Get Connected!
Get Connected! is a comprehensive statewide public awareness program, first unveiled in Los Angeles County, that educates targeted populations about the economic and social benefits of broadband connectivity. Since 2010, Youth Radio's Core and Bridge programs have been partners in this initiative.
The Youth Radio Digital Pathway is possible with generous funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act within the U.S. Department of Commerce and the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF). CETF provides leadership statewide to close the Digital Divide by accelerating the deployment of broadband and other advanced communication services to underserved communities and populations.
Camp Wilmont Sweeney
One of Alameda Counties Juvenile Facilities, Camp Wilmont Sweeney is a local, unlocked, 24-hour residential program currently staffed for 80 young men ranging in age from 15 through 18. Residents are ordered by the Juvenile Court to be committed to the Camp where individualized treatment plans are developed for each youth with goals related to specific behavioral and educational needs.
For the past 10 years Youth Radio has partnered to provide weekly media trainings to Camp Sweeney residents. This past year, Youth Radio launched the Sports and Fitness Beat, an innovative program utilizing sports and media literacy principles to provide a forum for young men of color to address critical health, educational, economic and social issues. As part of the Sports and Fitness Beat, Youth Radio’s work at Camp Sweeney emphasized the importance of media literacy, media production and class discussions to engage the young men in critical thought around masculinity, drug use, sexual health decisions, and community violence. Currently, Youth Radio sessions (10-11 weekly workshops) are offered quarterly and serve between 10-15 residents.
Oakland Unified School District
With an enrollment of nearly 39,000 students, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is charged with educating and providing support services to the vast majority of Oakland’s school-aged children and youth. Youth Radio has worked with youth enrolled in OUSD schools for the past 15+ years. Over the past 4 years, Youth Radio has formally served as a direct referral site for OUSD’s Alternative Education Program and Career Transition Services staff. Through a Memorandum of Understanding, Youth Radio and OUSD maintain a working relationship between Youth Radio as the service provider and OUSD as the referring agency. At present, 70% of the participants at Youth Radio are Oakland residents.
City of Oakland – Department of Human Services
In 2004, Oakland voters passed Measure Y, the Violence Prevention and Public Safety Act, which aimed to create a safe Oakland by dramatically reducing violence among youth and adults. Managed by the City of Oakland’s Department of Human Services, Measure Y is a comprehensive and multifaceted effort to address the complex and multiple risk factors associated with violence including, poverty, unemployment, discrimination, substance abuse, educational failure, fragmented families and domestic abuse.
Since 2006, Youth Radio has partnered with the City of Oakland to address the issue of youth employment within the Youth Comprehensive Services stream of the initiative. To date, Youth Radio has provided paid media training for over 100 Oakland youth deemed to be at the highest risk for violence, (Oakland youth at the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center, youth on probation or parole, high risk middle school youth and gang involved youth). Over a third of those youth have gone on to work at Youth Radio in an Intern or Project Associate level capacity upon completion of their Measure Y funded training. This year, Youth Radio has prioritized training youth leaving the Juvenile Justice Center in a media class called MATCH (Media Advocates Transforming Community Health). MATCH will serve as a formal pipeline into Youth Radio’s Health Department Internships, which include peer community health advocacy and a health-centered, state-wide, social messaging campaign.
Starting in 2010, Youth Radio is also partnering with the Department of Human Services' division Oakland Fund for Children and Youth (OFCY), which provides opportunities and resources for Oakland's children and youth (0-20 years old) to become healthy, productive, ethical, and successful community members. OFCY is currently the primary funder for Youth Radio's Education and Career Center, which provides career and academic counseling to all Youth Radio participants.
Peralta Community College District
Since its inception, Youth Radio has offered a complex and rigorous media training curriculum in line with that of technical and secondary school institutions in the field. Thanks to a partnership with the Peralta Community College District, Youth Radio participants have the opportunity to earn college credit through the Concurrent Enrollment Program. Designed to provide enrichment opportunities for high school and pre-high school students who can benefit from college level instruction, Concurrent Enrollment Program students receive college credit. With the approval of the high school, the student may also receive high school credit.
Since 2008, Youth Radio has provided an introductory course in the Concurrent Enrollment Program covering writing techniques for non-dramatic electronic media in the areas of television, radio, and webcast. Students leave with the ability to demonstrate basic skills in reading, research, comprehension, grammar, and formatting for interactive digital media.
El Cerrito High School – Community Project
The ECHS Community Project works to create positive change in the El Cerrito High School community through health services, counseling, academic support and the arts. As part of ECHS’ after-school program offering, Youth Radio provides music and studio production classes twice-a-week to ECHS students. Participants learn to produce their own music in a newly designed, state-of-the-art recording studio on campus. Students leave with a basic aptitude in music production and audio editing software, as well as experience in recording, editing and mixing in a studio.
