Oakland Asian Students Educational Services

Daily Point of Light # 1513 Nov 22, 1999

The Oakland Asian Students Educational Services (OASES) was formed in 1983 by University of California at Berkley volunteers concerned by the growing needs of youth enrolled in the Oakland Unified School District. In 1991, OASES established itself as an Oakland-based 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization to better serve the community.

To address the needs of low-income immigrant youth, OASES created after-school, weekend and summer programs to develop a student’s academic, personal and social skills at no cost. OASES offers programs to all youth regardless of race, economic or religious background.

Programs include the General Tutorial Program which provides individualized academic assistance and mentoring to 2nd and 12th grade students, the ESL Assistance Program which provides intensive instruction in reading, writing and speech skills to Limited English Proficient high school students, Activity Workshops which introduce students to various topics in the field of arts, sciences, health and safety and nature conservation, the Kids Into Computers Program which teaches students creative writing and basic computer skills, the Inspire Mentorship Program which matches at-risk high school students with college peers that can inspire them to pursue higher education, the Service-Learning Program which introduces concepts in community service, nature conservation and leadership in a set curriculum to prepare young people to be well-rounded citizens who contribute to their community, and finally, the Asian Youth Promoting Advocacy and Leadership Project which allows emerging youth leaders in the 7th through 12th grade to acquire community organizing and advocacy skills.

In the past year, with the help of more than 400 dedicated volunteers, the group was able to help 307 students, with each child typically receiving 120 service hours per year.


jaytennier