Event Alert! Healing Gun Violence in Latinx Communities
Posted November 10, 2023
Join Youth ALIVE!, in partnership with the Kapor Center, for an engaging conversation on the many ways Youth ALIVE! provides culturally-relevant support to Latino families who have been impacted by gun violence.
Help Youth ALIVE!s client families have a festive holiday season! This year, Youth ALIVE! is hosting a holiday gift drive to collect new, unwrapped gifts for children and families of all ages to distribute during the month of December.
Associate Director Torres talks empathy and the road ahead
Posted August 9, 2023
A young life forever altered
Many of you will have heard about the 8-year-old shot on 580 in July. He was left paralyzed from the waist down. YA! Associate Director John Torres spoke to ABC7 about empathy, the road ahead, and the healing power of community support. Watch the video here.
Many members of the staff at Youth ALIVE! are survivors of violence. Some have been shot. Others have lost cherished loved ones to gun violence in Oakland. Kesse Taylor-Jenkins is an integral member of Youth ALIVE!’s Violence Interruption team. She has worked an Interrupter herself, and now manages the day-to-day operations of 15 interrupters who work odd hours and disperse across the city every day and night. Kesse has suffered much loss. She lost her son. She lost two brothers. She recently wrote up her story for The Oaklandside; is heartbreaking and inspiring all at once. We encourage you to read it.
When the public, civic leaders or the media seek insight into how gun violence affects our city and our community, they often turn to Youth ALIVE! leaders, staff and clients. Last week, Bay City News spoke to a whole group of YA Staff, including Teens on Target (TNT) Coordinator MaryAnn Alvarado, former TNT youth leader and current Hometown Hero intern Edwin Galvan, Violence Interrupter Antoine towers, YA! Executive Director Joe Griffin and Healing Director Nicky MacCallum. Read the article here.
We are thrilled to release Hometown Heroes, our annual report for 2022-2023, celebrating the amazing work and powerful commitment of our staff and our clients. When a person suffers from a gunshot, when a person loses a cherished loved one to gun violence, there is often a period of despair and inertia. And when the time comes to begin healing, survivors find that healing can be hard work, that it calls for courage and commitment. What our clients also find is that it helps to have support from someone who understands, who perhaps has been where you are now. Someone who is patient, who knows where to find you the help you need, whatever it is, someone who shows up, who does what they said they would do. These are the people and the stories you will find in our new annual report. Also lots of great pictures, and recent results from our programs. Take a look!
Joe Griffin Celebrates 1 year as Executive Director
Posted July 9, 2023
Executive Director celebrates 1 year
ED Joe Griffin celebrates one year as executive director of Youth ALIVE!. He is leading the agency through a 3-5 year strategic plan and looks forward to sharing more about this bold vision.
Youth Alive, whose methods are now used around the country, first developed the hospital-based approach to gun violence more than 30 years ago in Oakland.
