How Oakland Youth Advocate Challenges Old School Beliefs
Thought leader. Youth advocate. Author. Regina Jackson checks all of these boxes and more. Jackson served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC) in 1994. A native of Oakland, the University of California, Berkeley graduate held these impactful roles for 27 years. During her tenure, she reimagined the level of positive change the organization could have for the neighborhood’s children.
Critical to the success of EOYDC was one major belief: Children are to be seen, they are to be heard and they are to lead. Contrary to the previous notions about our youth, their inherent power and unidentified skillsets could put them in a position to change their own lives, with the proper guidance. Their responsibility afterward? To change the lives of others.
Jackson is celebrating thirty years of doing the work, and last year released a now best-selling book titled, Unleashed Potential: How Youth Lead the Way to a Stronger Future.
Her book is a guideline to community engagement, community management and a healthy dose of proof that her way works. The case studies featured in Unleashed Potential punctuate the conceptual and turn it into literal. Each case study identifies youth that were given the opportunity to lead and proved the method effective, including Selena Wilson who first entered the doors of EOYDC at four years old and is now its Chief Executive Officer.
