed
having
the
perspective
of
the
youth
council
-
particularly
on
this
subject!
Very
refreshing
and
well
done.”
“A really great presentation, very impressive youth, and very thoughtful ways
to
participate.
So
engaging!”
“I liked the organization and engagement throughout. I love that it was a topic
I
haven't
explored
a
lot
before,
and
it
felt
like
it
was
set
up
to
help
us
ease
into
it.”
OUSD Students OYCs third training was for OUSD Middle School Students at the All City Council’s Conference
on
March
6 at
Mills
at
Northeastern
University
campus.
We
had
over
30 middle
schoolers
in
attendance,
and
three
new
facilitators
led
the
training:
Katie
Liang
(D5),
Michelle
Wong
(D5),
and
Nathan
Li
(D5).
They
did
an
exceptional
job
of
holding
the
space,
giving
youth
a
chance
to
engage
and
enjoy
the
workshop
while
also
holding
high
expectations
for
them
and
their
behavior.
We hope to continue to offer the Adultism and Youth Empowerment training annually to
city
employees
with
the
goal
of
promoting
and
broadening
meaningful
and
empowering
forms
of
youth
engagement
in
all
city
departments
and
in
the
greater
Oakland
community.
We
also
plan
to
continue
to
present
at
other
youth
conferences
such
as
ACC
whenever
possible.
8 Youth commissioners lead OUSD Middle School students at the annual ACC Ethnic Studies
Conference
in
March
2025
B. ReCAST Youth Board ReCAST, which stands for Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma, is a federal
grant
program
which
funds
youth-led
projects
in
Oakland
that
center
healing
and
joy.
Youth
across
Oakland
are
part
of
the
youth-granting
board
to
review
grant
proposals
which
address
community
health,
injustice,
trauma,
and
healing.
This
year,
mini-grants
of
$4,000
were
awarded
to
Oakland
Youth
(ages
13-23).
For the second year in a row, our youth commissioners were interested in the program
and
decided
to
make
ReCAST
one
of
our
projects.
This
year’s
youth
board
consisted
of
nine
members
with
six
being
youth
commissioners.
Ana
Xu
Li,
Michelle
Wong,
Ella
Killingsworth,
Sofia
Castro,
Katie
Liang,
and
Ashley
Tchanyoum
were
part
of
the
cohort
that
designed
the
grant
application
and
grading
rubric
to
decide
which
programs
would
receive
grants.
They
learned
about
the
importance
of
youth
philanthropy
and
received
hands-on
experience
with
the
grant-making
process.
The initial meetings were in-person and the following meetings were online as they brainstormed
the
top
priorities
in
our
communities
to
categorize
different
project
proposals.
Additionally,
they
developed
an
application,
project
criteria,
and
outreach
plan.
During
the
final
meeting,
they
looked
at
the
applications
of
potential
contenders
by
analyzing
their
strengths
and
weaknesses.
They
reviewed
10 grant
proposals
and
granted
$40,000
to
fund
their
projects.
9 Using a scoring rubric, they selected which projects received funding. It seemed to be
a
natural
fit
for
youth
commissioners
to
collaborate
with
city
programs,
learn
about
philanthropy
and
the
grant
process,
and
use
their
leadership
to
empower
other
Oakland
youth.
Lastly, several commissioners on the board attended the ReCAST Grantee Launch where
grantees
were
celebrated
and
had
the
opportunity
to
share
more
about
their
project
to
their
community.
Youth
commissioners
were
given
the
platform
to
reflect
on
their
experiences
working
with
ReCAST
as
well.
C. Community Events Oakland Ballers Youth Vote Fundraiser On August 17, 2024 we held a fundraiser for Youth
Vote
in
collaboration
with
the
Oakland
Ballers.
In
addition
to
earning
a
donation
for
every
ticket
we
sold,
we
also
tabled
at
the
game
to
get
the
public
aware,
ready
and
excited
to
vote
for
their
school
board
representative.
We
connected
with
several
school
board
members
who
came
out
in
support.
When
speaking
with
Ballers
fans,
we
made
connections
with
teachers,
students,
and
families
who
were
eager
to
register
to
vote
and
learn
more
about
youth
vote.
Town Nights Youth Commissioners tabled for Oakland Youth Vote at two Town Nights events in June
and
August
in
Fruitvale
Village.
Vote Smart Summit at City Hall Youth Commissioners were invited to speak and present to attendees at the Vote Smart
Summit
on
Saturday
September
21,
2024
hosted
by
the
San
Francisco
National
Pan-Hellenic
Council.
We
shared
the
background
history
of
how
Oakland
youth
vote
came
to
be,
and
what
our
local
organizing
efforts
included
to
inspire,
engage,
and
inform
first
time
youth
voters.
