Two Real Hard program participants smiling

At Oakland Kids First

We Develop
Youth Leaders

Through positive youth development, political education, and civic engagement opportunities, we prepare student
leaders to improve their schools and communities.

At Oakland Kids First

We Serve
the People

We provide students with the community services and supports they need to thrive and prepare for college,
career and community after high school.

At Oakland Kids First

We Build
Youth Power

We amplify youth voice and build student power by training student organizers who lead
citywide organizing campaigns.

At Oakland Kids First

We Organize for
Educational Equity

Youth leaders research, plan, lead and organize campaigns that improve public education
across the City of Oakland and for all public school students.

Upcoming Events

Looking Back, Moving Forward

Save the date! You’re invited to celebrate youth achievements and 30 years of community impact with Oakland Kids First.

We’ll be celebrating our amazing youth participants at our “Looking Back, Moving Forward” event.

📅 Date: Saturday, June 6th, 2026
⏰ Time: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
📍 Venue: California Ballroom, 1736 Franklin St, Oakland, CA

RSVP here to let us know you’re coming.

We can’t wait to see you there. This event is open to youth, families, and our broad community of supporters, volunteers and partners.

Our purpose

oakland kids first

Oakland Kids First develops youth leaders to imagine and build a future rooted in possibility and community power. We help youth navigate unjust conditions, develop alternative approaches to meet community needs, and build the power to transform systems to better serve Oaklanders.

30 Years of Youth Power

Our 2025–2026 Impact Report is here.

See how Oakland youth built leadership, strengthened their schools and communities, and shaped priorities for change — while Oakland Kids First celebrated 30 years of building youth power.

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What We Stand For

Oakland Kids First believes that all youth deserve a quality public education and that their leadership, expertise, and power are central to making that a reality. That is why we provide Oakland youth with the safe spaces, skills, and political education needed to cultivate their leadership and organize campaigns that positively transform the school system.

Youth also need support navigating existing learning conditions, so we provide programs, individualized support, and work-based learning opportunities to help students complete high school and access postsecondary success.

OKF membership consists of youth who attend OUSD high schools along with their families, community stakeholders, educators and coalition partners who stand with student organizers to take bold stands and lead powerful campaigns.

OAKLAND YOUTH: YOUR VOTE COUNTS IN 2026!

Eligible 16- and 17-year-old Oakland residents can vote for OUSD School Board candidates in Districts 2, 4, and 6.

ARE YOU ELIGIBLE TO VOTE?

You can vote in the 2026 OUSD School Board election if:

You will be 16 or 17 years old on Election Day, November 3, 2026.
You are a U.S. citizen.
You live in Oakland School Board District 2, 4, or 6.
You pre-register to vote.

Your voting district is based on your home address—not the school you attend.

The First Ever Youth Vote in Oakland!

Hear directly from Oakland youth as they share what it means to cast their first ballots in the historic 2024 school board elections. Students express their excitement about voting and shaping the schools they attend. Learn how young people are raising their voices to demand “No Decisions About Us, Without Us,” and why this moment matters for Oakland, for education, and for democracy.

The Oakland Youth Vote Evaluation Report is now available.

To explore the findings, lessons, and recommendations from Oakland’s first youth vote election, fill out the form below. A link to download the Oakland Youth Vote Evaluation Report will be sent directly to your email.

The First Ever Youth Vote in Oakland!

The Oakland Youth Vote Evaluation Report is now available.

To explore the findings, lessons, and recommendations from Oakland’s first youth vote election, fill out the form below. A download link will be sent directly to your email.

What our youth have
to say

“We are impacted by systems and deserve a say in how they’re run. ‘We are the future’ is something we hear very often, yet we aren’t given the attention or resources to set in motion the changes we want to see. We are not just the future, we are the present.”

Ixchel Arista

Youth Organizer

“I am proud of the transformative institutional changes we have implemented together, such as Free Supper for Hungry Minds and Oakland Youth Vote. Through organizing, I developed analytical communication and leadership skills that supported me and will continue to support me throughout my personal life and school career.”