Youth Development
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We believe youth are not simply the leaders of tomorrow, but leaders, creators, and change-makers in their communities today.
Through intergenerational education, arts, cultural exploration, mentorship, and community gatherings, our youth-centered programs created spaces for young people to express themselves, build meaningful relationships, explore their identities, and develop leadership on their own terms.
Our commitment to youth development also extended into how we built our organization from our programs to hiring practices. Homies created paid employment opportunities for young people within our community resource programs, allowing them to support themselves financially, and develop professional skills while continuing their education and exploring their interests. As staff, young people received mentorship and individualized support from Homies care managers, recognizing that their personal well-being, educational goals, and professional growth were all interconnected.
While our youth programs have evolved or concluded, the young people, relationships, and experiences that shaped them have left a lasting impact on Homies Empowerment. Their contributions helped build the foundation for many of the programs and community-centered practices that continue to guide our work today.
Through intergenerational education, arts, cultural exploration, mentorship, and community gatherings, our youth-centered programs created spaces for young people to express themselves, build meaningful relationships, explore their identities, and develop leadership on their own terms.
Our commitment to youth development also extended into how we built our organization from our programs to hiring practices. Homies created paid employment opportunities for young people within our community resource programs, allowing them to support themselves financially, and develop professional skills while continuing their education and exploring their interests. As staff, young people received mentorship and individualized support from Homies care managers, recognizing that their personal well-being, educational goals, and professional growth were all interconnected.
While our youth programs have evolved or concluded, the young people, relationships, and experiences that shaped them have left a lasting impact on Homies Empowerment. Their contributions helped build the foundation for many of the programs and community-centered practices that continue to guide our work today.
Program |
Year |
Adelante / Homies Dinners |
2009-2020 |
LIL Homies |
2023-2025 |
Dream Arts & Activism |
2022-2025 |
The Freedom School / Extended Day Program |
2023 - Present |
Homies Dinners & Adelante Youth Leadership Program
Homies Empowerment began in 2009 as a grassroots effort to bring young people from different Oakland neighborhoods together through shared meals, dialogue, and community-centered learning. Through Homies Dinners, youth gathered every Wednesday to cook, break bread, explore their identities and histories, and build relationships across neighborhood divisions. What started with approximately 20 young people grew into gatherings of hundreds, welcoming artists, organizers, and community leaders, including Immortal Technique, Rigoberta Menchu, and Tarika Lewis, the first woman to join the Black Panther Party, who shared their experiences and perspectives with youth.
As the work expanded, Homies created additional spaces for youth development, including girls' and boys' groups, mental health support, and leadership opportunities. Through a partnership with Arise High School, Homies established Adelante (Moving Forward), bringing community-centered education into the school day through leadership and Raza Studies classes. Young people organized fundraising dinners to support undocumented students pursuing higher education and participated in educational field trips, as well as cultural learning experiences such as Eskrima, a Filipino martial art.
Youth leadership extended beyond these gatherings and classrooms into direct community care. Through the Jornalero (Day Laborer) Breakfast Program, young people woke up before school to prepare and distribute breakfast to day laborers. For three and a half years, youth worked collectively to feed their neighbors while also organizing clothing drives and holiday celebrations for refugees who were far from their home countries. The program demonstrated how young people could identify community needs, organize resources, and take meaningful action to care for one another.
The Jornalero Breakfast Program also helped lay the foundation for Homies' broader food access work, influencing the development of the FREEdom Store, the Free Breakfast Program, and Fishes & Loaves, which provides prepared meals to unhoused community members today.
Together, Homies Dinners and Adelante reflected a model of youth development rooted in cultural identity, collective learning, leadership, and putting community care into practice.
As the work expanded, Homies created additional spaces for youth development, including girls' and boys' groups, mental health support, and leadership opportunities. Through a partnership with Arise High School, Homies established Adelante (Moving Forward), bringing community-centered education into the school day through leadership and Raza Studies classes. Young people organized fundraising dinners to support undocumented students pursuing higher education and participated in educational field trips, as well as cultural learning experiences such as Eskrima, a Filipino martial art.
Youth leadership extended beyond these gatherings and classrooms into direct community care. Through the Jornalero (Day Laborer) Breakfast Program, young people woke up before school to prepare and distribute breakfast to day laborers. For three and a half years, youth worked collectively to feed their neighbors while also organizing clothing drives and holiday celebrations for refugees who were far from their home countries. The program demonstrated how young people could identify community needs, organize resources, and take meaningful action to care for one another.
The Jornalero Breakfast Program also helped lay the foundation for Homies' broader food access work, influencing the development of the FREEdom Store, the Free Breakfast Program, and Fishes & Loaves, which provides prepared meals to unhoused community members today.
Together, Homies Dinners and Adelante reflected a model of youth development rooted in cultural identity, collective learning, leadership, and putting community care into practice.
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LIL Homies
Goy Youth Advocate |
Selena Q Youth advocate |
Rogelio X YOUTH ADVOCATE |
Our Mission:
The LIL Homies Program is committed to empowering systems-impacted youth by fostering trusting, supportive relationships. We strive to create environments of mutual growth where young people’s strengths are recognized and celebrated. Through access to critical resources—legal, educational, and more—we aim to equip them with the tools needed to build their personal agency, leadership capabilities, and long-term stability.