Oaklandside Changemakers Event
10 A few times a year, Oaklandside newspaper hosts a “Changemakers” event highlighting
one
sector
of
Oakland
(music,
sports,
etc.).
On
November
20,
2024,
Oaklandside
hosted
one
on
Youth
Leadership
at
the
New
Parkway
Theatre
in
Oakland
and
invited
our
co-chair
Amber
Johnson
to
speak
on
a
panel
with
other
notable
youth
and
adults
who
all
work
in
youth
leadership
organizations.
Amber was a powerful voice on the panel and highlighted her experience on the Youth Commission
by
sharing:
“I honestly would say that the thing
that
really
kickstarted
my
empowerment
as
a
student
advocate
was
the
Oakland
Youth
Commission…The
Oakland
Youth
Commission
immerses
youth
into
city
government,
we
learn
about
what
is
going
on
in
Oakland
and
how
to
better
Oakland…its
a
great
way
to
learn
about
your
city
which
is
why
I
wanted
to
step
up
and
take
on
a
leadership
role.”
Oakland Museum Event On Sunday, Jan 19, 2025 the Oakland Museum hosted an event as part of a series called
“Community
Conversations:
Reclaiming
Democracy,
Building
Belonging”
in
partnership
with
The
Othering
&
Belonging
Institute
(OBI).
A
primary
goal
of
this
program
was
to
cultivate
dialogue
by
providing
a
platform
for
discussion
with
a
lens
toward
bridging
across
differences.
The
event
opened
with
a
dance
performance
to
gand
was
an
interactive
experience
with
audience
participation.
OYC Co-Chair Olivia Richardson Feldman, joined the panel with notable community leaders
john
a.
powell,
Director
of
the
OBI
and
Professor
at
the
UC
Berkeley
and
Ernestine
Nettles,
President
of
the
Oakland
League
of
Women
Voters.
On
the
panel,
Olivia
shared
some
wisdom
about
reaching
for
interconnectedness:
11 “In a functioning
democracy,
where
everyone
feels
like
they
belong,
it
is
because
we
understand
that
our
fates
are
linked
as
humans
regardless
of
our
differences.
We
recognize
our
humanity
and
see
each
other
through
a
lens
of
empathy.”
Mayoral Candidate Forum During the Mayoral Special Election campaign, one
of
our
District
3 youth
commissioners,
Calupe
Kaufusi
was
invited
to
co-facilitate
a
Mayoral
Candidate
Forum
with
Mayor
Lee
and
then
candidate
Loren
Taylor
iat
Sweet
Fingers
Restaurant
in
East
Oakland.
We
were
honored
to
have
Calupe’s
leadership
spotlighted
and
represented
in
the
electoral
process.
Pictured left: Calupe asks then mayoral
candidates
Barbara
Lee
and
Loren
Taylor
a
question.
12 Mia Bonta’s Assembly District 18 Awards The Oakland Youth Commission was
selected
by
Assembly
member
Mia
Bonta,
to
receive
the
“Youth
Organization
of
the
Year”
award.
On January 25, 2025 we attended
the
ceremony
in
Alameda,
in
which
she
honored
many
leaders,
organizations,
and
businesses
in
District
18. We
were
deeply
honored
to
be
recognized
for
the
work
we
have
been
doing
in
the
city.
We
were
also
excited
to
meet
Mayor
Lee
as
she
was
recognized
with
a
Lifetime
Achievement
Award
at
the
same
event.
D. Social Media Engagement
Social Media serves as a cornerstone for engaging with Oakland youth and the broader
community.
This
year
we
gained
over
2,000
followers.
We
continued
our
work
highlighting
Oakland
district
leaders
and
places,
and
sharing
local
events
and
resources
relevant
to
young
people.
District of the Month
For the second year in a row, we continued to highlight one district of the month. This is
an
easy
and
digestible
way
to
teach
our
followers
where
each
district
is
located,
who
represents
them
on
the
City
Council,
the
School
Board,
and
the
Oakland
Youth
Commission.
Commissioner Interviews
As part of our Commission of the Month feature, we interviewed each youth commissioner
from
the
district
of
the
month.
We
had
each
commissioner
choose
either
a
city
park,
library,
or
main
street
area
in
their
district
as
the
location
to
film
and
asked
them
10 questions
to
get
to
know
them.
This
helped
our
viewers
learn
where
each
district
is,
and
get
a
feel
for
who
our
city
youth
commissioners
are.
Our
13 commissioners loved creating these videos and they each got between 500-1500 views.
Mayoral Updates
Another new feature we did this year was a few breakdowns on the mayoral rec-call and
special
election
to
help
youth
understand
what
was
happening
in
our
local
government.
