West Oakland Initiative
Positive long-term outcomes related to health, school success, and successful transitions to adulthood typically do not occur as the result of single interventions. Incorporating best practices in positive youth development and linking youth with caring adults fosters a sense of belonging and develops social-emotional skills, critical thinking, and problem solving.
WHAT WE DO | OUR WHY | OUTCOMES | RESOURCES | CONTACT
WHAT WE DO
Lincoln Families’ West Oakland Initiative (WOI) program is a culturally responsive academic intervention and wellness program that integrates in-class supports, social-emotional learning, parent engagement, and case management. To address educational equity among students attending West Oakland public schools and provide responsive supports in partnership with schools and the community, our staff deliver programming in a variety of ways:
Family Coaching – Providing supports for families to connect to their communities and develop skills and resources for self-sufficiency;
Student Services – Working with students to build social emotional skills and positive school behaviors;
Educational Supports – Providing classroom learning supports and academic enrichment, including culturally relevant books, school supplies, holiday/cultural celebrations, and recreational field trips, as well as helping school systems be more inclusive and responsive to students.
OUR WHY
In 2013, Lincoln made the intentional decision to relocate our headquarters back to West Oakland, the community of our roots. We immediately launched our West Oakland Initiative program to bring supports and resources to youth and families, and embed ourself in the community. Over the years, we have partnered with schools to respond to the need for academic improvement, and to provide supports for students to engage and achieve. Our in-class services, family engagement, and school-wide supports are pivotal in helping students and their families address barriers, succeed, and thrive.
Outcomes
100% of youth reported feeling safe and that adults in the program care about them during the transition back to in-person classroom learning.
RESOURCES
Our Unique Model - WOI provides a multi-tiered system of support to ensure that students’ needs are addressed responsively and proactively:
Tier 1- Lincoln WOI teams partner with each school to help design and implement universal supports, including whole-school interventions that support positive school culture and climate using a healing centered engagement approach.
Tier 2- WOI staff hold weekly academic and/or social-emotional skill development sessions with students in need of extra one-on-one support; meet regularly with students' teachers; and hold quarterly check-ins with parents to support students' overall success.
Tier 3- All supports under Tier 2 in addition to monthly meetings with a team of players who make up a student's daily ecosystem.
Contact
Ocie Parks
Program Manager
ocieparks@lincolnfamilies.org
510.407.0676
“The Lincoln team (staff and parents) wrapped their arms around Elijah and his mother, providing a network of support that included informal conversations between the mother and other parents about topics that ranged from managing stress, how to appropriately speak to children and ways to address internalized racism in the African American community.”
— WOI staff