Kids First Two at City Hall

[Nicole Branch]

On Tuesday, July 22, 2008 members of the Kids First Coalition and concerned young people visited the Oakland City Council to take a stand on increasing funding for youth programming in the City. This meeting was in support of a compromise to the Kids First 2! measure which is in the process of being verified for the Oakland ballot. The compromise was crafted by Council Member Jean Quan to address both the need for increased youth funding and Council Members' desire to adjust the funding formulae given forecasted budget concerns. Over 125 people attended the City Council meeting to show support for increasing the children's fund and reaching thousands more youth! Most of this crowd were young people from Youth Together, Girls inc., McCullom Youth Court, EBAYC, Kids First, AYPAL, Alternatives in Action, and more. For many this was their first time at a City Council meeting. They spoke passionately about the challenges and realities facing young people, how these programs have positively impacted their lives and how important it is for the City to prioritize the needs of children and youth. These youth held a strong presence, clapping in support of their peers, standing in solidarity and waving signs. In the end, only Council Members Jean Quan and Nancy Nadel voted for the compromise. Despite this, we are proud that we all came out in unity to support more funding for children and youth services in Oakland.

This is not the end. Despite this outcome, the original Kids First 2! measure is expected to qualify and move to the voters. So we move forward, to the ballot box and toward $25 million in youth funding.