Education & Careers |
About
EAST OAKLAND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER
OUR MISSION & VISION
EOYDC visualizes a community of empowered youth and young adults with the character, skills, and network to positively contribute to society.
The mission of EOYDC is to develop the social and leadership capacities of youth and young adults (ages 5-24) so that they achieve excellence in education, career, and service to their communities. Our mission is based on solid research which demonstrates that interventions that foster relationships with caring adults, and mastery of technical and social skills, can lead to increased well-being and civic engagement among youth from high-risk environments.
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We strive to incorporate as well, the supports and opportunities of relationship building, youth and community involvement and skill building. The EOYDC strives to lessen the risk factors faced by our youth and enhance the protective factors. The EOYDC fulfills this mission by offering educational, cultural, artistic expression and recreation programs that meet the holistic needs of the individual.
The four core programs that characterize the EOYDC’s purpose are Art, Education, Jobs and Wellness. These departments are structured in such a way that encourages youth to become self-sufficient and responsible members of their community. Of primary concern at the EOYDC is teaching youth to embrace their unique cultures and to live and work responsibly and cooperatively with other communities.
The EOYDC recognizes that many of the youth and their families who participate in its programs often face barriers to participating fully in their community. The EOYDC further recognizes that individuals must be given an opportunity to learn marketable skills, attain a basic education and participate in motivating and inspiring activities. The EOYDC believes that self-empowerment comes through work experience and educational opportunities.
The EOYDC is committed to forging new relationships with community, business and government to enhance the opportunities available for the youth of Oakland today in order to train them to become Oakland’s leaders tomorrow.
Theory of change
EOYDC builds the capacities of youth and young adults by leveraging connections to relatable, nurturing, and invested peers and adults. Within these connections, we create a supportive, healing, and culturally sustaining environment while emphasizing five elements of success:
CHARACTER
READINESS
ACCESS
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING
SOCIAL JUSTICE
Program Areas
Our ultimate goal is to ensure young people are prepared to have meaningful, well-paid careers that leverage their talent and passion. We recognize that formal and informal education are essential to this, and that young people need exposure to diverse career paths. We also recognize that young people require a sense of safety, well-being, and support to meet their potential and that engaging in fun, stimulating activities enriches their experience. EOYDC works towards this overarching goal through a continuum of programming across the following areas:
A winning formula
we have impacted lives at EOYDC.
UPGRADED FACILITY
Center Upgrades
In 2015, EOYDC completed an $11.5 million capital improvement project to renovate, repair, and expand its facility. This resulted in 5,300 additional square feet of space and more state of the art classrooms and security features. EOYDC is immensely grateful to the many partners and funders who made this possible!
OUR COMMITMENT TO
Belonging DIGNITY, JUSTICE, & Joy
Located in a primarily Black and Brown community grappling with decades of systemic oppression, EOYDC is committed to advancing racial equity and justice in all that we do. EOYDC intentionally cultivates a climate in which Black and Brown youth feel a sense of belonging, dignity, and joy. Key to this is fostering a relational, healing-centered, culturally sustaining approach, while centering those most systematically marginalized. EOYDC further demonstrates this commitment by creating leadership pipelines for community members. One hundred percent of EOYDC staff identify as Black, Brown, or Asian, and 70% of our staff are program alumni.