ALAMEDA COUNTY
YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD (YAB)
We are YOUTH ABOUT ACTION
Check out the YAB's Spring 2024 newsletter here
MISSION: The YAB seeks to encourage and uplift youth representation to identify barriers to increasing housing stability. We strive to support self-sufficiency by building an equitable community using transparent means.
VISION: The YAB envisions an inclusive world where young people of all backgrounds and identities thrive through equity and generosity, where all youth are affirmed as their authentic selves in the community.
The Alameda County’s Youth Advisory Board is a leadership body of youth and young adults in the Housing and Homelessness Services of the Alameda County Health agency.
Get involved: YAB 2024 Calendar of Events
Land Acknowledgement:
The YAB is in Huchiun, known today as Oakland, home to Lisjan Ohlone, the original people of this land. We honor the Lisjan Ohlone people, the original inhabitants and lifetime stewards of the land we continue our work on. We acknowledge that in the face of past and current colonialism, the Ohlone people are still here today and live among us in spirit. In working towards ending youth homelessness, it’s vital that we recognize and publicly acknowledge the home that was stolen from Indigenous neighbors and be intentional about how we cultivate conversations surrounding this. We encourage our community to seek a historical understanding of the land they occupy and find ways to elevate the voices of our Indigenous communities through direct action and the sharing of knowledge:
- Tribal History – Confederated Villages of Lisjan
- How to contribute to the Shuumi Land Tax
- Indigenous populations in the East Bay Area
- 6 Actions toward allyship with Indigenous communities
ABOUT
How was the YAB created and where is our home?
In 2020, the YAB began as an initiative within ALL IN Alameda County through financial support from Blue Shield of California and in partnership with a youth-serving organization called Covenant House of California (CHC).
In July 2022, the YAB was officially integrated into the Housing and Homeless Services (H&H) under Alameda County Health, making it an official County Advisory Board centering youth voice and leadership. While H&H provides technical assistance and contract monitoring, CHC provides supportive services such as a working location, resources, materials, and youth compensation method
What is our role in the community?
Making youth homelessness brief, one time and non-recurring is the key priority along with our mission and vision statement. The YAB is a vital function in the plight against homelessness. Youth voices and experiences are currently misrepresented, unappreciated, and undervalued. The YAB works to shift this reality by supporting youth with lived experience of housing insecurity and homelessness to know their power, leadership and advocacy. The YAB serves as a bridge between youth and county decision makers to bring insight to the needs of youth in Alameda County and connect an increasing amount of youth to the services they need.
We are 100% BIPOC between the ages of 18-28 with lived experience of being formerly or currently homeless. We work closely with city, county decision-makers, service providers, professors, young people, and community members to collectively guide leaders by advising on the best policies and practices that meet the diverse needs of young people at risk of and or experiencing homelessness. From this, our leading efforts have been implementing both a new Youth Committee in our local Continuum of Care (CoC) and overseeing the federal Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program grant in the county while also engaging in other collaborative projects and initiatives.
Our Values:
- We believe in exercising honest equality to represent and uplift all youth voices of different backgrounds and situations.
- We believe that all youth are stakeholders; we prioritize youth employment with fair compensation and benefits.
- We believe community-based support and services are the core to ending youth homelessness and poverty. Leveraging power is crucial to this case.
- We believe in stretching the quality of generosity by providing one-on-one peer mentor support.
- We value engineering creativity, teamwork, and developing a sustainable environment for youth to have the tools they need to succeed.
Our Membership:
The YAB is made up of Participants, Members, Peer Mentors, and a Youth Lead between the ages of 18-28. Peer mentors operate internal YAB functions and provide one-on-one peer support to YAB members. Participants are youths who engage with YAB meetings, activities, and events on their own time basis; they assist with YAB's goals by providing unique insights on youth homelessness in Alameda County. Members are the core decision-making body of the YAB consisting of a minimum of eight (8) and a maximum of ten (10) seats. Each member seat will represent the following experiences:
|
|
Our Partners:
|
|