We
featured
different
youth
commissioners
in
a
series
of
3 videos
breaking
down
the
1)
Recall
Election
of
Mayor
Sheng
Thao
2)
Interim
Mayoral
Period
and
3)
The
Special
Election
to
elect
a
new
mayor.
These
videos
racked
up
over
3,000
views
and
were
circulated
widely.
This
showed
us
that
people
were
interested
and
eager
to
see
and
hear
youth
explain
local
politics
in
a
digestible
way.
We
will
continue
to
produce
more
content
like
this
in
the
future.
Additionally, we rely on social media to engage our audience with our ongoing efforts to
advocate
for
the
implementation
of
Oakland
Youth
Vote,
Digital
Equity
in
the
State,
sharing
updates
and
opportunities
with
ReCAST,
CTE
Hub,
and
our
work
within
city
government.
We
believe
our
increased
enrollment
and
interest
in
joining
the
youth
commission
is
also
in
part
due
to
our
increased
social
media
visibility
and
engagement.
V. Policy Work A. Oakland Youth Vote OYV Coalition - Core Leaders Committee We have been a key member in the Oakland Youth Vote Coalition for the past 5 years.
One
core
component
of
the
OYV
Coalition
is
that
we
have
a
designated
group
of
20 youth
leaders
we
work
closely
with
at
each
phase
of
the
campaign.
This
year
we
had
five
youth
commissioners
join
the
CLC:
Katie
Liang,
Diego
Garcia,
Edamevoh
Ajai,
Ashley
Tchanyoum,
and
Mia
Hatfield.
Our youth commissioners played a visible and central role in every aspect of the work:
registering
their
peers,
tabling
at
school
and
community
events,
recruiting
teachers
to
use
our
curriculum,
co-planning
events,
giving
speeches,
speaking
with
the
press
about
youth
vote,
filming
informational
videos,
hosting
candidate
forums,
and
more.
14 Registering Voters Once we got the green light from the Registrar of Voters that Oakland youth would officially
be
able
to
vote
in
the
November
school
board
election,
we
only
had
two
months
to
register
students
and
get
the
word
out.
Our
youth
commissioners,
along
with
their
peers
on
the
CLC,
got
to
work
and
were
able
to
register
around
1,500
youth.
In August we invited the League of Women Voters (LWV) to come train our adult and youth
leaders
on
the
registration
process
so
we
could
learn
from
their
years
of
work
registering
students
in
schools.
The
registration
process
isn’t
straightforward,
or
accessible
in
many
ways.
From
what
we
learned,
it
became
clear
that
we
needed
to
run
a
massive
registration
drive
at
every
school
via
paper
registration
forms
and
with
supportive
assistance
to
teachers
and
school
leaders.
We
applied
to
pick
up
bulk
registration
forms
from
the
Registrar,
500
at
a
time,
and
got
to
work
distributing
and
training
teachers
and
students
to
do
the
work.
We did this through tabling at
community
events
(pictured
here
at
Town
Nights
in
Fruitvale),
tabling
at
lunch
during
school,
making
announcements
in
classes,
and
recruiting
teachers
to
register
voters
in
their
classrooms.
We
also
coordinated
support
in
classes
through
youth
volunteers
and
our
community
partners
at
League
of
Women
of
Voters
(LWV)
because
the
process
is
complex
and
requires
a
lot
of
1-1
attention
to
students
who
are
completing
the
forms.
We also created informational
content
for
our
social
media
as
well
as
posters
that
we
posted
in
school
hallways
to
inform
students
how
to
register,
deadlines,
and
where
to
go
if
they
had
questions.
Here are several of our youth commissioners featured in one of the informational videos they filmed with the school district media outlet, KDOL, encouraging their peers to register and vote. 15 Youth Vote Kick Off and Press Conference In order to kick off early voting and celebrate the very first youth voters in our city to drop
off
their
ballots
-
we
organized
an
event
on
the
steps
of
the
County
Courthouse
on
October
16,
2024.
We
invited
media
outlets
to
come
and
document
our
youth
making
history.
Two youth commissioners, Edamevoh and Diego, MC’d the event (pictured center left).
While
two
other
youth
commissioners,
Ashley
Tchanyoum
and
Katie
Liang
(pictured
right),
gave
impassioned
and
inspiring
speeches
encouraging
their
peers
to
vote.
Three
youth
commissioners
from
eligible
districts
(Ella
Killingsworth,
Michelle
Wong,
and
Ashley
Tchanyoum)
were
among
the
first
Oakland
youth
to
drop
their
ballots
in
the
drop
box
-
a
photographic
moment
captured
by
the
press.
