Welcome to Youth Uprising

Comanche Whittington

Comanche Washington is a frequent face at Youth UpRising, she is 17 and a student at Castlemont High School . Initially, Comanche came to Youth UpRising requesting hours to fulfill her community service requirements. In the process she became a member, and began fully utilizing Youth Uprising's Career and Education Center. Comanche diligently showed up for math and science tutoring which helped her increase her grade point average to a 3.3. She now has her goals set on attending a four year University and becoming a lawyer. Comanche is a quintessential example of determination and perseverance exemplified at Youth UpRising. Comanche's outgoing and positive spirit is a wonderful addition to the Center and she serves as a strong role model to her peers.

Allati El Henson

Allati El Henson a 16 years old in the 11 th grade, maintains a 3.4 GPA. On top of her general studies she serves as a Teachers Assistant for a beginning Art Class at her school. She has a strong passion and great talent in art and has been drawing since she was in the sixth grade. Her specialty is portraiture which is how the Youth UpRising staff discovered her gift. Allati would sketch portraits of Youth UpRising members and noticing her extraordinary talent, the staff engaged her to start an art class at the Center, further staying true to our mission of youth leadership. She has taken various art classes over the years but has been largely self-taught. Her work has been showcased at several gallery shows through her former school, the Oakland School for the Arts. Most recently she has been working on a show that will be at Youth UpRising featuring her paintings inspired by Youth Uprisings Dance Battles and the Bay Area's "Hyphy" culture. She created close to 20 portraits that were presented at Youth UpRising's Grand Opening Gala honoring various political figures who have supported the center. Honorees included Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Senator Don Perata, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley and Councilmember Larry Reid.

Daniel Jones

Daniel Jones is a 20 years old Oakland native and has had a strong interest in music since an early age. It was his love for music that led him to Youth UpRising. He came across an article about the Center one day while he was at a recording studio in Richmond . He immediately came to see the center and began teaching himself how to use the music engineering programs. He had never used a Macintosh before but spent numerous hours in the studio developing his skills, he quickly mastered the software and was hired as part of a team of young people to support the Media Arts Center . He now teaches Pro Tools and Reason recording programs to Youth UpRising participants as well as serving as a music engineer, recording Youth UpRising members and local artists' music. Perhaps his greatest contribution is teaching his peers that they too, with patience and dedication, can become a staff member at Youth UpRising and have a positive impact on their community.

Porshia Butler

Porshia Butler is 16 years old and is in the 11 th grade and is in a Business and Technology program at her school. She has been coming to Youth UpRising before the center officially opened during the Open houses. She was quickly hired and placed into a leadership role as a member of the Rise Up Team. Porshia immediately stood out for her exemplarily leadership skills and her strong commitment and understanding of Youth UpRisings' Mission and Vision. The staff as a whole have greatly admired Porshia's active involvement and proactive approach to her position. She is already a veteran here and has extensive knowledge of the Center. Porshia maintains a 4.0 in AP classes and plans to go to Harvard or Stanford University . She intends to major in Business and after she receives her diploma she wants to open her own Real Estate Company. She would like to gain more leadership skills, experience new things and fully take advantage of everything Youth UpRising has to offer. Porshia is responsible, intelligent, driven and always has a positive attitude; she is one of those young people who truly help make Youth UpRising what it is.

Loretha Henry

Loretha “Scrapi” Henry, a 15 year old Atlanta native, has a spirit that captures the hearts of Youth UpRising’s (YU) staff and members. In May 2005, Scrapi came to YU to meet new people and found that she quickly developed a relationship with, Jacky Johnson—a long time YU leader and staff member. Inspired by Jacky’s devotion and loyalty to youth, she immediately applied for a YU summer internship. Initially, Scrapi joined YU as a Public Relations Interns and then applied to become a member of YU’s permanent youth leadership development body—The RiseUp Team. Today, she is balancing school, two part-time jobs, and a leadership role with the Oakland Fund for Children and Youth. She is an 11th grader at University Preparatory Charter School (UPREP) in Oakland, and plans to attend Stanford University to study Architectural Design and Performing Arts. She is also well-known as the first female dancer to join the “Architecks”, a turf dance group. She has captured the attention of local artists and has been asked to appear in music videos such as, E-40’s “Tell’em Where To Go”, Too Short’s, “Blow the Whistle”, and The Packs, “Vans”. Most recently, she was asked to dance at Chris Brown’s concert at the Oakland Coliseum. Scrapi wants everyone to know she will “rise up” and hopes to inspire others.

