ASHLAND YOUTH CENTER PROJECT

FREE Art Workshops

admin — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 01:41:33 +0000

DOWNLOAD FLYER HERE

The Alameda County Arts Commission is looking for families involved in the Ashland Youth Center Project to participate in 3 Saturday art workshops with local artists. Participating families will create a collaborative quilt as well as individual quilt squares utilizing a variety of textiles and embellishments focused on the theme, “We Are Many, We Are One”. The completed artworks will be exhibited at the Ashland Youth Center. Download flyers below for more information.

AYC Is History in the Making

admin — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:54:06 +0000

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE TEAM MEMBER APPLICATION.

The Ashland Youth Center Project has teamed up with Storybridges to document the stories of people involved in the development of the Ashland Youth Center. We are looking for youth ages 13 – 21 who would like to interview people in the community to record the stories of the creation, development, and hopes for the Ashland Youth Center.

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CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE TEAM MEMBER APPLICATION.

We are also looking to hire one Project Assitant for this project for this project. We are looking for a young person between the ages of 16-20 for this opportunitiy.

YRACC is Back!

admin — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:51:44 +0000

RSVP ON FACEBOOK TO ATTENDED THIS EVENT

EVENT DETAILS

Youth Re-mixing the Art of Community Change (YRACC) is an annual event of the ASHLAND YOUTH CENTER PROJECT developed to highlight the ways that youth and adults are using Art and Expression to transform themselves and communities. This year’s event will take place on Friday, March 23rd at Edendale Middle School and will feature performances, presentations and exhibits from local artists.

CALL TO ARTISTS AND EXHIBITORS

We are looking for aspiring poets, rappers, graphic and graffiti artists, muralists, dancers, breakers & musicians to be apart of our interactive workshops and talent showcase. The goal of this years event is to connect some of the amazingly talented youth of Ashland, Cherryland, San Lorenzo, San Leandro and Hayward to the skills and community they need to thrive. The theme of this year’s event will be, “See it. Do it. Be it: Reach for Your Dreams!” All presenters, performer and exhibitors get a free event T-Shirt! TO APPLY CLICK HERE NOW. Performance spaces are limited. If you are interested in performing please apply below by no later than March 10^th. For more information contact: Erricka Lewis at erricka@brl-inc.org

Director’s Message

admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:13:41 +0000

First and foremost, Feliz Año Nuevo! I hope that you brought in the New Year with hope and love in the company of family and friends. The media’s end-of-the-year recap of the events of 2011helped me to recall all that has happened locally, nationally and globally. These recaps were a catalyst for my thinking about the relationship between these events and the Ashland Youth Center. I began to think about how the people who walk through the doors of the Ashland Youth Center will bring with them the experience and reality of what is occurring in our local, national and global communities. As you know, we are still dealing with a struggling economy and unemployment continues to affect many people. At the same time, the Ashland Youth Center will be a place for transformation. We have an opportunity to work with everyone who walks through our doors. We have the opportunity to help shape what happens to them locally, nationally and even globally. I’m excited and honored to play a part in this role.

It is exhilarating to think that this time next year, the Ashland Youth Center will be open. I’m so proud of all the work that you did in 2011: the facility design, the public art, our community and youth involvement, our organizational development and the design of our programs and services. Countless hours and immense involvement, at many levels, have gone into each of these efforts. As many of you know, we are at the tail end of our strategic planning process. I’d like to take this opportunity to invite you to our Community Circle Event scheduled for January 11, 2011 from 6:00 PM-8:00 PM at Edendale Middle School. We look forward to sharing the fruits of the strategic planning process with you and to celebrating our accomplishment. We are also eager to provide updates about the naming and construction process. Please see the “Spotlight” section of our website for more details about this event.

I want to end this message with a BIG thank you! Our Ashland Youth Center would not be possible without your involvement and commitment. I truly appreciate your continued support.

Public Art Update

Public Art — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:12:32 +0000

The Alameda County Arts Commission is very excited to be working with the artists selected for the Amphitheater and Courtyard project and the Small Scale Commission program as they develop their public art pieces for the Ashland Youth Center! Please stay tuned for further project updates in the coming months and for possible opportunities to engage with the artists.

