Activism

Rise East Project: East Oakland Youth Development Center Assures Youth Have Input in the Future of Their Neighborhood

Published

3 years ago

November 5, 2023

East Oakland Youth Development Center Executive Director Serena Wilson oversees a project with children. Courtesy photo.

Part 5

By Tanya Dennis

Rise East is a $100 million privately funded initiative to rebuild Black neighborhoods in a 40×40 block area in East Oakland over ten years. Project partners are Oakland Thrives, the 40×40 Council, and Blue Meridian Partners. East Oakland Youth Development Center and Roots Clinic are other supporters.

In 1855, abolitionist Frederick Douglass said, “It is easier to build strong children than repair broken men.”

The sentiment is no less apt today as the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC) offers programming that has strengthened the minds and hearts of kids in East Oakland.

Over the course of 45 years, 27 of them under the leadership of recently retired Executive Director Regina Jackson, EOYDC gained national recognition as a youth development model with national and global impact.

Serena Wilson, its current executive director, and Chief Programming Officer Landon Hill are former EOYDC participants who had access to training in visual and performing arts, wellness, and career development at the building at 82^nd and International Boulevard when they were young.

Already a member of the Black Cultural Zone organization, EOYDC brought to Rise East the vital component of youth-oriented culture that builds community leaders and business-oriented youth.

EOYDC Executive Director Serena Wilson, a member of EOYDC since age 4, says, “With the Rise East Project comes the necessity to have not only the voice of adults living in the ‘40 by 40’ zone designated for development but also that of our youth.

“We help youth maximize their potential and be the best version of themselves. With Rise East addressing environmental and historical factors that have led to the deprivation of this population, it is vital we cultivate a culture of support where the voices of the once voiceless are heard,” Wilson said.

EOYDC’s youth have been weighing in as part of the ‘40 by 40’ Steering Committee and have a formal role in co-designing the actual programming in Rise East structure, Wilson said.

EOYDC has its own advisory council internally, and the youth work with everything within EOYDC’s other initiatives. “It was natural that they also work with Oakland Thrives on their advisory council.”

Wilson indicates that the pledge by philanthropists Blue Meridian to invest $50 million into East Oakland has upped the ante for the 40-by-40 Council, as the council must now raise $50 million in matching funds.

“Thus far, we have raised $20 million, and we are hosting a private, invitation-only fundraiser at the end of this month,” said Wilson. “I’m confident we can raise the funds required to match Blue Meridian.”

Wilson is the first alumni to run the youth organization, and 50% of EOYDC staff are previous members.