The LIL Homies Program is committed to empowering systems-impacted youth by fostering trusting, supportive relationships. We strive to create environments of mutual growth where young people’s strengths are recognized and celebrated. Through access to critical resources—legal, educational, and more—we aim to equip them with the tools needed to build their personal agency, leadership capabilities, and long-term stability.
Our Vision:
We envision a future where all youth, regardless of their life circumstances, have the opportunity and resources to overcome systemic obstacles. By cultivating strong networks and leadership, we aspire to create a community where young people thrive, become leaders in their communities, and shape their own futures with confidence and resilience.
We envision a future where all youth, regardless of their life circumstances, have the opportunity and resources to overcome systemic obstacles. By cultivating strong networks and leadership, we aspire to create a community where young people thrive, become leaders in their communities, and shape their own futures with confidence and resilience.
LOVE:
We are committed to leading with love, practicing empathy and compassion.
INSPIRE:
We aim to inspire our young relatives to recognize their strengths and celebrate their victories.
LEADERS:
We envision our youth growing into confident leaders for themselves and their communities.
We are committed to leading with love, practicing empathy and compassion.
INSPIRE:
We aim to inspire our young relatives to recognize their strengths and celebrate their victories.
LEADERS:
We envision our youth growing into confident leaders for themselves and their communities.
Dream Arts & Activism
Dreams Arts & Activism launched in 2022 as a paid youth internship program rooted in creative expression, political education, cultural identity, and collective liberation. Through spoken word, dance, painting, mural work, and other artistic mediums, young people explored their identities, learned about systems of oppression, and used art to share their stories, challenge injustice, and build solidarity across communities. The program emphasized ethnic and gender justice, drawing inspiration from the histories of movements such as the Black Panther Party, Brown Berets, LGBTQIA communities, and other movements or organizations that fought for liberation.
Beyond artistic expression, the program centered healing, intergenerational wisdom, and youth leadership. Young people learned from community elders through storytelling, herbalism, meditation, and cultural practices, recognizing the value of knowledge passed down outside traditional educational institutions. Youth also organized art exhibitions, community events, and fundraising efforts to sustain their program and support travel to conferences and learning opportunities. One of their early exhibitions, Reuniting Communities Through Art, brought young artists together across communities to promote healing, education, and solidarity.
Through partnerships with organizations such as AYPAL, the Samoan Cultural Development Center, and East Oakland Youth Development Center, participants built relationships across cultural identities, collaborated on creative projects, and engaged in community organizing efforts. Youth also participated in advocacy, facilitated educational workshops, and helped organize community events addressing issues such as gun violence. As interns completed their cohorts, they had opportunities to return as mentors and help lead the next generation of participants, creating a cycle of shared learning, leadership, and collective care.
Beyond artistic expression, the program centered healing, intergenerational wisdom, and youth leadership. Young people learned from community elders through storytelling, herbalism, meditation, and cultural practices, recognizing the value of knowledge passed down outside traditional educational institutions. Youth also organized art exhibitions, community events, and fundraising efforts to sustain their program and support travel to conferences and learning opportunities. One of their early exhibitions, Reuniting Communities Through Art, brought young artists together across communities to promote healing, education, and solidarity.
Through partnerships with organizations such as AYPAL, the Samoan Cultural Development Center, and East Oakland Youth Development Center, participants built relationships across cultural identities, collaborated on creative projects, and engaged in community organizing efforts. Youth also participated in advocacy, facilitated educational workshops, and helped organize community events addressing issues such as gun violence. As interns completed their cohorts, they had opportunities to return as mentors and help lead the next generation of participants, creating a cycle of shared learning, leadership, and collective care.
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The FREEdom School (TFS)
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The FREEdom School grew from a vision shared by Homies Empowerment Adelante alumni who came together in 2017 to reimagine what education could look like for young people in East Oakland. Rooted in revolutionary love, cultural identity, and self-determination, the vision was to create a community-centered school where young people could be supported academically, socially, and emotionally while recognizing their strengths as scholars, warriors, healers, and hustlers.
Through years of community collaboration and school design efforts, this vision became a reality as The FREEdom School operated as a high school offering an alternative approach to education. Students had opportunities to take college courses, participate in internships, and engage in learning journeys and educational field trips that connected classroom learning with real-world experiences. These opportunities encouraged young people to explore their interests, strengthen their identities, develop leadership, and envision possibilities for their futures.
Today, The FREEdom School continues its commitment to youth development through an extended-day program, carrying forward the values of revolutionary love, community-centered education, and creating spaces where young people can learn, grow, and thrive.
Through years of community collaboration and school design efforts, this vision became a reality as The FREEdom School operated as a high school offering an alternative approach to education. Students had opportunities to take college courses, participate in internships, and engage in learning journeys and educational field trips that connected classroom learning with real-world experiences. These opportunities encouraged young people to explore their interests, strengthen their identities, develop leadership, and envision possibilities for their futures.
Today, The FREEdom School continues its commitment to youth development through an extended-day program, carrying forward the values of revolutionary love, community-centered education, and creating spaces where young people can learn, grow, and thrive.