REAL HARD - Representing Educated Active Leaders Having a Righteous Dream
At REAL HARD, we challenge ourselves and each other to amplify the positive, transform the negative, and build a culture in Oakland schools where all young people reach their dreams. Our overall goal is to ‘lower the drop-out rate and get more students to graduate!’ REAL HARD is a year-round, multiracial youth leadership development program that provides training and support for students to change their relationship to themselves, to their peers and to their education – in order to build a movement of students who are actively trying to improve their schools. 

In the 2008-09 program cycle, REAL HARD will engage participants through three primary components: 1) Education advocacy and organizing; 2) Training and youth development; 3) Cultural activities and enrichment. Collectively these activities create a rotating leadership structure varying in time commitment, training levels and leadership responsibilities, allowing us to maximize the number of youth we can reach in a year, create a pipeline for youth to get more involved, and better accommodate young people’s changing schedules and lives.

Ways to Get Involved with REAL HARD
• Campus-based Student Clubs meet weekly at lunchtime.
• Culture Challenges are fun activities for members to educate, entertain, and challenge the student body to change the culture and join REAL HARD.
• Membership Activities are relevant to youth culture and interests and provide a point of entry to engage new members. These include field trips, movie nights, a zine, CD project, and special events.

Ways to Take on More Leadership within REAL HARD
• The Training Series offers political education and leadership training, and a chance to learn more about REAL HARD campaigns. Sessions are ongoing throughout the year.
• Job Board postings are 2-4 week stipended positions for REAL HARD members complete their training series. Projects include conducting a school-wide survey, facilitating parts of the training series, planning an event, or doing youth advocacy. 
• Cohorts are 8-12 week stipended sessions that offer advanced leadership trainings for members to work in partnership with adults at the school sites, facilitate and coordinate campus clubs and activities, and conduct research and outreach to new members.?

• Retreats allow members a chance to work on program design and planning for the upcoming year.