The event was covered in several media outlets and was beautifully documented by local media, KDOL, here in this video promo. Other news outlets that came and covered our event: Oaklandside: https://oaklandside.org/2024/10/17/election-2024-oakland-youth-vote-rally/ KQED: https://www.kqed.org/news/12012537/young-people-in-oakland-and-berkeley-are-casting-ballots-for-the-first-time-heres-what-it-looks-like 16 LA Times: https://www.kqed.org/news/12012537/young-people-in-oakland-and-berkeley-are-casting-ballots-for-the-first-time-heres-what-it-looks-like Distributing our Civic Engagement Curriculum to Oakland High Schools Last year, OYC Staff, Sara Tiras, co-wrote a Civic Engagement curriculum with Oakland
Kids
First
staff
Domenichi
Morris.
It
was
developed
with
youth
and
teacher
input
and
tested
in
a
teacher
focus
group
at
Skyline
High
School.
In August 2024, we published the curriculum and made it free for download here on our Oakland Youth Vote website.
Getting the curriculum into the high schools was a key component of our work to educate
and
empower
Oakland
youth
to
become
voters.
OYC
Staff,
Sara
Tiras,
coordinated
with
OUSD’s
District
Leaders
to
lead
Professional
Development
trainings
for
over
30 secondary
teachers.
Additionally, Sara Tiras assembled a core group of “Teacher Champions for Youth Vote”
-
designated
one
teacher
per
school
site
who
would
support
the
adoption
of
the
curriculum
and
coordinate
efforts
on
campus
to
register
and
empower
students
to
vote.
Sara
hosted
a
few
zoom
meetings
for
this
cohort
and
then
frequently
made
visits
to
each
campus
to
distribute
registration
forms,
pick
up
completed
forms,
and
offer
any
other
necessary
support.
Youth-Led Candidate Forum
Youth MC’s (left) ask questions to school board candidates for Districts 1, 3, 5 and 7 17 For the past several years, the OYV Coalition has hosted a youth led candidate forum
for
school
board
elections.
This
marked
the
first
year
we
organized
the
event,
and
students
weren’t
just
doing
a
“mock
vote”
but
participated
as
actual
voters
who
could
cast
their
ballots.
Once again, our youth commissioners took on leading roles as MC’s, panel moderators,
and
support
volunteers
to
make
sure
the
event
went
well.
We
had
over
200
people
in
attendance
and
the
event
was
once
again
a
growing
display
of
holding
school
board
directors
accountable
to
the
people
they
serve
-
students!
Expanding Youth Vote In the wake of Oakland’s groundbreaking move to implement youth vote, several cities throughout
the
country
have
reached
out
to
our
coalition
with
questions
and
a
desire
to
connect
and
learn
about
the
success
of
our
movement.
After
November,
we
have
shifted
out
focus
to
documenting
our
movement
and
sharing
our
work
with
others.
Youth Power Event at KALW
Youth commissioners speaking on a panel about Oakland Youth Vote in San Francisco
at
local
radio
station
KALW.
On February 11, the Youth Commission was invited to speak on a panel at San Francisco’s
public
radio
station,
KALW,
to
share
an
overview
of
our
campaign
and
advice
for
other
youth
interested
in
trying
to
pass
youth
vote
in
their
cities.
18 The event drew about 75 youth from the Bay Area across several cities - San Francisco,
Oakland,
Berkeley,
Richmond,
and
San
Mateo.
There
were
about
5 panels
that
spoke
on
their
engagement
work
with
elections,
and
it
was
aired
on
the
radio.
KALW hopes to host an event like this a few times a year to keep youth organizing connected
and
sharing
resources
and
inspiration
across
the
Bay
Area.
In addition, youth commissioners were interviewed by an outside consultant (hired by Oakland
Kids
First)
for
an
evaluation
of
the
first
ever
Oakland
youth
vote.
The
evaluation
will
be
used
as
a
guide
for
the
district
for
how
to
improve
future
youth
voter
engagement
and
also
as
a
tool
for
dissemination
to
other
cities
interested
in
learning
from
our
work.
Our presentation can be listened to here: UC Berkeley Youth Vote Symposium Post election, UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy reached out to our coalition
interested
to
showcase
our
work
in
a
Youth
Vote
Symposium
on
April
30. UCB invited people across the country interested in replicating our work. We were thrilled
to
have
several
youth
commissioners
speak
on
the
panel,
and
OYC
Staff,
Sara
Tiras
was
invited
to
moderate
one
of
the
panels
as
well.
There
were
also
staff
19 from the Registrar of Voters, election legal consultants, city council members, and other
district
and
community
leaders
who
spoke
as
well.
The event drew about 50-60 attendees, many from out of state. We had many interested
organizers,
researchers
reach
out
to
connect
with
us
following
the
event.
