


A Decade+ of Resilience: The TOMODACHI SoftBank Summer Leadership Program at UC Berkeley
We are pleased to share the publication of A Decade of Resilience: TOMODACHI SoftBank Summer Leadership Program at UC Berkeley (2012-2024).

Empowerment as Prevention: How Youth-Driven Initiatives Transform Frameworks for Change
Youth-led action research has significantly influenced local and statewide policies aimed at supporting students experiencing homelessness in California. This study employs a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) methodology, summarizing five years of research conducted by high school student cohorts and UC Berkeley graduate students to examine effective strategies for preventing and addressing student homelessness. The…








Defense of Learning: A Community of Practice Model to Advance Equity, Access, and Social Justice in Sacramento CUSD
Sacramento City Unified School District’s (SCUSD) college and career readiness initiatives, as cited in the 2016-2021 Strategic Plan, only equip students with half of the skills and requirements necessary for graduates to succeed in their post-secondary options (Conley, 2012). Namely, SCUSD fails to assess critical soft skills, such as perseverance, growth mindsets, goal-setting, collaboration, etc.,…

Exploring the concept of “resilience” …
In response to rapidly changing environmental and political climates around the world, governing agencies are grappling with the notion of resilience. How can communities continue to thrive with chronic and acute threats such as sea level rise, drought, fire, growing inequality, and unaffordable housing? Community engagement is often sought by governing agencies in determining answers…

Toward Defining Resilience with Y-PLAN
Page 79 of this activity guide is an activity for teachers and students to explore their school grounds and look for examples of resiliency as well as come up with ways their school can be more resilient. The lesson plan uses fundamental aspects of the Y-PLAN methodology like working with young people and allowing them…

BluePrints for Hope: Engaging Children as Critical Actors in Urban Place Making
Third- and fourth-grade elementary school students have been contributing their ideas to the redevelopment of their community in San Francisco, using a methodology known as Y-PLAN (Youth-PlanLearn-Act, Now!). This article explains the process and describes the ideas the children have come up with – and how key areas and insights are being incorporated into the…

Social Enterprise for Learning: A Replicable Model of Service Learning and Civic Engagement
Many schools offer service learning—community service linked to classroom studies—to help students become more effective participants in a democratic society. Different forms of service learning combine various amounts of discussion and analysis of social issues with engagement in activities that have real impact outside the classroom. What we call “Social Enterprise for Learning,” or SEfL,…

Work-Based Learning through Civic Engagement
Work-based learning (WBL), an important part of the 1990s “School to Work” movement, is a core component of the Linked Learning strategy which is now shaping efforts to improve secondary education in California2 and around the nation in cities such as Detroit, New York and Philadelphia. WBL can include not only classic internships and “co-op”…


Local students’ research, experiences to inform Facebook-funded housing study
In an emotional presentation, four local high school students recently shared their experiences of the housing crisis with the Menlo Park City Council


Making Youth Perspectives Count Beyond an Educational Exercise (Estuary News)
Estuary News Magazine wrote an article about the partnership between Y-PLAN and RbD focusing on the agency students gain through the Y-PLAN process. They argue that Y-PLAN encourages city officials to actively engage youth in the planning process by being intentional about including youth and not just setting up programs that are marginal to the…
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