Guide helps Oakland families find youth programs
Sean Tanner and his son are finalizing plans for summer. Like many parents, he wants the months ahead to be meaningful.
During summer months, many young folks experience “the summer slide,” a loss of learning during the summer months when school is out.
Parents want accessible programs that build skills, spaces that nurture confidence, and opportunities rooted in community and culture.
Tanner recently found a useful tool: The Black Youth Development Book.
The “BYD Book” is a guide to connect Oakland families to organizations offering programs for young people from early childhood through early adulthood. Many programs are year-round and some offer summer programming.
“I’m mapping out my son’s summer,” Tanner said.
The book introduced Tanner to the Hidden Genius Project, an Oakland-headquartered organization which trains Black male youth in tech entrepreneurship, creation, and leadership skills.
The Brotherhood of Elders Network (BOEN) produced the guide, which includes 68 organizations across 20 program categories, from tutoring and mentoring to STEM, entrepreneurship and arts programs.
Oakland Voices is also featured in the book.
‘We want all our young people to self-actualize’
Kevin Hill, co-chair of the BOEN’s education committee, said the project grew from a challenge many parents like him know too well: valuable youth programs exist, but it can be difficult to find them.
“We want to make sure all of our young people, especially our Black kids, have the opportunities and supports they need to self-actualize,” Hill said. As a parent of two children, 12 and seven, he knows about the search for quality programs. “It keeps folks from having to hunt down resources.”
While the guide focuses on Black-led and Black-centered organizations, many serve broader communities. Hill said compiling it was about more than producing a directory.
The process highlights an ecosystem of youth support already operating in Oakland.
“People just don’t know about them,” Hill said of the many local programs. “There’s a big awareness gap between what people offer and what people are aware of.”
The guide works to fill that gap. First released in print in 2025, the guide is available online and in book form.
After creating the Black Lives Voter Guide, Hill started working on the BYD book in 2021.