The Children’s Defense Fund – California, along with Casey Family Programs and Kaiser Permanente, present the Weekend of Hope, a three-day event that will recognize the people and ideas that are working to stem the tide of violence that impacts the lives of children and families in Oakland.
The City of Oakland has a troubled history of violent crime. In 2012, Forbes magazine named it the third most dangerous U.S. city due to a crime rate of 1,683 per 100,000 residents. Despite these disturbing statistics, Oakland’s violent crime rate has recently begun to decline and there is reason to be hopeful that it will continue to through the tremendous efforts of community based organizations, advocates, the faith community, elected officials, and city and county agencies. Children and youth have been at the forefront of many of these efforts and the Weekend of Hope seeks to honor these youth and provide them with spaces for expression of their perspectives around ending violence and increasing hope.
Check-out the weekend line-up: http://www.cdfca.org/about-us/cdfca-events/the-weekend-of-hope.html