Summer Clark

Summer Clark is a 23 year old Oakland Native whose warm heart has captured the attention of many people. Summer is an intelligent and spiritual young woman who is always willing to go an extra mile for others. Summer came to Youth UpRising in search of a job opportunity and educational support. After meeting with a Case Manager, she showed interest in working at Youth UpRising. There was a job opening as a front desk clerk at Youth UpRising and she was referred for an interview. Summer interviewed for the position,
and was hired on the spot. Since her duration here at Youth UpRising, Summer has graduated from Heald Business College with an Associate Degree in Business and Software Technology. Summer plans to transfer to San Francisco State University to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with a minor in Child Development. Summer has been a great asset to Youth UpRising, she has recruited youth to the center and actively advocates on their behalf.

The Turf Fienz

The Turf Fienz are members of a "Hyphy"/"Turf" Dancing group as one of only a handful of organized dance teams in Oakland. The three founding members have been coming to Youth UpRising since it opened and that was where they all met and formed their group. Their first performances were at Youth UpRising dance battles where they dominated the stage, winning many of the Battles. They have performed at events all over the city and are big supporters of the Center continually performing at Youth UpRising events. Most recently they performed at a Holiday Event which Youth UpRising held in partnership with the City of Oakland and the Wayans Bros., with Marlon Wayans as the special guest. They won the group battle title at the "DBL" dance battle held in Los Angeles against some of the most talented Krump and Clown dancers. They won a title at the "Masters of the Ring" battle held at Laney College . The Turf Fienz have a total of 8 members comprised of both young men and women.

Yoshmond Gross is 15 and in the 9th grade and plans to attend UCLA or Stanford University . He is learning from Youth UpRising how to problem solve and be a role model by demonstrating a positive attitude and openness. He hopes to pursue a career in Real Estate, pursue modeling as well as open his own dance studio.

Rayshawn Thomas is 15 and in the 9 th grade and has danced as an opening act for D'Wayne Wiggins of Tony Toni Tone at Councilmember Desley Brooks "Summer Concerts in the Park". He hopes to travel across the Country with the Turf Fienz and hopes they will stay together as a strong group. He dreams of starting his own Dance Company one day.

Justin Perkins is 16, and in the 11 th grade. He plans to attend Moorehouse College when he graduates with aspirations to be a Pediatrician or a Lawyer. He was one of the first youth to step inside the Center when he came with his Church. He appreciates the Center because it helps to keep him off the Streets and provides him with opportunities.

