The PASS (Peers Advising Students to Succeed) program is a unique solution initiated in 2004 by REAL HARD youth program participants who brought a distinct perspective to the issue – they were able to speak as experts on the problem of low graduation and college attendance rates with insights gained through first-hand experience, and they wisely identified themselves and their leadership as a critical part of the solution. As a result of the young people’s extensive data-collection, organizing, and advocacy efforts, the PASS program has been adopted as a formal collaborative project between Oakland Kids First and Oakland Technical high school with the support of the OUSD Office of Research, Assessment and Accountability and the OUSD Office of College Readiness. The PASS program addresses three student-defined obstacles to graduating and attending college:
