Deeply Rooted Youth Fellows Selected to Lead Youth Outreach & Engagement for Oakland General Plan Update
Twenty (20) young leaders have been selected as inaugural Deeply Rooted (DR) Fellows. These young people will lead DR outreach efforts to engage Oakland’s youth in the update of the Oakland General Plan (OGP). DR Fellow activities include interviewing and surveying young people about their visions and aspirations for the City; educating elementary, middle and high school students about the OGP; gathering data and conducting research to identify the challenges young people face in the City and their proposed solutions; and, implementing a social media campaign to increase youth awareness of the OGP update.
The selected Fellows have a passion for participating in city planning, a commitment to engaging residents who have historically been excluded from city planning, and a desire to promote youth involvement in the planning process. The Fellows’ main goal is to amplify the voices of Oakland’s youth in the OGP update process.
DR partner Urban Strategies Council serves as the organizational lead for the DR Fellowship. The Fellows completed a month-long training program in August 2022 focused on understanding the OGP update process, city planning concepts, research skills, public speaking and interviewing skills, financial literacy, and systemic barriers to opportunity and equity. Beginning September 2022, Fellows will work on their community-based/pop-up events, presenting at community and school events, and implementing their social media campaign.
Introducing the Deeply Rooted Fellows
Deeply Rooted (DR) is a collaboration of Oakland multiracial community organizations working to engage residents in defining Oakland’s future through the Oakland General Plan Update.
Selected by an interview committee from DR, the newly selected Fellows are:, Fouz Abdellatif (University of California Berkeley), Antonella Alarco (University of California Berkeley), Maliki Baity (St. Mary’s College Preparatory High School), Ebony Barnes (Laney College), Jose Garcia (Oakland High School), Hajar Gohar (Albany High School), Jayden Khaoone (Oakland Charter High School), Joshua Hankerson (Oakland School of the Arts), Taylor Hardy (University of California Berkeley), Jaylonnie Idelson (Oakland School of the Arts), Dauttis Karbassi (Oakland Technical High School), Eric Kaufusi (McClymonds High School), Adiyah Lumpkin (Anna Yates/Emery High School), Gabriel Perez (Oakland Charter High School), Nicole Puentes (Castlemont High School), Laiza Reconco (Oakland High School), Reyna Saldana (Laney College), Samahdi Scott (St. Mary’s College Preparatory High School), Kaliq Trotter (Oakland Technical High School), and Nyla Williams (Dublin High School).
DR Youth Fellowship Co-Coordinators are – Jocelyn Gama and Jacob Virges.
DR and the City of Oakland would like to congratulate the selected Fellow for their desire to help shape the future of Oakland and their vision for an equitable city.
ABOUT DEEPLY ROOTED IN OAKLAND PARTNERSHIP (DEEPLY ROOTED)
The collaborative includes the following organizations:
Black Arts Movement Business District, CDC; CURYJ; EastSide Arts Alliance; House/Full of Black Women/ Deep Waters Dance Theater; Just Cities; Lao Family Community Development, Inc; Malonga Arts Residents Association (MARA); Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC)/ API Cultural Center; The Black Cultural Zone Community Development Corporation; The Village in Oakland; Urban Strategies Council; Unity Council; and West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP). Read more about Deeply Rooted’s role in the General Plan process and our partners here.
