YEC was started by four of the Bay Area’s most cutting-edge youth projects, who all wanted to come together to share resources and space, and work together to build the youth movement. Our Story (link) has roots in the No on Proposition 21 campaign of 1999, which brought young people together from all over the state to fight a racist and anti-youth ballot initiative. Although we lost the Prop 21 fight, these groups shared a common vision for what the youth movement should build, for self-determination, justice and liberation for our communities.

The four founding groups of the Youth Empowerment Center are:

YEC also proudly sponsors the following youth empowerment projects:

Making the Youth Movement Stronger

YEC provides the infrastructure that lets these groups fight the good fight and build youth power. If the groups of the YEC are the muscle, then the YEC is their bones, the skeleton, the frame that holds everything together. We
do this by providing:

Fiscal Sponsorship

As a non-profit 501c3 recognized by the federal and state governments, the YEC sponsors youth-serving and youth-led projects that work for social justice and build the leadership skills of young people. This allows up-and-coming youth groups to get foundation and government grants and receive donations that are tax-deductible.

Financial Management

YEC also handles all the financial and bookkeeping needs of our member groups, YEC staff works hard to make sure that project staff get their paychecks, pay their bills, and have a handle on their financial health in order to make good decisions about their programs and their justice work.

Movement Center

YEC manages offices in West Oakland, which currently house SOUL, Youth Force Coalition, Underground Railroad, Let's Get Free, and Books Not Bars. We also rent out meeting space to community groups on a sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds. We keep the Center running smoothly by managing reservations, maintaining a chore / cleaning system, and providing reception for visitors to the groups housed in the Center.

Technology

YEC provides technology support and infrastructure, including a server network, web site space, and internet/ email access. We also rent out high-tech, digital documentation equipment such as a video camera, projector and laptops to project staff and community groups who lack access to these resources.

Capacity-Building and Support

YEC builds the capacity of our member groups to do fundraising, financial management, manage staff, and improve the overall operating of their project. We hold collective meetings, provide trainings, and do one-on-one hands-on support to our founding groups to help them through the ups and downs of running their own organizations.

YEC also published "Building Organizations, Making Change: A Needs Assessment of Bay Area Youth Organizations" in 2001, which outlines the organizational development needs of more than a dozen youth organizing and leadership groups. To order a copy of the assessment, email .

Keep an Eye Out: The YEC Strategic Plan

Right now, YEC is undergoing an intensive 8-month strategic planning process to figure out how we can best serve and support the youth movement and the greater community. We are getting input from dozens of community leaders, youth, allies and supporters and will be developing a 3-year plan to help guide our future work. We are juiced about our plan and will be holding a community celebration to unveil the plan when it is completed in March 2004. Keep an eye out for the YEC Strategic Plan Unveiling and our new work to
help build a better world.