Giving Youth A Chance
EOYDC provides such training year round through the Project J.O.Y. (Job Opportunities for Youth) Department. J.O.Y. offers training and placement for young people desirous of creating opportunities for success in the work world as well as in their individual personal life.
At a time when the homicide rate once again threatens the livelihood of our young people, youth leadership still thrives. We are pleased to provide well rounded experience in team work, conflict resolution, first aid, cultural sensitivity and character building. We have discovered when given the opportunity, that time after time these creative, motivated minds are quite capable of helping to mold others into character based, hopeful, spiritual beings who will in turn welcome the opportunity to share their gifts with others. We believe this desire for leadership is all rooted in an unwavering commitment to excellence.
Overview
Each summer, with specific funding provided by various Friends of the East Oakland Youth Development Center, we are able to sponsor a 6 week summer program that is designed and directed by young people for young people. The program consists of various activities geared toward educational advancement as well as increasing cultural and community awareness.
Who Participates?
Based on available funding, we accommodate approximately 70-100 youths. The majority of participants are assigned to a particular peer age group; 6 & 7, 8 & 9, 10 & 11, and 12 &13. The rest (14-20 year olds) are hired as S.C.E.P. Youth Leaders, Youth Instructors and Program Directors, or volunteer as Youth Leader Interns.
Goals
The program is made up of structured classes in Art, Computers, Cooking, Creative Writing, Dance, Fashion, Music, Spanish, and Physical Development. The youth learn to demonstrate discipline and integrity in their carriage and show creativity and kindness. Every week there are field trips to various locations such as the Library, Boomers, Healthy Living Festival, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and The Exploratorium all designed to create experiences that contribute to positive reinforcement in social conditioning. Youth participants are also exposed to a variety of motivational speakers who are willing to provide interesting insight into their professional and personal experiences.
Management
As previously mentioned, the S.C.E.P. is designed and directed by young people, serving as Program Directors, Instructors or Youth Leaders. They are exposed to exceptional resources through organizations and individuals. This in turn allows them to demonstrate discipline, integrity, and individual creativity to produce an outstanding summer program.
S.C.E.P. Director and Assistant Directors: Prior to the start of the session, the Center conducts extensive interviews with first and second year college students to fill these positions. More often than not, the individuals that fill this position have an extensive history with the EOYDC and have been previous S.C.E.P. Youth Leaders. The directors have the somewhat unenviable task of maintaining the overall order and happiness for 60-70 youth, 14 Youth Leaders, and numerous community volunteers. They must plan, manage, supervise, fund raise and create informative and exciting curriculum.
S.C.E.P. Youth Instructors: These are drawn from a pool of individuals, typically 15-18 years old. As instructors they are responsible for planning a curriculum for 4 classes a week for 6 weeks. They also are required to plan activities which motivate and inspire youth to achieve in their specific areas. As youth instructors this is usually the first accountable experience in a teaching capacity.
S.C.E.P. Youth Leaders and Youth Leaders Interns: These 13-18 years old individuals make up the majority of the summer program staff. As with the program directors, the successful applicant must be above average in all aspects of their lives. Whether it is in school or the way in which they interact with people, they must possess exceptional qualities in their demeanor and academics. Their portion of the program is structured to ensure that they learn team work, time management, acquire or enhance their supervisory and conflict resolution skills.