Systematizing Youth Vote Since the election, we have been working on a proposal to get the school district to “systematize” our best practices so we can enure that youth vote will carry on in future
elections
and
we
are
city
and
school
district
that
proudly
supports
civic
engagement
and
youth
voting.
In order to develop our proposal, we decided to hold a few informational delegations with
key
district
leaders.
This
Spring
we
met
with
three
leaders
1)
President
of
the
School
Board,
Jenifer
Brouhard
2)
Head
of
the
Office
of
Equity,
Raquel
Jimenez
and
3)
District
Chair
of
Social
Studies,
Vonzelle
Reed.
Youth
Commissioners
led
and
facilitated
these
meetings
to
share
out
our
work
to
get
students
ready
to
vote,
and
asked
questions
to
solicit
ideas
for
our
best
path
forward
to
institutionalize
these
practices
within
the
district.
We
continue
to
develop
our
proposal
and
plan
to
bring
it
to
the
School
Board
in
the
coming
few
months.
Youth
Commissioner
Diego
Garcia
speaks
with
OUSD
District
Chair
of
Social
Studies,
Vonzelle
Reed.
B. Housing for Transitional Aged Youth The Youth Commission continues its commitment to advocating for homeless and housing
insecure
youth
and
young
adults
through
our
support
for
the
CTE
Hub.
20 Career Technical Education (CTE) TAY Hub Coalition The OYC continued to be an active member of the The CTE TAY Hub, a housing complex
initiative
where
transitional
age
youth
who
are
housing
insecure
can
live
and
receive
a
variety
of
resources
to
help
them
through
the
pivotal
transition
from
youth
to
adulthood.
The
housing
campus
will
provide
college
and
career
counseling,
mental
health
services,
and
a
variety
of
other
wrap
around
services.
The
Youth
Commission
continues
to
work
with
the
CTE
TAY
Hub
coalition
of
over
25 organizations
to
plan
the
design
of
this
housing
project
and
advocate
for
continued
investment
and
funding
in
seeing
this
project
to
fruition.
We
had
three
youth
commissioners
work
with
this
coalition,
Bryce
Hunt,
Calupe
Kaufusi,
and
Quincy
Russell.
Their
focus
included
three
aspects
of
planning
this
year:
1. Public comment to emphasize the impact the CTE Hub will have and reinforce support
from
the
OUSD
School
Board
to
continue
the
work
for
the
Hub.
Commissioner
Calupe
Kaufusi
spoke
out
in
support
of
the
hub
and
talked
about
the
impact
it
would
have
specifically
on
disconnected
youth
of
color.
2. Meeting with workforce development leaders to consider what pathways and programs
the
hub
should
include.
3. Continue to pressure the School Board to advocate for the timely need to start construction
at
1025
2nd
Ave.
The
site
has
become
an
abandoned
building
that
has
been
a
gathering
place
for
unhoused
people
and
unfortunately
led
to
increasing
violence,
drug
use,
and
blight
that
disrupted
the
lives
and
educations
of
many
youth
in
the
surrounding
block.
CTE Hub Coalition
leaders
pictured
after
a
school
board
meeting
on
September
19,
2024
after
securing
support
from
the
School
Board
to
move
forward
with
plans
to
demolish
the
site
at
1025
2nd
Ave
to
begin
construction
on
the
Hub.
21 C. Digital Equity Campaign The Oakland Youth Commission continued to stay
connected
to
Oakland
Undivided
and
the
fight
for
digital
equity
in
Oakland.
Patrick
Messac
and
Cinthia
Diaz
from
Oakland
Undivided
came
to
present
to
the
Youth
Commission
on
updates
to
the
plan
and
advocacy
work.
Following
their
presentation
in
March,
we
joined
them
for
another
Day
of
Action
at
the
State
Capitol
on
April
30,
2025.
Youth Commissioners, Katie Liang and Bryce
Hunt,
went
with
staff
Sara
Tiras
to
meet
with
statewide
lawmakers
to
share
their
stories
as
youth
and
students
as
to
the
importance
of
having
access
to
high
speed,
affordable,
internet
plans.
Lawmakers
will
be
voting
on
whether
or
not
to
require
Internet
Service
Providers
to
provide
a
quality
and
affordable
statewide
$15/month
plan
similar
to
one
that
recently
passed
in
New
York.
VI. Looking Ahead As is every year, some of our long term commitments will roll over into the next term as
we
continue
to
advocate
for
youth
vote,
CTE
Hub,
awareness
of
Adultism
and
Youth
Empowerment,
and
Digital
Equity
in
Oakland.
The
new
commission
will
vote
to
approve
our
ad-hoc
committees
and
core
projects
for
the
next
term
in
2025-26.
