Oakland Voices alumna Kristal Raheem (2021) recently joined YouthBeat, an Oakland-based digital media arts and media literacy training program for Oakland youth.
Raheem, a graduate of Oakland public schools, seeks to empower Oakland youth as future storytellers. As YouthBeat’s development manager, she’s responsible for building donor relationships and leading fundraising campaigns for the organization.
“As an Oakland native, my mission is to ensure the youth in my community are adequately supported and inspired to tell their own stories. I want Oakland youth to have discernment and a strong sense of self as they navigate the expansive world of media.”
Kristal Raheem
“As an Oakland native, my mission is to ensure the youth in my community are adequately supported and inspired to tell their own stories. I want Oakland youth to have discernment and a strong sense of self as they navigate the expansive world of media,” Raheem told Oakland Voices. “Through my work at YouthBeat, I aim to strengthen pathways for funders to invest in Oakland youth as future mediamakers of the world.”
YouthBeat started in 2009 as Media Enterprise Alliance with a mission to provide low-income students in Oakland public schools with the same digital training received by private school students. The program partnered with Oakland Unified School District’s public TV channel, KDOL-TV, and launched an accredited video production class with the District and Laney College. In 2014, the organization launched satellite programs on school sites, and rebranded itself Youth Beat in 2017. The program also has a production company, Youth Beat PRO where interns work on paid client projects.
“Oakland Voices served as my gateway into the field of multimedia storytelling.”
Kristal Raheem
Raheem completed Oakland Voices Community Journalism Academy in 2022, as part of a virtual class of 2021.
“Oakland Voices served as my gateway into the field of multimedia storytelling. As I learned about journalism, I was also introduced to photographers, filmmakers, and more,” Raheem said. Oakland Voices has expanded her network and her career vision.
Since completing the Academy, she’s written news stories for Oakland Voices about efforts to protect Black women from sexual trafficking, health stories about healing for sexual assault survivors, and an arts story about a photo exhibition focused on Black fathers.
Oakland Voices recently honored Raheem at its 2024 graduation ceremony.
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