OAKLAND KIDS FIRST
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Mission Statement
Oakland Kids First (OKF) increases youth voice, leadership and power to create engaging and equitable public schools where all students learn and lead.
About This Cause
Oakland Kids First (OKF) is a community-based nonprofit organization empowering Bay Area youth to grow their leadership, reimagine unjust systems, and organize for equitable public schools. Since 1996, OKF has worked with thousands of youth leaders to change the future for students of color in Oakland through student-led organizing campaigns, leadership programming and paid internships. Recently, Oakland Kids First made Bay Area history by partnering with youth organizers and forming an Oakland Youth Vote Coalition to successfully lower the voting age in local school board elections. Your donation helps support the powerful youth organizers and change-makers who made it possible for 16 and 17-year olds to vote in school board elections in Oakland and Berkeley. Oakland Kids First leads an Oakland Youth Vote Coalition made up of community organizations AYPAL, CFJ, the Oakland Youth Advisory Commission and Oakland Unified School District’s All City Council student union. Together, Oakland Kids First and the Oakland Youth Vote Coalition successfully: - Ensured eligible teens could successfully vote in time for the November school board elections by coordinating with the county, city, district and registrar. - Distributed a civic engagement curriculum used by teachers across Oakland and Berkeley that educates and prepares teen voters to understand the role of the school board, and how to participate in local elections - Registered over 1,000 new voters - Empowered youth organizers to facilitate the only student-led candidate forum to grill candidates on their priorities and policy stances before voting - Turned out enfranchised 16 and 17-year-olds to vote for the very first time! OKF’s youth leaders like Melisa and Thomas are powerful advocates for educational equity and racial justice. Melisa reflected that youth voting is “vital to build power, because it allows youth voices to be heard in issues that directly impact us and our school communities, while also allowing for youth to feel more in charge of their own experiences and situations.” At a recent event casting his first ballot, Thomas shared, It’s monumental to me that we - as youth - get to vote for our elected officials. In our school board, we don't want decisions about us to be made without us.” You can help amplify and sustain the work of Oakland Kids First youth leaders through your generosity. Each school year, OKF empowers 160 youth leaders, offers community school supports for an additional 600 students, and engages thousands more through student-led campaigns that improve educational equity and learning environments. Please sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media to stay connected!