AYPAL & Youth Together press conference for the Williams Settlement Campaign at Oakland Unified School District
Asian/Pacific Islander Youth Promoting Advocacy and Leadership (AYPAL)
AYPAL develops the leadership and community-organizing skills of youth in grades 8-12. AYPAL enables youth to become community leaders by giving them an opportunity to work cooperatively with their peers, families, and the neighborhood to seek positive changes.
AYPAL is a collaborative project of five agencies in the Asian and Pacific Islander Youth Network of the East Bay. In addition to OASES, AYPAL agencies include: ACMHS (Asian Community Mental Health Services), FAA (Filipinos for Affirmative Action), LIMCA (Lao Iu Mien Culture Association), and PIKA (Pacific Islander Kie Association). Each AYPAL site hosts a weekly Youth Leadership Organization (YLO) meeting, which is comprised of 20-50 youth.
The goal of the YLO is to identify and lead social justice campaigns to improve their communities, to develop their social consciousness, and to participate in hands-on cultural arts projects. In addition to working on specific projects, the youth also develop the necessary leadership skills to lead their peers in the community.