Oakland Kids First partners with schools and the district to ensure hundreds of students have meaningful roles and responsibilities in school change efforts. OKF programs equip youth leaders with the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to:
1/22/19 | OKF student leaders win back supper!
Our student organizers launched a campaign to reinstate the free supper program that provided a hot meal to over 3,000 students at 32 Oakland elementary, middle, and high schools every day after school. The Board of Education unceremoniously cut the program at a meeting this past summer with students only learning of the cut when they returned for the first day of school this year. Our REAL HARD Student Organizers were rightfully outraged and fought vigilantly to reinstate the program with support from the J4OS coalition and students and parents from Youth Together. After speaking at several board meetings, meeting with board members, collecting over 2,000 petition signatures, and generating a lot of media coverage, the Superintendent announced the reinstatement of the free supper program the week of January 14, 2019.
11/27/17 | OKF student leaders speak up at the OUSD Board Meeting
Oakland Kids First student organizers continue to raise their voices and concerns to the board meeting.
PASS Student Peer
Counseling Program on CBS
This national news story profiles Oakland Kids First student organizers’ important victory in a three-year effort to improve graduation and college attendance rates through an innovative student-created Peer Counseling program. The PASS program — in which students support their peers to set and achieve academic goal plans — launched in 2007 at Oakland Technical High School.