At the end of this term, the OYC had 12 youth commissioners step down due to moving
outside
of
Oakland
for
college,
or
aging
out.
We
have
8 youth
commissioners
returning
and
9 new
commissioners
joining.
We
are
proud
that
our
visibility
in
the
city
continues
to
grow
and
as
a
result,
we
received
the
most
applications
we
have
in
many
years.
We
had
over
60 applications
from
Oakland
youth
and
interviewed
24 applicants.
22 VII. Youth Commissioner Reflections We conclude our report with reflections from each commissioner on what they have learned
and
how
they
have
grown
from
their
time
serving
as
a
youth
commissioner.
Commissioner Amber Johnson Olivia
Role Co-Chair; D6 Commissioner Co-Chair; Commissioner At Large Committees Adultism Trainer; Executive Committee
Adultism Trainer; Executive Committee
What did you learn from being on the OYC?
From my time on the commission, I've learned a lot more about city government specifically through learning about city issues & the efforts being made to fix these issues. I learned how Oakland has tons of commissions focused on specific things & got to hear from a lot of those commissions in the last 2 years. I also learned a lot more about the amount of & the impact of student/ youth activism in my city. Although I've been involved in advocacy work for a while, I wasn't really able to create such an immense impact such as Oakland Youth Vote or Oakland Undivided did & to see it happen was such an empowering experience.
I learned how much power youth actually have in a city and nation. From all of the actions we participated in, to the mature conversations at our meetings we put in so much to make the city a better place, and we did. I also learned that youth can lead things on their own. We made such an impact with just one advisor.
How did you grow as a leader and community member? When I applied to be on the commission, I knew that there were specific perspectives I wanted to make sure to bring to the space. As a person of color who is system-impacted, low income, grew up with a single mom of five kids, I knew I would have a lot to say. I am not shy when it comes to speaking my mind but at times being vulnerable has made me feel like a charity case or has made me I became more and more engaged as I spent more time on the commission. From subscribing to the Oaklandside to attending community events, I became more of an active member of my town than I was before. I grew as a leader as Co-Chair alongside Amber, by stepping into a leadership role where much more was expected of me. 23 feel looked down upon - but I never felt that way within OYC. I felt so uplifted & supported whenever I shared something in OYC. This confidence I gained through OYC also helped with me no longer holding back in assignments or in applications which helped me to really succeed in anything I was putting my mind to. I got more involved with my community which is something I started to do through OYC. Commissioner Calupe Kaufusi Mia Hatfield Role Commissioner At Large Commissioner At Large Committees CTE Hub Youth Vote
What did you learn from being on the OYC?
I learned how to speak confidently and let my ideas be known . I also learned how to communicate and work as a group to achieve goals and more. Being on the commission helped me see problems and issues I never would’ve seen if I had not joined.
I gained so much knowledge this year especially on youth vote campaign and how to get people to registered and vote for there school board candidates. I also learned how to write public comments for numerous city council meetings.
How did you grow as a leader and community member? As said before I learned speak confidently and more importantly speak as a leader. I’ve improved massively in many ways over the year by learning do’s and Don’ts. I’ve stopped fidgeting ,started speaking louder and hopefully I improve more in the following years.
How I grew as a leader is I learned that everybody learns differently and at a different speed and you have to take that consideration in when you are teaching someone.
24 Commissioner Sofia Castro Ella Killingsworth
Role Commissioner At Large D7 Commissioner & Social Media Officer Committees ReCAST ReCAST
What did you learn from being on the OYC?
I learned a lot about the issues in our city and how they are handled. The Youth Commission gave me the chance to be in city hall and hear about what is going on in our city and just how much power our youths voices hold. I was able to see our city from a different perspective and hear voices that I have never heard before.
That a lack of knowledge does't mean a lack of interest. When talking to students at my school or even just my friends, they ended up being pretty engaged when talking about our local politics. So, seeing how even small steps in spreading awareness can effect our city was pretty knowledgable.
How did you grow as a leader and community member? I feel like my confidence grew a lot when it came to sharing my ideas and thoughts. I gained a lot of knowledge from hearing so many different perspectives and meeting new people with the most incredible minds. The Youth Commission have introduced me to a completely new world which has helped with my growth this past year.
I feel as though I grew as a leader in more of a social stance then an action taking one (which I hope to improve on as well). I wasn't afraid to communicate with the people in our commission, along with taking these skills into the real world when talking to my peers, or interviewing for jobs. And I hope to carry this new confidence with me throughout the rest of my life.
25 Commissioner Ashley Tchanyoum Edamevoh Ajayi
Role Commissioner At Large; Operations Officer
D4 Commissioner
Committees Oakland Youth Vote; Executive Committee Oakland Youth Vote
What did you learn from being on the OYC?
