East Oakland
Our Program
The East Oakland project will adopt all 70, 2nd and 3rd grade youth residing in two under-resourced housing developments in Oakland. We will work with these "Dreamers" for the next 9+ years in a structured after school program, 5-6 days/week, throughout the school year and during our 6 week summer program. We will provide mentoring, tutoring, academic advising, literacy programming, in-class aid, social and cultural enrichment activities, as well as, parent support groups/workshops. Upon high school graduation, each Dreamer will receive guaranteed tuition assistance to attend an accredited college or vocational program. By helping our Dreamers gain access to college or other post secondary opportunities, we are putting them on a different academic and life trajectory, while at the same time, having a broader impact on the students' families and the generations that follow.
What Makes Us Unique
Our History And Results In The Bay Area
I Have a Dream Fact Sheet (PDF)
The East Oakland project will adopt all 70, 2nd and 3rd grade youth residing in two under-resourced housing developments in Oakland. We will work with these "Dreamers" for the next 9+ years in a structured after school program, 5-6 days/week, throughout the school year and during our 6 week summer program. We will provide mentoring, tutoring, academic advising, literacy programming, in-class aid, social and cultural enrichment activities, as well as, parent support groups/workshops. Upon high school graduation, each Dreamer will receive guaranteed tuition assistance to attend an accredited college or vocational program. By helping our Dreamers gain access to college or other post secondary opportunities, we are putting them on a different academic and life trajectory, while at the same time, having a broader impact on the students' families and the generations that follow.
What Makes Us Unique
- We begin at an early age- Dreamers adopted into our project will be in the 2nd and 3rd grade. We believe that an early start is crucial to getting our students on the pathway to college.
- We make a long-term commitment- The “I Have a Dream”- East Oakland project is set to run 11 years fully staffed, PLUS an additional 4-6 years partially staffed, to ensure Dreamers’ graduation from college. We support all of our Dreamers no matter what issues may arise. Our motto is “Once a Dreamer, Always a Dreamer”.
- We do not make exclusions- Some programs work only with high performing students or “Cream of the Crop”- we feel that ALL students can progress with guidance and support.
- We help mitigate financial barriers to education- We are committed to the idea that no Dreamer should have to pass up the opportunity to further their education due to lack of finances.
Our History And Results In The Bay Area
- “I Have a Dream” programs have had a strong, solid history in the bay area for over 19 years with successful projects in East Palo Alto, San Francisco, Richmond and West Oakland
- The Bay Area’s finest academic institutions have played key roles in the success of “I Have a Dream” projects including Stanford and UC Berkeley
- In 1992 Stanford Graduate Business School students adopted a class of 60, 4th graders from Flood Elementary School in East Palo Alto. In 2000 those Dreamers graduated from High School with a 100% graduation rate.
- In 1996 the West Oakland class of Dreamers were adopted as 3rd graders from Prescott Elementary school, in 2005 74% of those Dreamers either graduated with a high school diploma or received their GED. Of those students 72% went on to further their education.
- Bay Area Dreamers are currently attending such prestigious schools as Harvard, UC Berkeley, UC Davis and Morehouse.
I Have a Dream Fact Sheet (PDF)