ANNUAL REPORT2008 - 2009

ChangeMission StatementGrounded in our commitment to unit y, peace, and

justice, Youth Together addresses the root causes

of educational inequit ies by developing mult iracial

youth organizers and engaging school community

allies to promote posit ive school change.

Empowerment

Executive Letter

Dear Friends, Supporters & Allies;

As members of the Board of Directors of Youth Together (YT), we are continuously impressed with the work of this extraordinary organization that serves high school students in Oakland, Berkeley and Richmond’s public schools. Youth Together has a compelling history dedicated to transforming our East Bay schools into healthier and more humane places for young people to learn; to building a critical consciousness for young people’s empowerment; and to creating space for youth to engage in changing the world around them.

What is particularly compelling about Youth Together is that is creates spaces for young people to emerge as critical thinkers. In Youth Together young people become socially conscious and then take that knowledge and make it work for the benefit of all the students in their communities.

Youth Together is deeply devoted to creating unity among multi-racial youth. An enduring focus for Youth Together is to break down and actively address the root cause of violence in our communities and the educational inequities in our schools. Youth Together’s strength, credibility and influence with its youth constituency flows from the ability, dedication and skill of its organizers and student activists. These young organizers are consistent leaders in addressing the, at times, strained relationships between diverse youth and ultimately build greater unity and student empowerment on their campuses.

As Board members of Youth Together, we have seen the organization increase in strength and relevancy with each passing year. Youth Together’s Executive Director, Prishni Murillo, and her staff are an incredibly talented and diverse group of people that are as highly developed in their financial skills as in their innovative approach to organizing. These attributes are most critical in this difficult period for the funding of progressive, non-profit, youth-focused work.

We cannot think of another non-profit that has had such a transformational impact on the lives of public school students in the East Bay and we are honored to be on the Board and supporting the challenging work that Youth Together is committed to in 2009, and beyond. Jidan Koon, Board President, with the Board of Directors of Youth TogetherJhumpa BhattacharyaTimothy BremnerMelanie CervantesLailan HuenJohn HurstMalaika ParkerAnne Weills

ACTIVISM

H i s t o r y

History

Today…

Youth Together was established in 1996, after race riots briefly closed

Castlemont High School in Oakland, California, and Richmond High

School in Richmond, California. Community members and students

who were frustrated by the conditions in the schools that led to the

riots came together to discuss ways young people could unite to drive

social and educational change in their communities. This organizing

effort led to the development of Youth Together.

Yesterday…

We serve six high schools in the Bay Area—Berkeley

Technology Academy, Richmond High School, Skyline

High School, Fremont Federation of High Schools,

Castlemont Community of Small Schools, and Youth

Empowerment School.

T h e o r y o f C h a n g e

Theory of Change B Youth Together’s theory of change operates from the belief that youth empowerment must include individual transformation, community building, and youth leadership to change inadequate school and community conditions. Toward this end, Youth Together’s areas of impact include:

B 1) Individual development, self-determination and empowerment: Youth Together addresses the life conditions and immediate needs of youth, and builds the self-esteem, skills, and cultural understanding of youth organizers.

B 2) Multi-racial group development and leadership/organizing development: Youth Together youth organizers develop positive relationships with young people across racial and ethnic lines, school walls, neighborhood turfs, and city borders. Diverse youth organizers participate in leadership development through community organizing.

B 3) Base-building within student body and alliance building in the community: Youth Together organizers build a community base of support in schools to understand and advocate for young people’s needs. In addition, Youth Together works with a broad range of organizations and institutions to build the capacity of adults to be allies to young people.

B 4) Shifting policy and changing school climate: The ultimate goal of Youth Together is to shift inadequate school and community conditions to ensure every young person has the opportunities they need to thrive.

P R o g R A m S

programs

Youth Together ProgramsStudent Leadership Teams: Youth Together operates student leadership teams at six East Bay high schools. Each YT team includes five youth-elected Lead Student Organizers and a core team of 30 student organizers. Student organizers develop leadership and organizing skills including public speaking, community organizing, event planning, and civic engagement. Youth Together’s curriculum educates and inspires youth through history, culture and current issue analysis.

Youth Centers and Collaboratives: The change that Youth Together seeks for students and schools requires a commitment to collaboration. Based on student-identified needs, YT develops collaborative structures made up of service providers, youth, and parents to provide academic, wellness, and social support services through centralized, on-campus youth centers. Youth Together operates youth centers and collaborative structures at Skyline High School and Youth Empowerment High School.