I learned how to plan events. I learned how to table. And I learned how to speak to city officials.
I learned how to communicate confidently and clearly with strangers through the Oakland Youth Vote campaign. I learned how to confidently express my opinions and ideas due to being in a safe space during the meetings. I also gained better facilitation skills and open-mindedness to different ideas from the public speakers.
How did you grow as a leader and community member? I know now how to present myself while on public record. I’ve met with committees I didn’t know existed prior. And I know more about Oakland government as a whole.
I grew in my ability to engage with people from different backgrounds and to be patient with people who have different perspectives. I felt that I met a lot of new people and really got to know how different everyone in Oakland truly is. I also got a better idea of the struggles many different people in different age groups go through due to their backgrounds 26 Commissioner Bryce Hunt Kayson Naik
Role Commissioner At Large; Social Media Officer D2 Commissioner
Committees Digital Equity; CTE Hub; Executive Committee N/A
What did you learn from being on the OYC?
I learned about the power that I have to make a difference. Being on the Youth Commission taught me that my voice matters, and that people actually value my input. I also learned so much more about the different community organizations in Oakland, and I gained a better understanding of the inner workings of our government and systems.
Learning about city government has been one of the invaluable things i have learned from my one year on the commission. Getting presentations and seeing first hand how are city functions and navigates through(many) challenges has inspired me to be more active in policy, even if I don’t want to do policy in the future/in my adulthood. I think that’s very interesting, because it shows that someone may not be super passionate about policy but may still take an interest in it and care fire it, which in turn creates a more knowledgeable and involved community/city.
How did you grow as a leader and community member? My first step of growth as a leader was running and being elected as Media Officer on the executive committee. This gave me a new sense of responsibility on the Commission. My growth as a community member came from my involvement in initiatives like Oakland Undivided and the CTE TAY Hub, where in both cases I got to speak on behalf of marginalized communities and give a voice to the wonderful work these organizations do.
I think the 2024 annual report helped me enhance my leadership skills- speaking in front of city council allowed me to be more comfortable with “important government people.” Additionally, giving youth perspective during presentations from various groups and committees has helped me grow as a spokesperson for youth.
27 Commissioner Quincy Russell Ana Xu Li
Role D3 Commissioner Commissioner At Large
Committees CTE Hub N/A
What did you learn from being on the OYC?
Something I learned over the course of this year was how to voice my thoughts and opinions on issues that affect my community. In presentations given to us, I was able to effectively communicate how I thought each proposed action could either positively or negatively impact the ones that live at around the sight of impact. I especially gained the perspective of seeing how others can be impacted by city government choices this year. I LOVE THE OYC! I appreciated that this year had a lot of continuation with topics we started discussing last year with digital equity and youth vote for example where last year we started familiarizing ourselves with the two causes but were able to see the results and some of the culminations of that work such as with Youth Vote conducting elections. Similarly with speakers coming back like Dr. Holly Joshi were we were able to learn not only about her career but more about the inner workings of how human trafficking works, the signs, and some of the tactics to combat it that are in place. Lastly, we were exposed to more city departments I wasn’t aware about.
How did you grow as a leader and community member? Through my participation in the OYC, I was able to learn how to use my voice on issues that matter and affect the community around me. Seen in commission meetings and actions, I was excited to use my voice and knowledge to inform others how they can improve the lives situations of people who are experiencing times of struggle and inform the community about the purposed changes happing to their neighborhoods.
I think this year because I was farther away than last year since my first year of college started a lot of my engagement with the topics we learned in the commission was starting conversations with people I met on campus. Because of the nature of being away I also missed more meetings that I would’ve liked but with that came placing myself accountable for my absences. I tried my best to make it to all possible meetings, communicate when I wasn’t able to make it and more importantly making up the time with the content I missed. 28 Commissioner Michelle Wong Katie Liang
Role Commissioner At Large Ethics Officer
D5 Commissioner
Committees Adultism Trainer; ReCast; Executive Committee Youth Vote; ; ReCast; Digital Equity; Adultism Trainer What did you learn from being on the OYC?
As an Oakland youth and resident, I wasn’t aware of the many issues that our city and local organizations had been tackling. Through our regular commission meetings, I learned about what work has been done to better our city which has not only been beneficial in educating myself, but it also gave me a platform to voice my opinions. I was able to meet fellow commissioners who came from different backgrounds and schools which gave me a new perspective on the many youth stories that often go unheard in political settings and conversations.
Being part of the Oakland Youth Commission these past two years has taught me a lot. I’ve developed a deeper understanding of how local government operates and why active civic participation is essential. This experience has helped me develop leadership skills and the confidence to share my ideas and opinions with city and state leaders. Most importantly, I’ve learned just how powerful young voices are in driving change. It has inspired me to remain involved in local politics in college and to keep advocating for the issues that matter most.
