Oakland Green Youth Arts & Media Center and Art in Action

By Maryam Roberts

The Oakland Green Youth Arts & Media Center (OGYAMC) began with pilot programming in Fall 2009, and continues to be a creative empowerment hub in Oakland that supports personal, professional, economic, and community development. We serve youth impacted by violence and poverty through innovative programs in the arts, media production, and environmental sustainability.

On January 14th, the OGYAMC had its official launch party event. Over 300 people attended the event as we unveiled our beautiful mural and permaculture garden with special guests including musicians Casual of Hieroglyphics, Dwayne Wiggins of Tony Toni Toné and legendary hip-hop journalist Davey D.  The OGYAMC was on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle, featured on local television news coverage, multiple blog sites online, and local newspapers.

Since it's opening, the OGYAMC has enrolled over 100 youth in leadership and media arts training programs.  In its first quarter, the Center offered beginning and advanced classes in music production and video production as part of the Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy. The OGYAMC also offers trainings in mural making, gardening, meditation, and a block ambassador leadership program. The Center houses a youth led dance company, Break Tha Dawn, and a community theater company, the Urban Healing Project. This program is expanding to offer more classes in the spring and summer.

On February 11th, Van Jones flew from D.C. to the Bay Area to join CEO of Green For All, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins at the David Brower Center to benefit the new Center. The Urban Healing Tour performed an excerpt from their new work, and youth emcee’s performed their local hit, “If I Could Change the Nation.” It was an unforgettable evening, and one of the first public appearances Van Jones made in the Bay Area in almost a year. He talked about the importance of supporting positive ventures such as this – ones that lift up our young people and honor the environment. He said that its not up to anyone in Washington to fix our problems, it’s up to us to lead our communities to a new era of vitality. We are excited to be part of a project that is doing just that!

Art in Action will be offering programming at the center this year, including a Turf Unity training, and digital storytelling workshops.  Art in Action is also planning to host a summer camp for young women and girls from low-income and communities of color in the Bay Area and beyond.

Please contact Alli Chagi Starr, Simmy Makhijani or Galen Peterson for a site tour. The community is growing!