ALTERNATIVES IN ACTION

At Alternatives in Action (AIA) we believe young people are powerful. In our schools and community programs, we see young people striving for more voice, more connection, more ownership, and more meaningful ways to make a difference - for their own future and their communities. Because we believe in the power and promise of young people, we inspire them, support them, and create opportunities for young people to make a real difference. As our youth practice cascading leadership, take meaningful action, and build real relationships with adult allies & peers, they experience empowerment that will help them shape a secure future for themselves, their families, and their communities. Each year, we develop the leadership skills of over 1,400 youth, with thousands of additional children & families benefiting from the community-based projects created by our participants.

While there are numerous youth-serving agencies working with schools in the East Bay, the following strategies set Alternatives in Action apart:

1. Youth leadership - Youth truly play a central role in creating school culture through our cascading leadership model. We train youth to serve as mentors, teachers, educators and partners in overseeing their schools' extended day programming and as high-level and authentic decision-makers and advocates. As students' leadership abilities develop, they take on roles of greater influence in the school and community, from board representation to course development to leading social protests and producing a film festival.

2. Strong commitment to community school partnership and integration - After being recommended by OUSD and then invited by school administrators to serve as Lead Agency for Community School Programming, Alternatives in Action staff take this decision very seriously, seeking true partnerships with schools hosts. Rather than serving as an “add-on" to the school day, Alternatives in Action develops comprehensive goals & strategies together with school staff & youth in order to support a true community school vision. Alternatives in Action staff bring resources to the school and are seen as an integral part of the school staff, participating in weekly staff meetings, presenting at parent events, and developing all-school events collaboratively.

3. Alignment with district, city, and county goals - Alternatives in Action works in close alignment with local efforts and initiatives to most effectively address youth & community needs. Because of the agency's leadership in the community schools arena, Alternatives in Action's Executive Director sits on several Community School task forces.

Our Executive Director, Patricia Murillo joined Alternatives in Action (AIA) in April 2007 after serving as the Senior Director of Program Services for the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco (BGCSF). Prior to BGCSF, Patricia was with AIA for seven years in senior management positions. Patricia has twenty-four years of progressive leadership experience serving children, youth, and families. She holds a Masters in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley with an emphasis on Management & Planning and a BA from Vassar College. Under Patricia's leadership, the organization has expanded, with intention and fidelity to our core principals, to several of Oakland's most disenfranchised communities. Patricia oversees a staff of over sixty across four school sites and at our headquarters.

Alternatives in Action celebrated its 20th year of getting youth ready for more during the 2016-2017 school year. During our Anniversary year we completed a new Teen Tech Center in West Oakland in partnership with Best Buy to serve as a hands-on leadership and multimedia career development laboratory for Oakland's youth of the next 20 years. The grand opening of the new, state-of-the-art facility was held in November 2016. Since then, the Teen Tech Center has hosted twice-weekly classes, workshops, and mentoring events for over 175 low-income youth eager to learn skills in multimedia domains such as audio engineering, film production, and graphic design, opening the door for these students to explore career options within the field of multimedia arts. The second space we are opening in celebration of our 20th Anniversary is an Early Childhood Education Center in East Oakland. The center will open in September 2017 and programming will begin in November 2017. This center will offer year-round Reggio-Emilia inspired care for children ages 0-5. It will positively impact children's cognitive, physical, and social emotional development through quality care, socioeconomic diversity, and family engagement. It will bring excellent child care resources to an area that is greatly in need as well as provide high school students with hands-on career training in early childhood development. Both the Teen Tech Center and the Early Childhood Education Center will serve as safe spaces for Oakland youth and their families to support their success in academics, career readiness, and community service.