How did you grow as a leader and community member? Participating in commission meetings allowed me to grow as both a leader and community member as I shared insightful and nuanced discussions with the commission. We also participated in many engaging activities with our guest presenters which allowed me to deepen my understanding on city issues. Being part of different committees within OYC has also given me great opportunities to be part of meaningful change that I once believed was out of reach. I was able to develop my overall confidence and public speaking skills by becoming more Participating in the Oakland Youth Commission has helped me grow by teaching me the importance of active listening and collaboration when working with diverse groups. Through committee work and trainings, I developed stronger communication and problem-solving skills. For example, on the Oakland Youth Vote Committee, I suggested visiting social studies classrooms at Oakland High and giving presentations to engage more students in voting for School Board candidates. These experiences have strengthened my ability to lead with confidence and a 29 comfortable with exposing myself to new experiences. From dropping my ballot in front of the courthouse to leading an adultism and youth empowerment training to young students, I continue to be empowered by my community and peers. commitment to increase community engagement
Commissioner Haniel Kebede Diego Garcia
Role D1 Commissioner; Secretary Commissioner At Large; Organizing Officer Committees Executive Committee Youth Vote; Executive Committee What did you learn from being on the OYC?
I got to see how much initiatives like Oakland Youth Vote and the underpass project by OakDot progressed since last year. I also gained more leadership and facilitation skills by joining the executive committee.
During my time on the Youth Commission, I was able to learn so much about our city's government like how elections work, who is in charge of what, what council members and mayors do, and how our city budget works. I learned about the importance of youth voices in shaping our local elected officials decisions and how collaboration between young people and civic leaders can lead to meaningful change. Lastly, I learned how to advocate for not only myself, but for my peers and the issues affecting my communities.
How did you grow as a leader and community member? I joined the executive committee as the secretary this year. Coming early to meetings and signing for facilitation roles helped me improve my leadership and public speaking skills. I also believe that taking on the role of secretary allowed me to stay focused on the presentations and arguments being made during discussions, which I appreciate.
I believe I have completed and fulfilled my responsibilities as a youth commissioner. I actively participated in meetings and shared my perspective on important issues that affect Oakland. I believe I brought dedication and a willingness to listen and collaborate with the commission 30 Commissioner Steve Nguyen Nathan Li
Role Commissioner At Large Commissioner At Large Committees N/A Adultism Trainer
What did you learn from being on the OYC?
Through my experience being on the Youth Commission, I learned how to be an active and engaged resident of Oakland. I believe the experience of being able to work of extremely talented and passionate group of youths on the commission allowed me to be able to understand and listen to experiences and perspectives of others. I was able to gain different insights on the functioning’s of a city and interact with people from different departments that play a core in shaping Oakland such as transportation, urban design, digital equity, and first respondents.
Being on the Youth Commission for the past three years has taught me countless invaluable lessons. It has taught me how to use my voice to speak in front of public officials, how to engage in public policy, how to effectively write and give public comments, and, most importantly, how to connect with my community. These couple of skills that I briefly listed only begin to scratch the surface of the lessons that have helped shape me into the leader that I have grown into.
How did you grow as a leader and community member? I believe I grew as a community member through my participation on the commission since I had the opportunity to work with youths across Oakland. This experience thought me the value of collaboration and unity. I also believed I was able to grow as a leader through my active contribution during commission meetings and lead the conversation and listen when needed too.
Through the Oakland Youth Commission, I watched myself alongside other commissioners grow into passionate advocates for social justice. By attending the bi-weekly commission meetings, where we met with community leaders and city department staff, I learned how to be actively engaged in public policy to help uplift youth and community members. Additionally, by working in subcommittees like Restorative Justice, Adultism, and YPAR, I learned how to be a leader who demonstrates passion for improving his community issues and one is willing to tackle difficult situations for a solution. 31 Commissioner Tengis Turmur
Role Commissioner At Large
Committees N/A
What did you learn from being on the OYC?
I learned different aspects of Oaklands political system and how they pass bills. Without OYC I would have never understood how these systems work and the multiple commissions that work hard to contribute to these changes in Oakland. I gained the knowledge that a lot of time and data is required to make every action within Oakland, and that it is a lengthy process.
How did you grow as a leader and community member? I gained the confidence to talk to everyone. Which honestly I found to be the most difficult part, worried about whether or not I would be accepted. But I saw how I've grown throughout the year, OYC gave me a sense of pride, knowing I had the ability to push my boundaries of socializing and to utilize talking as a skill to form connections with people 32