From Resident to Intern to Staff
Ten years ago, EBALDC developed our Lion’s Pride Youth Program when we saw that other youth providers come in and out of our communities without a solid commitment to resident or youth engagement. Working with over 150 youth/year, Lion’s Pride is committed to taking on the hardest to reach youth whom other programs have rejected by providing them with a safe place to grow and learn.
READ EBALDC’s 2020-2021 Impact Report
The young adults EBALDC hires to intern throughout the year are integral to Lion’s Pride. Part of the Havenscourt Youth Jobs Initiative (HYJI), the Roaring Forward Internship Program serves young adults in career readiness based on the challenges identified by the youth themselves. With youth unemployment rates higher in Havenscourt at 49% vs. 25% for the rest of Oakland, HYJI’s jobs and internship placements are a crucial route to a career for many of our youth.
In 2013, Lion Creek Crossings resident, Kwanya Watkins, became a Roaring Forward Intern. Participating because she wanted to see what it was like to work, she found a passion and calling to work with children. Kwanya is currently an Instructor for EBALDC’s Lions Pride Youth Program.
When the program ended, what were your next steps? What are you doing now?
When I first started, I was only eighteen, and this was the first job that I had ever had. To gain more experience, I worked at the Lion’s Pride Program for an extra two months after the internship ended. I then went into a job training program for two and half years, learning about the nursing field and office administration skills. Afterward, I found a job working at the Oakland Housing Authority as an Education Ambassador, a program that partners with numerous schools in the Oakland Unified School District. I took a part-time job with Lockwood Elementary School for two and a half years through that program. I also worked with the Boys & Girls Club in San Leandro. I was committed to both jobs and loved working there – so much so that I had to leave based on my working TOO many hours. Around when the pandemic hit, I interviewed for the instructor position at Lion’s Pride.
What do you love most about your job?
What I love most about working at Lion’s Pride is working with the youth within my community and having that feeling of making a difference and positive change with them. I also take pride in playing a part in their growth as students and young adults.What are your future professional or educational plans?
I want to grow as an educator and learn new ways to teach the kids that I work with and to help them grow emotionally, mentally, and educationally as students on their way to becoming young adults. If possible, I would love to go to school next year to become a veterinary assistant.
In addition to working for EBALDC, how else do you participate in EBALDC activities?
I have participated in the Healthy Havenscourt Collaborative, and I also volunteer with many of the events within the community like the Fall Festival, The Spring Fling, Our Annual Earth Day Trash Pickup, and the Winter Wonderland that we have with the youth in our neighborhood. I also try to give out goodie bags for every major holiday.
What are your plans for the holidays?
I plan to make goodie bags for Lion’s Pride After School and my niece’s class. I am also spending time with my family doing fun winter activities like ice skating, going to the movies, watching Christmas movies/TV shows, baking cookies, and drinking hot chocolate.
As we end 2021, please consider donating to EBALDC and help more of of our youth and young adults realize their dreams.