Summer of Solutions Oakland

Vital Stats

Mary S

Oakland, CA

people helped70
People Doing It42

The Problem

Our world is facing the greatest crisis of our time. Global climate change is threatening our way of life. Young people have the opportunity to rise up and shift the trajectory of our planet. The problem is two-fold. First, as a global human family we are facing a convergence of crises -- poverty, war, inequality, economic instability, climate disruption, and species extinction. From the way we get our energy, to how food gets to our table, the systems we use are threatening the existence of life on our planet. In addition, our communities are fragmented, we are incredibly disconnected, and we're not any happier as human beings. We are the make it or break it generation. The next few years are a critical time to shift the future of our planet. Second, youth unemployment rose to an all time high of 19.1% in 2010. Young people are passionate, creative, bold, and ready to create solutions. They have the time, energy, and new ideas that change the world. And they need jobs where they are able to come together from diverse backgrounds to create solutions for our communities and our world. The problem is that young people are not given the opportunity, empowerment, or support to create the change they want to see.

Plan of Action

Summer of Solutions provides participants with training, mentorship, and support to make their projects successful. This summer, nearly 30 full-time Solutionaries and about 15 interns/volunteers have been working on four project tracks: Food Justice, Thriving Communities, Clean Energy, and Transformational Media. We are building creating local food hubs in areas where the only place to buy food is the liquor store. We are learning to become allies, and unpack issues of race, class, privilege, and oppression. We are bringing community-funded solar projects to Oakland, creating an energy efficiency co-op, running a summer camp for 4-16 year olds from low-income neighborhoods, and creating a documentary to tell our story, among other projects. The Summer of Solutions Oakland provides need-based support for young people to spend their summer creating solutions and becoming the leaders they need to be to change the world. We are an entirely youth run start up non-for-profit program.

Arts in Education

Education

Education Inequalities

Homelessness and Poverty

Sustainability