Oakland Kids First works to ensure that OUSD high schools are places where youth and adults work in partnership together to improve student learning, student experience, and student achievement.  Oakland Kids First's programs are defined and implemented in parthership with youth leaders who are committed to improving equity in the context of OUSD. 

Based on the challenges, needs and opportunities in Oakland, Oakland Kids First has designed a unique, locally relevant solution to help address both a concrete resource need and the underlying negative school culture.

Culture Change Project 

The Oakland Kids First Culture Change Project provides, embedded within school campuses, two youth leadership development programs that provide a model for implementing culture change and peer academic support.

Through the Culture Change Project, Oakland Kids First will implement its core youth-leadership training and academic peer-counseling programs, REAL HARD and PASS-2, and help estabilsh a district-wide peer support system.  Both programs provide not only leadership and skills training, but structured opportunities in the classroom and on campus for students to lead workshops on graduation, college and transcript literacy, and conduct activities that give their peers a chance to contribute to building a positive school culture.  As a result, participants are more motivated to improve their study habits or academic achievement, enroll in and complete the A-G classes necessary to graduate and to be eligible for a UC/CSU college, and attend tutoring or utilize similar academic resources on campus.

Oakland Kids First is creating a model for student success based on youth leadership and culture change!

Click on the links above to learn more about our programs...