May 2019 Newsletter

Hats Off to Our Moms and Graduates

This month we dedicate our newsletter to our high school graduates and all the mothers who have supported the development of our babies through childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood.

Safe Passages supports a continuum of programs and services beginning with Early Childhood and continuing through college and career. This month we celebrate all of the youth graduating from high school from our family of programs. We understand that this is no small accomplishment given our context of generational poverty, historical oppression, and institutionalized inequities that challenge youth of color every day of their lives. Despite the context, our graduates have demonstrated the extraordinary resiliency to navigate through a complex and sometimes unforgiving education system with the tenacity needed to beat the odds.

Read the rest of this article and the entire newsletter.

April 2018 Newsletter

Thanksgiving Celebrations 2017

On Thursday, November 16th, Ralph J. Bunche Academy hosted a “Bunche of Thanks” Event, in partnership with the campus Family Resource Center, proudly funded by Safe Passages. At the event, teachers got to nominate and present Appreciation Awards to their outstanding students. The awards included the “Most Cheerful Helper,” “A True Feminist,” “Most Improved,” “Exemplifies Curiosity,” and more!

Each student got a certificate from the school and a beautiful plant graciously donated by City Slicker Farms! Over 40 families also went home with bags of groceries for the holiday, made possible by our partners at the Alameda Community County Food Bank. Our friends Chef Cindy and Chef Dave from Unique Soul Catering , together with the Culinary Program at Bunche Academy, also cooked 50 delicious smoked turkeys for the students, staff, and their families! 

More information available HERE.


On Friday, November 17th, Safe Passages was proud to partner with United for Success Academy (UFSA) to host a Thanksgiving Dinner and Grocery Giveaway event for the Fruitvale community. The dinner was made possible through the campus Family Resource Center — also proudly funded by Safe Passages —  and Unique Soul Catering, who again generously donated 12 delicious smoked turkeys. The grocery giveaway was made possible by our friends at the Food Bank and Tzu Chi USA, who contributed 108 chickens and 100 bags of groceries to the food distribution, respectively.

Through our combined efforts, we were able to serve a special holiday dinner to over 200 members of the UFSA community and distribute 150 bags of food to all the families.

More information available HERE.

 

A huge thank you to all of our partners, friends, and members of the community who donated their services and time to make these joyful events possible for our students and families! 

Oakland-Based Nonprofit Launches Immigrant Outreach & Education Project

Safe Passages is doing everything we can to serve the immigrant community throughout Oakland and the Bay Area. 💜🤝

Learn more about our new Immigrant Education and Outreach Project, and how you can get involved, in this awesome Oakland Post article below!

 

Safe Passages, an Oakland-Based Nonprofit, Launches Immigrant Outreach and Education Project

 

Josefina’s Letter- The Intergenerational Power of Women

The Intergenerational Power of Women

March 28, 2018

 

Dear Friends,

March is Women’s History Month, and we have a lot to celebrate. Our power as women is intergenerational. We treasure the incredible, hard-fought legacy gifted to us by the amazing women who came before us. In my own family, my grandmother was a Rosie the Riveter who worked in the San Francisco shipyards during World War II. She later fought gentrification in San Francisco. My mother was a Chicana activist who struggled in the Third World Strike at San Francisco State that lead to the creation of Ethnic Studies. And now, my daughter is practicing her advocacy skills and articulating her vision for a just society through her art and writing. Every family is built on the backbone of strong women who sacrifice, and these sacrifices contribute to the betterment of our communities.

Several movements, including the #MeToo movement, and the student-led gun control movement, are reminding all of us of the intergenerational power of women. These movements also serve to remind us that we must have a major role in dismantling the status quo that disempowers us, and disrupting all the voices that try to silence us.

As Women of Color, we exist in the intersectionality of our experience in a manner that is rich beyond explanation. We are brilliant, powerful, and talented within each generation. We must control our minds, bodies, and voices. And, we must demand this month and every month that our cultural, social, and historical experience drives the social justice agenda in an equitable and formidable way.

We are humbled by the present and historical sacrifice of women around the world who continuously give of themselves to make our world a better place for all of us.

And, we send all of our good wishes to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who at 83 is holding it down until we reach a better tomorrow.

 

In Service,
Josefina Alvarado Mena, Esq.
CEO
Safe Passages

Get Active: Why Urban Arts Matter

A huge thank you to our very own AmeriCorps VISTA member Jonathan Smith for lending his talent to create this video highlighting the wonderful work of the Get Active Urban Arts program!

After School Programs – #AfterSchoolWorks

Safe Passages’ After School Programs provide safe, fun and enriching programs. Programs include academic tutoring, enrichment services, sports programs and activities for students in grades K-12 throughout Alameda County.

  • Our high quality after school programs serve an average of over 1,200 students every school day of the year.
  • Over 250 AmeriCorps Members serve over 2,500 high-need students through intensive academic tutoring and mentoring in our after school programs.
  • Our After School Programs partner with: Laurel Elementary School, Coliseum College Prep Academy, United for Success Academy, Community United Elementary School, and Piedmont Elementary School in Oakland Unified School District ; and Emanuele Elementary School, Searles Elementary School, and Cesar Chavez Middle School in New Haven Unified School District.

Special thanks to AmeriCorps Recruitment VISTA Jonathan Smith for lending his talents to the creation of this video that highlights our After School Program at Laurel Elementary School.

Testimony: Board Member Dan Siegel

Learn more about why Civil Rights Attorney & proud Safe Passages Board Member Dan Siegel supports Safe Passages and encourages you to donate.

 

 

Special thanks to AmeriCorps Recruitment VISTA Jonathan Smith for lending his talents to the creation of this video!