Our Vision: The most effective means of building healthy and economically robust communities is to develop and harness the leadership of young people by creating safe and vibrant spaces that offer comprehensive, integrated programming.

Youth Uprising is a not-for-profit organization, seeded and supported by Alameda County and the City of Oakland . Youth UpRising is housed in a 25,000 sq. ft. state of the art building and offers a wide range of programs and services that develop youth leadership in order to transform the community. Youth UpRising grew out of the needs articulated by Oakland youth in 1997 after racial tension at Castlemont High School erupted into violence. This first group of young people identified poor educational resources, too few employment opportunities, the absence of positive things to do, and lack of community and personal safety as the root causes of the problems facing youth.

In response, Alameda County authorized the conversion of a vacant County property and provided staffing to bring together youth, community providers, the City of Oakland and Oakland Unified School District officials to make the vision a reality. Alameda County and the City of Oakland also provided core program and capital funding for Youth Uprising.

 

Our Mission

Youth UpRising is dedicated to being a leader in the advancement of youth leadership development as a means of affecting positive community change by ensuring that youth and young adults are supported in actualizing their potential as a result of:

1. Consciousness Raising that exposes them to a broader set of realities to develop their capacity to think critically about personal and community experiences;
2. Personal Transformation that builds their capacity to transform experiences of trauma and oppression into opportunities for positive personal and community change; and
3. Hard Skill/Leadership Development that increases their creativity, strengths, and skills as effective leaders who are competitive in the marketplace.