“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
For those of you who have not had a chance to visit the Spot recently, there have been a few drastic physical changes that have occurred.
All laid out:
Due to an unfortunate flood that occurred on December 26, 2011, the Spot was shut down for nearly five weeks. A number of supplies and furniture were either destroyed or severely damaged as a result. Most effected by the flood was our wood floors and drastic actions had to be taken. Realizing that it was impractical to only replace half of the floors in the Spot, our building managers decided to replace the entire floor at…
Every week, we will feature a different youth member of the Spot to give a little background about who they are by using Professor Shawn Ginwright’s I Am From poem format.
I am from my Zelda Ocarina of Time
I am from my Lisa Frank binder
I am from my What’s Her Face doll
I am from Bun Rieu
I am from sweet tofu with brown sugar
I am from dragon fruit
I am from “Smile more”
I am from “You’re a girl”
I am from my grandpa
I am from my Hilary Duff
What keeps me coming back to the Spot are those wonderous people…
The Spot is a collaborative youth center in Oakland Chinatown that supports comprehensive positive youth development to prevent violence and foster healthy transitions into adulthood. The Spot’s offers programs and activities that build young people’s competence in multiple arenas, as well as develop their confidence, connection to people and institutions, character, and compassion. The theme of the youth center is “Ready for the Future” and The Spot’s culturally attuned activities will include tiered mentorship, leadership roles, and internships for youth to gain knowledge and skills in health and wellness, history and culture, job training/college readiness, and leadership. Instead of merely being a space with co-located services, The Spot will be coordinated to provide a web of support and opportunities for youth and young adults. This web of support requires both a strong infrastructure for administrative as well as program coordination plus anchor partners with youth development expertise in program provision in the content areas.