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	History The Center Staff Board of Trustees Partners Success Stories Job Listing	Comanche Whittington Comanche Washington is a frequent face at Youth UpRising, she is 17 and a student at Castlemont High School . Initially, Comanche came to Youth UpRising requesting hours to fulfill her community service requirements. In the process she became a member, and began fully utilizing Youth Uprising's Career and Education Center. Comanche diligently showed up for math and science tutoring which helped her increase her grade point average to a 3.3. She now has her goals set on attending a four year University and becoming a lawyer. Comanche is a quintessential example of determination and perseverance exemplified at Youth UpRising. Comanche's outgoing and positive spirit is a wonderful addition to the Center and she serves as a strong role model to her peers. Allati El Henson Allati El Henson a 16 years old in the 11 th grade, maintains a 3.4 GPA. On top of her general studies she serves as a Teachers Assistant for a beginning Art Class at her school. She has a strong passion and great talent in art and has been drawing since she was in the sixth grade. Her specialty is portraiture which is how the Youth UpRising staff discovered her gift. Allati would sketch portraits of Youth UpRising members and noticing her extraordinary talent, the staff engaged her to start an art class at the Center, further staying true to our mission of youth leadership. She has taken various art classes over the years but has been largely self-taught. Her work has been showcased at several gallery shows through her former school, the Oakland School for the Arts. Most recently she has been working on a show that will be at Youth UpRising featuring her paintings inspired by Youth Uprisings Dance Battles and the Bay Area's "Hyphy" culture. She created close to 20 portraits that were presented at Youth UpRising's Grand Opening Gala honoring various political figures who have supported the center. Honorees included Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Senator Don Perata, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley and Councilmember Larry Reid. Daniel Jones Daniel Jones is a 20 years old Oakland native and has had a strong interest in music since an early age. It was his love for music that led him to Youth UpRising. He came across an article about the Center one day while he was at a recording studio in Richmond . He immediately came to see the center and began teaching himself how to use the music engineering programs. He had never used a Macintosh before but spent numerous hours in the studio developing his skills, he quickly mastered the software and was hired as part of a team of young people to support the Media Arts Center . He now teaches Pro Tools and Reason recording programs to Youth UpRising participants as well as serving as a music engineer, recording Youth UpRising members and local artists' music. Perhaps his greatest contribution is teaching his peers that they too, with patience and dedication, can become a staff member at Youth UpRising and have a positive impact on their community. Porshia Butler Porshia Butler is 16 years old and is in the 11 th grade and is in a Business and Technology program at her school. She has been coming to Youth UpRising before the center officially opened during the Open houses. She was quickly hired and placed into a leadership role as a member of the Rise Up Team. Porshia immediately stood out for her exemplarily leadership skills and her strong commitment and understanding of Youth UpRisings' Mission and Vision. The staff as a whole have greatly admired Porshia's active involvement and proactive approach to her position. She is already a veteran here and has extensive knowledge of the Center. Porshia maintains a 4.0 in AP classes and plans to go to Harvard or Stanford University . She intends to major in Business and after she receives her diploma she wants to open her own Real Estate Company. She would like to gain more leadership skills, experience new things and fully take advantage of everything Youth UpRising has to offer. Porshia is responsible, intelligent, driven and always has a positive attitude; she is one of those young people who truly help make Youth UpRising what it is. Loretha Henry Loretha “Scrapi” Henry, a 15 year old Atlanta native, has a spirit that captures the hearts of Youth UpRising’s (YU) staff and members. In May 2005, Scrapi came to YU to meet new people and found that she quickly developed a relationship with, Jacky Johnson—a long time YU leader and staff member. Inspired by Jacky’s devotion and loyalty to youth, she immediately applied for a YU summer internship. Initially, Scrapi joined YU as a Public Relations Interns and then applied to become a member of YU’s permanent youth leadership development body—The RiseUp Team. Today, she is balancing school, two part-time jobs, and a leadership role with the Oakland Fund for Children and Youth. She is an 11th grader at University Preparatory Charter School (UPREP) in Oakland, and plans to attend Stanford University to study Architectural Design and Performing Arts. She is also well-known as the first female dancer to join the “Architecks”, a turf dance group. She has captured the attention of local artists and has been asked to appear in music videos such as, E-40’s “Tell’em Where To Go”, Too Short’s, “Blow the Whistle”, and The Packs, “Vans”. Most recently, she was asked to dance at Chris Brown’s concert at the Oakland Coliseum. Scrapi wants everyone to know she will “rise up” and hopes to inspire others. Summer Clark Summer Clark is a 23 year old Oakland Native whose warm heart has captured the attention of many people. Summer is an intelligent and spiritual young woman who is always willing to go an extra mile for others. Summer came to Youth UpRising in search of a job opportunity and educational support. After meeting with a Case Manager, she showed interest in working at Youth UpRising. There was a job opening as a front desk clerk at Youth UpRising and she was referred for an interview. Summer interviewed for the position, and was hired on the spot. Since her duration here at Youth UpRising, Summer has graduated from Heald Business College with an Associate Degree in Business and Software Technology. Summer plans to transfer to San Francisco State University to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with a minor in Child Development. Summer has been a great asset to Youth UpRising, she has recruited youth to the center and actively advocates on their behalf. The Turf Fienz The Turf Fienz are members of a "Hyphy"/"Turf" Dancing group as one of only a handful of organized dance teams in Oakland. The three founding members have been coming to Youth UpRising since it opened and that was where they all met and formed their group. Their first performances were at Youth UpRising dance battles where they dominated the stage, winning many of the Battles. They have performed at events all over the city and are big supporters of the Center continually performing at Youth UpRising events. Most recently they performed at a Holiday Event which Youth UpRising held in partnership with the City of Oakland and the Wayans Bros., with Marlon Wayans as the special guest. They won the group battle title at the "DBL" dance battle held in Los Angeles against some of the most talented Krump and Clown dancers. They won a title at the "Masters of the Ring" battle held at Laney College . The Turf Fienz have a total of 8 members comprised of both young men and women. Yoshmond Gross is 15 and in the 9th grade and plans to attend UCLA or Stanford University . He is learning from Youth UpRising how to problem solve and be a role model by demonstrating a positive attitude and openness. He hopes to pursue a career in Real Estate, pursue modeling as well as open his own dance studio. Rayshawn Thomas is 15 and in the 9 th grade and has danced as an opening act for D'Wayne Wiggins of Tony Toni Tone at Councilmember Desley Brooks "Summer Concerts in the Park". He hopes to travel across the Country with the Turf Fienz and hopes they will stay together as a strong group. He dreams of starting his own Dance Company one day. Justin Perkins is 16, and in the 11 th grade. He plans to attend Moorehouse College when he graduates with aspirations to be a Pediatrician or a Lawyer. He was one of the first youth to step inside the Center when he came with his Church. He appreciates the Center because it helps to keep him off the Streets and provides him with opportunities. [BACK TO TOP]


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