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. 

The book’s website includes searchable filters to help families identify programs by age, interests, and location. Although the Brotherhood of Elders focuses on Black males, the guide includes programs for girls and young women like Cinnamon Girl and MISSSEY. 

Where to Find the BYD Book

Print copies:

• Marcus Books
• Brotherhood of Elders community events

Online:

BYDBook.org

Search programs by:

• Age
• Program type
• Days
• Location

Sharing the guide

Hill said he hopes to get the guide into schools, especially where teachers, principals and community schools staff can use it to direct young people toward specific support.

He encourages families to take advantage of the online version, which also includes a downloadable directory. Print copies are also available at Marcus Books, or at community events where the Brotherhood of Elders is present. 

As Tanner balances work, parenting, and planning for his son’s future, the guide arrived as both a resource guide and referral tool. 

“As a matter of fact, I need to drop some off at my son’s school,” Tanner said. He plans to share it with other parents at the next PTA meeting.

That kind of circulation is part of the vision. 

People from other cities have asked Hill to create books for their communities, and he’s willing to guide them in creating their own resource guides.

‘This is the village’

The Brotherhood of Elders Network, founded in 2009, has a broader mission of supporting Black males from infancy to adulthood, with an emphasis on health, wellness, family, community and cultural connection. 

The guide is both a product and an example of the group’s work: connecting people to one another, and to resources. 

“The goal is that every Black kid in Oakland, through their various life stages, is involved in one or more of these programs,” Hill said. “This is the community that will hold them, outside of their household. This is the village.”

Disclosure: The author was the Community Engagement Manager for the Brotherhood of Elders Network from 2015-2017 and has participated in activities since 2011. Oakland Voices is also included in the BYD book for our summer internship program.