Providing a continuum of support for every young person no matter their life circumstances

We offer youth leadership, parent education, and organizing programs in an effort to build equitable communities and transform structures that hurt youth.

Youth Alliance is creating a new vision with and for our community with integrative healing, training, and power-building that focuses on restorative and transformative justice practices and next-generation leadership development in rural communities. Now is the time for deep investments in creating economic stability and building grassroots voices to lead and rebuild a community grounded in resilience, strengths, and responses that are grounded in racial justice and health equity.

Youth Leadership Development + Uplifting Community Voice

We are building a leadership pipeline that includes individuals most impacted by social inequities and harmful societal narratives and involves them in efforts to change, challenge, and transform their communities.

For generations, marginalized communities have been excluded, oppressed, and negatively impacted by limited resources or pathways to succeed. YA’s Social Justice Leadership Development (e.g. political education, personal transformation and healing, training) is grounded in an intergenerational learning and development framework that centers individuals most impacted by… and uplifts their voices and experiences to change social structures and unlock their own sense of power. By dismantling barriers and giving them the tools to transform the current structures, decision-making processes, policies, and priorities, these individuals work to build a stronger community for all.

The Youth Empowerment Project provides Youth Leadership Development to middle school and high school groups, which raises community, cultural, and current events awareness. Involved youth implement evidence-based community-building models train youth in participatory action research. The students research the issues their communities are facing and develop an action plan to help bring about positive change.

Members have the opportunity to participate in the weekly Leaders In Training (LIT) program. LIT meets after school at the Youth Impact Centers in Gilroy or Hollister and virtually.

Advocacy and Movement Building

Taking action to address and advocate for social justice by dismantling oppressive systems.

Social movements have played a significant role in the engagement and expression of societal and political change. In order to address the barriers and challenges faced in our communities, YA moves into action to address inequity and advocates for educational and youth justice. Dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline, ending youth incarceration, redirecting public resources to improve the social determinants of health, sharing space with like-minded organizations, regional and statewide coalition building, and advancing funding changes that challenge existing gaps in the distribution of wealth, privilege, rights, and power is our common cause. Our advocacy and movement building platform is driven by a healing-informed intergenerational paradigm shift. We are best positioned to be the face and heart of a social movement that disrupts and overcomes institutional and systemic barriers.

Parent Alliance

Parent Alliance is a parent-led empowerment and organizing group. Parents develop leadership skills through educational trainings and learn about topics such as education laws, racial justice issues, history, policies, and rights that directly impact their families. They individually and collectively use their voice to increase community awareness and advocate for safe schools that are racially just and value youth and parent involvement. Parent Alliance is a member of the Central Coast Movement Building Coalition, Fix School Discipline, and the Dignity in Schools Campaign California.

Jovenes Unidos or United Youth

Jovenes Unidos or United Youth trains young leaders in San Benito County, Gilroy, and Morgan Hill to advocate for safe and supportive schools, neighborhoods, and communities. Through innovative and culturally relevant "rites of passage" programming, youth leaders will understand how to advocate, mobilize, and transform systems of oppression.

Youth Media Hub – Youth Led Media Advocacy 

OUR VOICES works with at-promise and high-promise youth at YA’s Youth Impact Centers to develop a community wide media arts campaign to reduce stigma regarding substance use/abuse, access to mental health supports and to advocate for restorative responses and policy changes to decrease youth discipline rates and citations. 

• Our Voices Podcast

• StriveTV

Youth Alliance organizes and advocates for improving systems that are often harmful to youth of color. Together, our movement reimagines justice while cultivating a culture of transformative and healing justice and working towards our collective vision of community based responses that uplift all youth. YA is a cornerstone member of local alliances in the central coast, Bay Area, and across the state.

Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC) California

Youth Alliance is a founding member of DSC CA

Fix School Discipline Coalition

http://www.fixschooldiscipline.org/

Alliance for Boys and Men of Color (California) 

https://abmoc.org/

Youth Rising Initiative

The Youth Rising Initiative invests in a new vision for our community with integrative healing, training, and power-building that focuses on restorative and transformative justice practices and next-generation leadership development in rural communities. This is a network that values the wisdom of parents and the resiliency of young people who are ready to transform their own communities. The initiative seeks to:

• Create restorative spaces and opportunities for young people to heal and foster leadership skills.

• Support young people and parents in leading community change efforts that promote equitable opportunities for all, healing and compassion centered schools, and youth justice.

• Expand after school and out-of-school supports that promote academic, career, and personal success.

• Provide Youth Fellowships and Scholarships.

Restorative Justice in Education

Offering access to support systems and resources rather than harsh discipline tactics and referrals to law enforcement.

Persistent divestment in social support systems like education, and health care and an increasing investment in mass incarceration and the “War on Drugs” have resulted in a shifting of community needs to law enforcement. Previously, these social services were supported by other government agencies. This problem has been exacerbated in service deserts mostly in under-resourced rural areas. Increasingly, easy community access to illegal substances, untreated mental illness and trauma including mass community violence, poverty, oppression and discrimination has only been met with a referral to law enforcement or harsh discipline tactics and policies versus proper support systems.

Whole school transformation is created with Restorative Justice and peacemaking practices. Youth Alliance works in partnership with educators to increase the capacity to implement sustainable restorative practices and positive school climate by providing training (in English and Spanish), coaching, and technical assistance. For more information about our training and technical assistance contact:

• Rigo Jimenez, Associate Director, Education & Justice

• (408) 461-8706

• rigo@youthall.org

• Hablo Español

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