Regional Education and Coalition-Building: Youth Together creates unity amongst young people across schools, cities and organizations. We organize annual events, activities and fieldtrips that unite youth to learn and work together. Youth Together is currently planning a regional educational justice campaign to link school-based initiatives to regional efforts.

Leadership

A C C o m P l i S H m E n T S

Accomplishments

Leadership

B Transformed Student Government for Oakland Unified School District: In 2005, Youth Together and ally organizations led a campaign to transform student government in Oakland. As a result, OUSD established the Meaningful Student Engagement Initiative to transform student government into a representative leadership body with real decision making power. Youth Together participated in the design of district-wide youth leadership standards. The leadership curriculum, based on the Youth Together curriculum, now operates at several middle and high school sites.

B Changed Wellness Policy in School Districts: The Youth Together team at Castlemont Community of Small Schools led a school nutrition campaign to address poor food quality and unhealthy food options on school campuses. In August 2007 the Oakland School Board accepted the Castlemont Youth Together team’s demand for policy reform to nutrition standards on school campuses.

B Brought Youth Centers to Local Communities and Schools: In response to inadequate school and community conditions, Youth Together teams led campaigns for community and school youth centers. Since 1997, Youth Together has successfully campaigned for two community youth centers and three school-based youth centers. Youth Uprising in East Oakland, the RYSE Youth Center in Richmond, and the Skyline High School One Land, One People Youth Center all trace their origins to Youth Together student’s advocacy for youth-centered space.

Youth Together has achieved many milestones during its

thirteen-year history. Here are a few markers in our quest

toward community empowerment and transformative education:

organizeC o n d i T i o n S & i m P A C T

organizeEm-

powerment & Impact

Community and School ConditionsPublic schools face major challenges as a result of decades of slow disinvestment and neglect. Many students fall short of realizing their full potential because of the economic and academic disadvantage of their schools and communities. The challenges that students face in the schools in which Youth Together operates include:•Lackofbasicresourcesandeducationalmaterials.•Lackofsupportandresourcesforstudentsandtheirteachers.•Unsafeandunhealthylearningenvironments.•Ongoingbudgetcuts.•Increasingcomplexityanddiversityofstudentneeds.•Highdropoutrates.•Increasingemphasisonstandardizedtestingandlimitedcurriculum. •StateandFederalrequirementsthatarelargelyunderfundedand punitive in nature.

How We Impact: B Youth Together exists to transform communities by empowering youth to be community leaders, forging alliances between different cultures and leading initiatives to transform school and community conditions.

Who We Impact: B The individual: Youth Together nurtures young people’s power and leadership capacity to transform their lives and communities.

B The student body: Youth Together increases awareness of youth rights, positive youth outlets and the values of peace, unity and justice.

B The school system: Youth Together creates structure for student leadership and for student organizers to hold schools and districts accountable.

B The community: Youth Together increases awareness and unity among diverse individuals and communities.

Our Impact

Movement

m A k i n g A d i F F E R E n C E

Movement

Making a DifferenceYouth Together student organizers stated that YT has increased their ability to be engaged citizens:I see how youth can create positive change in their school…………………………………………99%I see the voices and ideas of youth taken seriously and appreciated by adult decision makers in my school community………………………………………………………………………………………….97%.

Youth Together student organizers stated that YT has increased their resiliency.I have made more positive choices in my life outside of school either always or most of the time…….92%I try to resolve conflict peacefully either always or most of the time…………………………………..85%

Youth Together student organizers stated that being involved with YT helped them with their academic engagement: YT has helped me be an active participant in my classes……………………………………………. 89% YT has helped me get motivated to attend college……………………………………………………. 92%YT has helped me go to school…………………………………………………………………………95%.

Youth Together student organizers stated that as a result of YT they increased their multiracial understanding and relations: I feel more proud of my culture………………………………………………………………………..98%I feel a greater sense of unity with people from other cultures/ethnic groups………………………….96%

Youth Together student organizers stated that as a result of YT they increased their leadership skills: I speak up for what I believe in in front of peers – even when it may not be a popular opinion…. 94% I feel comfortable addressing concerns with people in positions of power……………………………99%

As a result of their participation in YT, Youth Together student organizers stated they increased their organizing skills and knowledge: I know my rights as a student………………………………………………………………………98%I know how to outreach to and recruit others to get them involved with positive change………………94%

Youth Together student organizers stated that as a result of participating in YT they have improved connections between and among youth and adults: I have more people to turn to if I need help ……………………………………………………………….98%I have more positive relationships with adults in my school……………………………………92%.I feel more a part of a community…………………………………………………………………94%

Teachers and staff stated that there was an increase in institutional responsiveness to youth’s needs: There are more opportunities for youth to help solve school or community issues………………… 97% The school’s/communities’ capacity to support youth violence prevention efforts has improved…..92%.YT has helped to empower students to speak up about their conditions and be heard by school administration and others…………………………………………………………………………….. 99%

EngageC o m m u n i T Y P A R T n E R S

Community PartnersWithout the dedication and assistance of our community partners, many of Youth Together’s policy initiatives and organizing efforts would be unsuccessful. We’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge those that have provided support for Youth Together.

