Dear Friends, Unfortunately the OFCY Planning and Oversight Committee and the Appeals Committee did not listen to the dozens of young people who came out to their meetings, and they are moving forward to de-fund 2 critical youth centers at Castlemont and Skyline High Schools run by Youth Together. The OFCY package will be reviewed by the Life Enrichment Committee of the Oakland City Council tomorrow, Tuesday, May 24th, at 4pm at City Hall in the Sgt. Mark Dunakin Room on the 1st Floor, and we need you to tell our elected officials to send the package back and fund the One Land One People Centers that empower our students and connect them to vital resources and wrap-around services! Come at 4pm to speak tomorrow, or e-mail the Councilmembers on the Committee today asking them to send the package back: --> Abel Guillen --> Anne Campbell Washington --> Noel Gallo --> Desley Brooks Many of our friends and allies are included in the new funding cycle, and we support them. We do, however, believe that closing two youth centers - especially on the heels of Mayor Schaaf "forgetting" to apply for $2 million for youth jobs - could be catastrophic. OFCY should include One Land One People in the package, and then send it back to the City Council for approval. * One Land One People Centers serve the most disenfranchised students, linking them to resources to succeed in school, connect to needed services and programs, and to plan for college and career. Closing these youth centers should be of grave concern for the City Council, and we ask for their help to keep them open. * The process for selecting organizations is incredibly non-transparent and biased. Committee members were able to pick and choose who they funded. Many organizations that did not score well were chosen for special funding by Committee members. OFCY staff lied about YT's scores, and said that the program was under target when in fact units of service were exceeded for the past year. Moving forward, there needs to be more transparency and objectivity with our public funds. * OFCY has been systematically defunding youth organizations that prepare young people for civic engagement, to speak truth to power, and to hold institutions accountable. Indeed, youth civic engagement fought and won the measure that created OFCY. Eliminating these programs, spaces, and organizations is a crushing blow to the future of youth organizing in Oakland. * We ask City Council to do what it must to ensure that the two youth centers at both Skyline and Castlemont High School remain open and continue to serve thousands of youth. Tell our City Council that we won't stand by & let this happen! Thank you for your support & solidarity! Oakland Youth Organizers