The Alameda County Arts Commission administers the Public Art Program at the Ashland Youth Center. For more information about the Public Art Program, please contact the Arts Commission office at (510) 891-5705 or (510) 208-9646 or visit: www.acgov.org/arts.

Let’s CHAT Program Update

Community Programs & Services — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:11:11 +0000

This December, Let’s CHAT, a youth organizing and leadership program offered through the Ashland Youth Center Project, presented their sexual health related media tools and policy recommendations to Asian Communities for Reproductive Justices’ (ACRJ) youth leadership program called SAFIRE who is currently developing a reproductive justice campaign in Oakland similar to Let’s CHAT’s. We are excited to create this new relationship in sharing strategies and best practices with ACRJ.

Building community is important to Let’ CHAT so in that vain we hosted a winter community potluck, inviting AYC staff and other affiliated members.

Some more exciting news! Let’s CHAT is now recruiting for 9 new members. Youth can apply online at http://brl-inc.org/letschat. Applications are due January 20, 2011. Please spread the word.

Program Design Update

Community Programs & Services — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:06:33 +0000

We are close to finalizing the Program Design Process for the Ashland Youth Center!   In the months of October and November, the Program Design Teams (PDTs) completed their two final meetings which addressed two very critical questions: How can the different programs at the center partner and work together and What are innovative ways to finance and make our programs last? Teams created integration webs of what it would look like for employment, recreation, health, education, arts and culture programs to all work together, and produced extensive lists of innovative ways to sustain AYC programs including: earned income through a youth run bike and skateboard repair shop, dance-a-thons, and community cook-offs.  The Coordinating team closed the month of November with a very special meeting. Three experienced youth centers from different points in the Bay Area, Dr. Joseph Marshall of Omega Boys Club in San Francisco, Kim Aceves of RYSE Center in Richmond and David Kakishiba with East Bay Asian Youth Center in Oakland, were invited to share their thoughts and lessons learned. The coordinating team received veteran insight on critical issues of youth-adult relationships, case management, partnerships and financing. The coordinating team will come together for their final meeting at the end of January 2012.  We are grateful for the innovative, strong and creative ideas that came out of the Program Design Teams. Urban Strategies Council, the group selected to coordinate the program design process, is now pulling together these ideas for the AYC Strategic Plan.

Facility Construction Update

admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:05:16 +0000

Grading and site work being done in preparation for construction of the Ashland Youth Center is nearly complete. The old soil has been removed and the site is being made ready for underground and foundation work to begin. The construction firm of Clark & Sullivan, along with their partnering architects, has nearly completed the construction documents for the youth center. The contractors are eager to start work, which should be underway soon.

Youth Leadership Panel Update

admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:54:51 +0000

For the last few months, AYC’s Youth Leadership Panel has been hard at working coming up with designs for shirts and button. YLP wants you to vote for you favorite designs. The designs with the most votes will be printed and made available to the community. You can cast your votes below. Help us spread the word by “sharing” with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and through email. Voting will close January 10th, 2012.

View This Poll View This Poll

Director’s Update

admin — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:56:34 +0000

As you may be aware, the start of the Ashland Youth Center (AYC) construction has been delayed by 3 months. The initial grading in preparation for the construction of the facility uncovered some odorous soils that resulted in a work stoppage. As a cautionary measure, during this time, we have conducted numerous soil tests at many different locations and depths. The findings from these tests have enabled us to develop a remedy that ensures a safe site.

With recent approval from environmental entities, we are proceeding with the corrective steps which include: soil excavation, exporting soil and importing of clean soil. Ongoing testing of soil will occur throughout this process to ensure that it is buildable and clean. We are confident that this required investment and additional cautionary measures will ensure a site that is clean and safe for all. Our contractor, Clark & Sullivan, will be on-site immediately after the grading process and will begin construction by the end of November. In addition, neighbors of the future Ashland Youth Center will be notified directly by Alameda County Environmental Health Department about activity at the site.

Please feel free to contact Trip Miller, Alameda County General Services Agency’s Project Manager, by email at charles.miller@acgov.org if you would like more details about this matter, or for updates with the construction schedule.

The AYC staff holds a commitment to community, safety, and health. We are committed to doing everything in our power to ensure that the AYC will be a safe place for years to come. I’d like to extend my gratitude to everyone involved with this matter for your leadership and commitment to the future youth, families, and community of the Ashland Youth Center.