Oakland Youth Commission
Established in 1985, the Oakland Youth Commission (OYC) works to improve the lives of all young people
in
Oakland
and
strives
to
provide
youth
voice
when
meeting
with
community
and
civic
leaders
to
advocate
for
youth
issues.
Youth
Commissioners
are
appointed
by
the
Mayor.
OYC empowers Oakland youth with leadership training, civic engagement opportunities and provides
a
platform
for
young
people
to
enter
the
public
arena
and
tackle
important
youth
issues
related
to
education,
employment,
public
safety,
the
environment
and
health.
Calendar ● The OYC runs from September - June ● We meet the 1st and 3rd Mondays in City Hall ● We convene for 2 weekend retreats a year ● We attend occasional community and city events throughout the term Eligibility Requirements ● Live in Oakland ● Ages 13-21 ● Demonstrate a passion for civic engagement, social justice, and desire to collaborate and learn
Current Commission ● 17 youth ● At least 2 commissioners from each district ● Schools: 70% attend public schools; 30% attend Private or Charter schools ● Race/Ethnicity: 38% Black, 32% Latinx, 25% AAPI; 5% Arab/Middle Eastern Staff Sara Tiras (she/her) has been leading the OYC since 2022. She comes with over 20 years of experience as an educator
and
youth
organizer.
Born
and
raised
in
the
Bay
Area,
Sara
has
lived
in
Oakland
for
20 years.
She
graduated
from
UC
Santa
Cruz
with
honors
in
American
Studies
and
went
onto
earn
her
Teaching
Credential
and
Masters
in
Education
at
Mills
College.
She
taught
high
school
history
and
government
for
a
decade;
as
well
as
trained
new
teachers
at
Mills
College
and
in
OUSD.
Her
work
with
youth
is
grounded
in
values
of
love, justice, and youth empowerment. Sara can be reached via email at [email protected]
What do Youth Commissioners do during their term? ● Learn how to facilitate and conduct public meetings ● Learn how city government works ● Give feedback and youth input into city policies and programs to Department leaders ● Speak with the press on key youth issues and current events ● Draft letters of support or give public comment at city council meetings ● Organize campaigns ● Train youth and adults on Adultism and Youth empowerment ● Conduct research on youth issues (YPAR) ● Join youth coalitions in the City Recent Accomplishments
● In 2022, OYC and Youth Advisory Board co-hosted a hearing on youth homelessness and successfully
advocated
for
a
Youth
Homelessness
Task
Force
in
the
County
● In 2022, OYC and Youth vs Apocalypse co-hosted a Youth Speak Out event ● In 2022, OYC staff and youth co-developed an Adultism and Youth Empowerment Training which
we
have
led
to
City
Staff,
OUSD
students,
and
community
organizations
over
3 years
● In 2023, OYC conducted research in Oakland high schools on the transitions to adulthood ● In 2023, OYC advocated for digital equity in East Oakland and helped secure $12M funding for
Oakland’s
digital
equity
plan
● In 2024, OYC helped launch the first ever Oakland Youth Vote by securing implementation with
the
County,
registering
1500
new
youth
voters,
and
co-hosting
several
events
to
inform
and
motivate
first
time
youth
voters
to
turn
out
Additional OYC Resources
Check out our Website for our Meeting Agendas, Notes, and Recordings Follow us on Instagram: @oakyac Read our 2023-2024 Annual report Sign Up to Receive our Quarterly Newsletter