On April 12, 2007, almost 50 people representing the funding community, local public officials and Richmond public services joined us at a briefing regarding the launch of the RYSE Youth center. (photos)
A summary of our latest accomplishments is provided here and we look forward to bringing you updates as we move from the “planning” to “launch” phase of this project.
Accomplishments:
1. The RYSE Youth Center expects to have their 501C3 by the summer. Once official, the center will phase their launch committee into a formal board with 14 members, including Directors of Employment and Human Services and Public Health, Supervisor John Gioia, Youth Together Executive Director Kimberly Aceves, the City Council and a City Department representatives, a School District representative, Youth Council members, program partners, and community members.
2. In the next six months, the program committee will move to prioritize program areas for RYSE and to identify key partners to implement cutting edge youth programs in the following areas: arts and media, academic support, health services, job training, youth leadership development/organizing and recreation.
RYSE’s unique model of collaborative planning has involved young people from Richmond as well as staff from the most innovative youth programs in the Bay Area including: Contra Costa Health Services’ Teenage Program, Youth Speaks, Familias Unidos, Asian Pacific Psychological Services, Bamboo Shoots Youth Video Program Youth Speaks, Contra Costa College, City of Richmond Job Training program, Elemental Awareness (skate and environmental education program).
3. The RYSE Youth Council will transition into a more permanent leadership structure, The RYSE Leadership Team (RLT), consisting of 12-15 youth leaders, will serve as advisors to the Board of Directors as well as have representation on that Board. In partnership with the RYSE Team Coordinator and adult intake counselors, the RLT will be the core leadership of Center. The RYSE Team will serve as ambassadors for the Center, promoting and modeling its mission and philosophy within the Center and the community at large.
4. The RYSE programming and operations will launch in the following phases: 1) Piloting of the RYSE Youth Leadership Team during the final phases of planning with a summer leadership training program by Youth Together to prepare the RLT to participate in governance, the planning process, outreach and recruitment and planning of Fall events to engage West Contra Costa County youth; 2) Launch of preliminary programming in Spring through Summer 2008 following the hiring of the Executive Director in January and program staff in March; 3) Launch of full programming in Fall 2008.
Keep
posted for up to date information on our planning process and
implementation of programs!