Thanks to your support, and the dozens of high school student leaders who came to speak up at multiple city meetings, we won $525,000 over the next 3 years to keep the student centers at Castlemont & Skyline High open! Dismissing the OFCY de-funding of Youth Together, the City Council unanimously voted tonight & approved $175,000 for each year over the next 3 years for summer and school-round youth empowerment, academic support, and civic engagement programs lifting up East Oakland youth to be our next generation of city leaders. Councilmember Desley Brooks rightly called into question the un-transparent and highly political process of OFCY, and asked the City to make sure that the process is fair and supports programs that develop our students into real leaders. Thank you to Councilmembers Brooks, Noel Gallo, Larry Reid for your leadership to stand up for East Oakland, to Abel Guillen and Annie Campbell-Washington for voting for the motion at the Life Enrichment Committee to support Youth Together, and to the whole Council for their commitment to Oakland youth. After being not listened to and disrespected by the OFCY staff and Planning and Oversight Committee members and Appeals Committee over the last few months, our elected officials did the right thing and made sure that our students don't suffer because of unfair and disconnected city processes that led to the de-funding of these important programs. When we fight, we win! AYPAL was also funded $225,000 over the next 3 years due to advocacy for under-represented Asian American and Pacific Islander youth. We will stand in solidarity with BAY-Peace to make sure their powerful programs continue empower our flatlands youth. We all stand in solidarity together to make sure that the City of Oakland funds necessary youth organizing and leadership programs that make our city stronger, lift up our city's future leaders, and fight for social justice, equity and transformation. Shout out to all our youth who came and stayed late tonight to speak during finals week, go ace those tests!