Higher Ground is committed to helping our youth learn valuable tools that will train them to be productive members of society. Our Teen Workforce Program focuses on three different age groups, each group is a stepping stone to the next level of job training. 

For more information on how the program is structured, and to learn about our three tiers within the workforce, click on the image below to enlarge it. 

 The program is designed to help students between the ages of 11-25 find their strengths and talents. We also encourage them to be influential peer leaders. We push them to choose a career that strikes their passion and is relevant to their community.

 Our goal is simple: we aim to develop culturally competent Individuals that will succeed in the field of youth development and beyond.

• Provide students with small group instruction

• Administrative duties 

•  Community service hours

• Letters of recommendations for colleges/universities and job/career opportunities

• Internship opportunities for college graduation hours

• Summer job placement

• Financial aid workshops

• Resume building

• Senior projects

• Service learning projects

• Lead enrichment classes

• Bi weekly professional development workshops and learn to lead peer workshops on various health topics

•  Planned and hosted 2 annual community engagement event and Scored "thriving" in all external site visits by the district! 
   

• Have presentred at our state capitol!

  Our objective is to teach students these skills though weekly health and professional development sessions.

Students are expected to perform what they learn from each training and on the job coaching. They are also expected to lead health discussions amongst their peers throughout various events.

Check out some of those events below:

COLLEGE TOURS

A huge part of being in the Peer Leadership Workforce Development Program is learning about academic preparedness by participating in our structured college tours. During these tours we are able to expose our participants to career options and potential majors. They are able to see campus life, meet administrators, dine in the campus cafeteria, peek at the dorms, and learn about what it takes to succeed in these academic spaces.

Some colleges we have visited include:

UC Davis

UC Santa Cruz

Cal State East Bay

San Francisco State

Laney College

And many more….



SERVICE LEADERSHIP LEARNING

Throughout the year Higher Ground host numerous service days that engage the community in a variety of beautification projects throughout the neighborhood. During each event the WFD program organizes a kid zone for all youth who participate. The kid zone is made up of jumpers, face painting, slime making, organized games, sno cones, popcorn, hotdogs, and much more. All proceeds go to the youth workers who participate to teach them the importance of entrepreneurship and planning. 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGAGEMENT
  

The YES Conference - This year our students, teachers and youth workforce leaders from around the San Francisco Bay Area gathered to discuss transportation issues, impacts from climate change and shared ways of encouraging everyone to walk, bike, take transit, or carpool to school in order to improve air quality in the San Francisco Bay Area. The YES Conference featured over 50 session presentations and provided a forum for students to share their environmental sustainability work and ideas. The WFD department were able to deliver a workshop on how to plan a successful service day.

Check out the link below to see it all in action

https://youtu.be/OpH6nJMsSlQ

OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATIVE
COMMUNITY LEARNING  

This year, The All Bay Collective (ABC) Design Team met with our Workforce Development (WFD) program to discuss possible solutions for sea level rise in East Oakland and the impact it will have on our community. This opportunity to learn from local community organizations presents our students with a unique partnership to enhance their critical thinking skills. The WFD students were able to present their ideas as well as hear what the future may hold for the city of Oakland.

The All Bay Collective (ABC): is a diverse group of locally based/globally experienced professionals, academics, students, and policy makers. We have come together to fuse science, design excellence, academic leadership, community outreach, and business innovation to make our Bay Area more responsive to the people who live here and sensitive to the environments we share.

YOUTH ACTIVISM FOR CHANGE  

 The 14th annual California Afterschool & Summer Challenge (ASK) is another opportunity for youth to be a part of the political process. Organizations have the opportunity to help ensure that all young people have access to quality programming that will keep them off the streets and in safe, engaging spaces. This year the WFD program attended the all day conference, rally, and march along with 250 other organizations across Ca. Our youth were able to lobby to ASM Skinner, ASM Bonta, and introduced Senator Eggman to the main stage!

  The ASK and our youth participants were lobbying in suppourt of the following propositions which would increase funding for Afterschool & Summer programs:

Prop. 98 Budget Request for ASES

• $76.3 million annual increase from Prop. 98 - $49 million – remaining balance of last year’s request to keep pace with current state minimum wage ($11). - $27.3 million to account for next state minimum wage increase effective 1/1/19 ($12).  
• Would bring state funding to an average of $9.25 per student per day.  
• Budget request heard by Assembly and Senate Budget Subcommittees on Education; request held open.  

AB 1744 (McCarty): After School Programs

• Allows tax revenue from Prop. 64 (Adult use of Cannabis) to be used for afterschool programs.  
• After school programs were promoted in Prop. 64 campaign ads and ballot argument as a beneficiary of funding. “Proposition 64 generates a billion in new tax revenues for California to fund afterschool programs and job training and placement initiatives.” – Revenue  
• Passed Asm. Education, Asm. Health, Asm. Appropriations with unanimous support.

CHECK OUT A FEW MORE PICTURES OF OUR WFD LEADERS BELOW:

Above: A group of over 30 youth attend Orientation Day, by project lead, Mrs. Khariyyah Shabazz-Wade. Orientation consist of welcoming the youth to the Teen Workforce Program, and begin getting to know each participant to learn about their skills and talents to then place them in appropriate task.

Above: Participating youth workers begin to lean the names and uses for each individual tool they will be working with over the course of their project. The training is on location, and the instructor is Coach Reggie Archie, who has over 25 years experience in outdoor education. 

Above: Participating teens, working hard on a community restoration project in the Sobrante Park Community.

Above: a well deserved break is spent getting to know one another better. Extercize lead by project mentor, Coach Kennith. Teens ask valuable questions during the extercize that will help them in the days projects. 

Above: a group picture of our largest teen workforce program  participants. These teens worked all summer in a variety of community projects, and received valubale training for real world jobs as well as a hard earned paycheck for their work!





 

Creatrix Matrix highlights women of color who create. Check out their dynamic interview and podcast episode with our very own Assistant Director, Khariyyah Shabazz who also leads our Youth Workforce Development Program! 

If you are a community member who has a project for neighborhood development and are interested in helping us build a strong workforce in today's youth, think about choosing our Teen Workforce Program to carry out your project! Give us a call, for more information on how you can help this project grow and remain a program that supports our youth!

 If you would like more information on any Higher Ground service, please call the office at: 510-658-6454 ask for Amber Blackwell, MA Programmatic Operations Director or Tiffany Gipson, Administrative Operations Director at highergroundndc@yahoo.com