Schools: B Berkeley Technology Academy B Castlemont Community of Small Schools B Fremont Federation of High Schools B Richmond High School B Skyline High School B Youth Empowerment School

Districts: B Berkeley Unified School District B Oakland Unified School District/Meaningful Student Engagement

B West Contra Costa Unified School District

University: B UC Berkeley- Department of Education, CAL in Oakland Internship Program, Field Study in Youth Violence Prevention, Ethnic Studies Department

Community Organizations: B Alliance for Education Justice B AYPAL B BAYAC B Bay-PEACE B Californians for Justice B Campaign for Quality Education B Coleman Advocates- Youth Making a Change B East Bay Consortium B East Side Arts Alliance B Education Trust-West B Girls Inc. B Homies Organizing the Mission to Empower Youth B Huaxtec B Justice Matters B Oakland Kids First! B South East Asian Youth Leadership B Spearitwurx Foundation B United in Action B Youth United for Communiy Action

Law firms: B Public Advocates

Community Artists: B Jesus Barraza B Melanie Cervantes B Favianna Rodriguez Giannoni

InvolvedF i n A n C i A l H E A lT H

Financial Health Statement of Activities

30-Jun-08 30-Jun-07

REVENUE: Foundation and Corporate Grants

Government Contracts

Donations

Fee for Services

Subcontracts

Fundraising Events

Other Unrestricted Income

TOTAL REVENUE

EXPENSES: Programs

Administration

Fundraising

TOTAL EXPENSES

CHANGE IN NET ASSETS

NET ASSETS, July 1, 2007

NET ASSETS, June 30, 2008

Youth Together, Inc. is confident that we will achieve our fundraising goals for Fiscal Year 2009_2010.

$524,624

248,718

15,793

5,915

0

3,635

1,785

$800,470

$711,522

248,861

9,539

7,899

353,843

12,466

2,430

$1,346,560

$809,021

88,375

71,624

$969,020

($168,553)

824,764

$656,211

$1,195,595

36,241

74,510

$1,306,346

$40,214

656,211

$696,425

SpeakS u P P o R T E R S

Speak

SupportersThe following supporters have generously made financial contributions or service donations to Youth Together. We gratefully acknowledge their contributions.

B Akonadi Foundation

B CDBG Richmond

B Clorox Company Foundation

B Cricket Island Foundation

B Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Foundation

B Five Bridges Foundation

B Evelyn & Walter Haas Jr. Fund

B Walter & Elise Haas Fund

B Hull Family Foundation

B Walter S. Johnson Foundation

B Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Program

B Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation

B Northern California Grantmakers

B Oakland Fund for Children and Youth

B San Francisco Foundation

B San Francisco Youth Commission

B Y&H Soda Foundation

B W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation

B Surdna Foundation

B Taproot Foundation

B United Way of the Bay Area

B van Loben Sels/RembeRock Foundation

B Youth Grants for Youth Action

B ... and numerous individual donors and volunteers.

g E T i n v o l v E d

What You Can DoWhy you should care Youth Together relies on the generous support of partners and donors. By supporting Youth Together, you extend support to youth leaders playing a key role in systematic school and community change.

What you can doSupport Youth: Youth Together strives to build a community committed to young people. You can join us in this vision by continuing your own work as informed voters and active community members. For more information on ways to support youth you can sign up for action alerts by visiting our website or calling our main offices.

Intern and Volunteer: Youth Together offers internship and volunteer opportunities. In the past, interns have participated in organizing efforts, evaluation development, conference development and educational landscape research. Volunteers have supported Youth Together as Peace Delegates for events on campuses, staffing ethnic studies conferences, and supporting general office tasks.

Donate: Youth Together’s vibrancy comes from our many allies who give their time, talent and financial support. Financial contributions can be made online through the Youth Together website or by mail to our offices (checks made payable to Youth Together). If you are interested in making an in-kind donation of goods or services please call our main offices.

Your generous contribution to Youth Together will help us expand the reach of our programs and fill some of the unmet needs of youth in the area’s most underserved communities.

Youth Together449- 15th St., #302Oakland, CA 94612Phone: 510-645-9209 Fax: 510-663-2578www.youthtogether.net

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