By Jessica Van Tuyl | Executive Director
This summer brought innovative twists to our core programming, enabling us to serve girls and young women even more effectively with greater focus on a youth-led, interdisciplinary approach.
For the first time in our history, the RISE Life Skills Education program was run by our Youth Program Assistant, Jah'Torri Bettis. After co-facilitating RISE and Girl 2 Girl for the past two years, Jah'Torri had the chance to give it a try all on her own. Although she experienced a few bumps in the road, we're proud to announce our 15 most recent graduates developed a variety of life skills, including a new College 101 workshop hosted by last year's Future Fund scholarship winners, Somia Shaihk, Runa Miah, and Leticia Zhao.
This summer's Young Women's Leadership Institute addressed the issue of self-esteem, utilizing a blog to allow participants to voice their thoughts and feelings on the issue. With this tool, they have created a venue for ongoing dialogue to engage previous, current, and future Oasis girls.
Arts Apprenticeship took the form of a first-ever collaboration between the RISE and the Leadership Institute programs; one day each week, participants from both programs gathered at Intersection for the Arts. Working with artist Nicole Repack, the girls used recycled materials to develop four large collages that are now on display at the 16th Street/Mission BART station as a part of Intersection's new exhibit, Recology. These collages offer youth-friendly slogans, such as "Every Tree Deserves a Say!" to encourage patrons to recycle.
All summer programming culminated in a graduation on Thursday, August 5th, where graduates received certificates of completion, RISE participants performed their spoken-word manifestos, and the Leadership Institute showcased their blog. A wonderful demonstration of the power of their work, the graduation was attended by friends, family, and alumni who celebrated the hard work and growth of this summer's Oasis girls.
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