““I’ve got love for my people and it starts with me. I am somebody.””
July at RYSE
This month, RYSE youth organizers continued to host "“This is How We RYSE: Remember, Reclaim, Resist, Reimagine,,” a 7-week program of trainings, organizing workshops, and field trips to local youth organizations in West Contra Costa County.
Our RYOT interns (Richmond Youth Organizing Team) worked together to build curriculum and facilitate this summer academy, re-imagining peer education to center identity, shared leadership, and new definitions of health and success. From now until August, they will continue to host workshops promoting individual and collective healing through cultural practices, knowing and understanding history and their rights, and building pathways to liberation for themselves and their communities.
Also this month: after returning from the Free Minds, Free People conference in Minneapolis, RYSE Education and Justice youth interns organized a “Know Your Rights at Schools” workshop for Irene Morgan Schools’ arts and activism summer program.
In “Hire Up,” young people interested in starting their own businesses engaged in career readiness and entrepreneurial skill-building workshops, including attending a Black-owned Business panel held at RYSE featuring Black Bay Area business owner speakers. At the end of this summer, young people will get a chance to pitch their original business idea and receive seed funding!
RYSE programming continues to be youth-directed safe spaces that encourage both joy and the difficult work of stepping outside comfort zones. From role-playing games to examine emotions via collective storytelling, to vulnerable letter-writing to themselves and creating life maps, to participating in activities from Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, to using balloons to learn about trauma responses and triggers—RYSE youth are always modeling for us what it means to be courageous community leaders who continue to learn and grow.
It’s important that through all our healing, innovating, and movement building that we make time to have fun and connect with one another. This month, RYSE staff and young people also took a day to come together for a Mixer & Pizza Party. We ate together, played games in the sunshine, and enjoyed the last few days in our RYSE outside space, right before we began construction for RYSE Commons.
And the RYSE Commons construction has indeed started and is currently happening! In the upcoming weeks, we’ll be sharing more updates, as well as exclusive sneak peeks for our official groundbreaking ceremony in September. Until then, please check out our photos to see what we’ve all been up to this month. More soon!
Upcoming Events
Night Out for Safety and Liberation
Reclaim safety, looking beyond fear, punishment, policing, and incarceration. We claim safety as love for and investment in our roots, our people, our power! Let’s build community solutions from the grassroots up! This event is open to all ages.
Free food, art activities, community resources, live performances, family-friendly activities, community storytelling and more.
WHEN: Tuesday, August 6 from 5 - 8 PM
WHERE: RYSE Center
Expressions of Youth Power Art Exhibit
Celebrate our “Expressions of Youth Power” art exhibit at our closing reception at Kaleidoscope Coffee! Meet and greet with the Richmond youth artists who put together this showcase of their work, and enjoy spoken word and musical performances. This event is open to all ages.
Be sure to stop by Kaleidoscope Coffee in Point Richmond to check out the exhibit!
WHEN: Friday, August 30 from 5 - 7 PM
WHERE: Kaleidoscope Coffee, 109 Park Place, Richmond CA 94801
RYSE Commons Groundbreaking Ceremony
Join youth and adult leaders, community members, families, and elected officials for the official groundbreaking ceremony for RYSE Commons. Celebrate with us as we build the vision dreamt and led by Richmond's youth.
WHEN: Friday, September 6 from 2 - 4 PM
WHERE: RYSE Center