In early March, RYSE closed the center to prioritize physical distancing and the safety of our youth members and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. We deeply appreciate our youth leaders, staff, and community partners who have pivoted so quickly during this time of uncertainty and risk, in order to rapidly assess and address the needs of youth and their families.
This month, RYSE has transitioned to hosting daily virtual youth programs to continue working with our youth leaders, engage with new young people seeking support, and lift up youth voices in our community.
In the first weeks of the shelter-in-place, RYSE held online spaces for youth to check in with each other and decompress, enjoying art activities, creative writing and beat making workshops, photography class, college prep sessions, film screenings, game nights, and more. One of our youth members, Kyyla, held a dance class via Zoom for her peers, and our youth organizing interns are planning to host a workshop for their peers this Friday.
We’re also happy to share that our RYSing Professionals program also continues, starting with a Virtual Job Shadow Week! Our six RYSing Professionals, youth interns growing job skills and career development, started working online this week with six different host sites: Starlight Community Services in San Jose, the U.S. Department of Energy at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley, Change.org, Bay Tree Design, Kaiser Medical Center, and BART. These young people will virtually shadow their job hosts learning more about the careers that they are interested in.
We post each week’s schedule of available programs on all of our social media platforms every Monday. Please encourage young people and families to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay updated!
Youth visual artists check in with each other and engage in online art workshops.
One of RYSE’s weekly Young Men’s Group meetings.
Intersections Action Research interns present their community assets and issues map to each other.
RYSE also supports and convenes West Contra Costa COVID Community Care, a rapid response coalition comprised of city and public systems partners, health and social services providers, and the school district working together daily to elevate and coordinate a range of critical supports in West Contra Costa County and beyond.
Please continue to utilize our comprehensive COVID-19 Resources page, which we will continue to update with resources for health and wellness, know your rights and legal support, at-home education, financial and mutual aid, and more. Reach out to us if there are any additional resources you are needing, or witnessing a need for.
It’s important to remember that crises reveal inequities and harm in our systems that have existed even before the pandemic’s start.
During crisis, communities face even more economic hardship and distress. Through all our efforts, we must remember to center and protect our humanity and shared strengths, so that we can all heal and stay resilient, together.
In this month’s blog, we wanted share the experiences of our youth members during this time. Read their interviews below as they identified some of the needs they are witnessing in their homes, and as they share a few of their own wellness practices.
Our first RYSE & VYBE art event was a cypher. RYSE & VYBE will happen every other Friday. (This Friday will be Karaoke Night!)
Our Youth Leaders Check In...
How are you feeling during this time of shelter-in-place? What are your needs, and the needs of your communities? What are wellness practices you’ve instilled to ensure your wellbeing? These are some of the questions our youth and staff are reflecting on. RYSE is currently coordinating support and referrals in response to their needs. Let’s listen to some of our youth members and staff now as they share about their experiences.
Ann
“There are youth who do not feel safe in the household, which can make the shelter-in-place difficult for them overall.”
“This pandemic should not be a sudden competition on productivity.”
Camila
“People need info from food banks, on what to do if you’re sick and do not have medical or health service, and how to get help if you are not a U.S. Citizen.”
“I put my emotions down on paper by drawing, making poems, and writing songs.”
Marques
“I am the person my family relies on to go outside and gather whatever items we need.”
“I keep myself grounded by playing music as I work.”
Marlen
“We also need help getting informed about what’s happening.”
“If you gotta cry, cry. Don’t let your emotions bottle up.”
Emani
“Remember to be kind and be patient with younger siblings. They're just as bored as you and just want to play.”
“Take the time you need and don't force yourself to be social or to talk to your family.”
Our Voices Count
So let’s ensure that we’re fully counted in the 2020 Census.
Filling out the form takes only a moment and will impact the ways our communities are resourced for the next decade. And for the time ever, you can fill out the Census online, from the safety of your own home:
Your data is anonymous and 100% confidential, and only used to as part of statistics to inform critical funding decisions such as support for SNAP, unemployment insurance, Medicaid, affordable housing, school lunch programs, more.
Support Our Communities through the CARES Act
RYSE understands that this is a time of great uncertainty and financial hardship for many. For those who are in a position to give, this is a time where individual donations can make huge differences for young people and families in need.
Please know that if you donate to RYSE, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act will reward all taxpayers who give to nonprofits during this time. This law “allows all taxpayers—regardless of whether they itemize or take the standard deduction — to deduct total charitable cash contributions of up to $300 on their 2020 federal tax return. The incentive applies to donations made in 2020 but may be claimed on tax forms next year. The law also lifts a cap on annual contributions for itemizers. The University of Pennsylvania estimates that the “universal” charitable deduction for 2020 could increase total charitable contributions in 2020 by almost $110 million.” Read more about the CARES Act here →
We hope that even through this difficult time, we can still ground ourselves in care and generosity when and where our communities need it most. Even a small monthly donation can help grassroots organization sustain themselves. Any donations you give to us will directly support the coordination of resources and supports for youth and families in West Contra Costa County.
Highlights
It’s during extreme and difficult times like these—while we balance working to support youth and their families, while also taking care of ourselves—that we need to ground ourselves in what deserves celebration. It is what we hold onto through all of our joy, rage, grief, and hope that keeps us going until we emerge on the other side. Here are a few things that we’re holding onto in this moment.
Schools & Communities First makes history with the most ever signatures submitted.
To qualify for the November 2020 ballot, the Schools & Communities First campaign submitted more than 1.7 million signatures of support, the most signatures ever submitted in California for a ballot initiative. RYSE youth leaders supported the signature gathering effort to support this initiative that would direct $12 billion every year to the most pressing needs in our communities, including critical local services and schools, while protecting homeowners, renters, and small businesses.
RYSE youth artists perform in WE SO BAY, a collaborative street performance that took place across three Bay Area cities.
On March 7, before the shelter-in-place took effect, RYSE youth performed in WE SO BAY, an interactive performance that took place on BART, starting in Richmond and ending at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco. Youth from RYSE, Youth Speaks, Bayview Opera House, Rising Rhythm, O’Connell High School, and House Tech expressed their experiences living in marginalized and gentrified communities.
RYSE Youth Poets featured in a music video celebrating the 35th Anniversary of “We Are The World”
This Friday, April 10th, MYDA (Music & Youth Development Alliance) will release a collaborative music video featuring MYDA organizations from all across the country celebrating the 35th anniversary of We Are The World (1985). Two RYSE poets who created a spoken word response in relationship to the current global pandemic.
We will be sharing the full video on our social media platforms once it is released, but here’s a sneak peek of RYSer Adriana’s feature!
RYSE Video Production Fellow Isaiah collaborates with the National Guild For Community Arts Education.
Earlier this week, Isaiah spoke on a National Guild for Community Arts Education webinar on his experiences working as a youth arts educator, the importance of youth-centered approaches when working to empower youth leaders, and the difference it makes when youth are elevated to be in positions to promote solutions and healing.