Jason Williams

Jason Williams manages the grants and contracts for all of Youth ALIVE!’s programs; that includes worrying about reports and deliverables. “I think it is important that the story of my colleagues work is told. The doing of the work is what they do and has its impact. My work is the sharing…to grow the organization,” Jason said. “I hope that their humanity is seen and I can find ways to honor them and find ways to bring their voices to tables they might not be sitting at.”

He describes the best part of his job as the community impact of Youth ALIVE’. “The work that YA! does is really transformative,” Jason said. “It allows people to transform their pain, their trauma, their struggles; and I think that is beautiful. It feels like worthwhile work. My rule for myself is that it needs to be worthwhile. It is genuine community building. It is work that faces things that people would rather turn away from more often than not. But it is really brave. I’m happy I can do anything I can to support it.”

This work is also personal for Jason, a New York native. “I have so many broken hearts so close to me that I do this work for – including my own,” Jason shared. “And on the other hand I do this work for Oakland. I think if you come here you should do something for Oakland or leave. People like to look at the nice parts and imagine what it could be if you washed away the other parts rather than looking at how you could make it better for the people who are here…I need to pay it back.”