WELCOME!
The Youth Empowerment Program is an established registered student organization supported by the ASUC and Public Service Center at the University of California; Berkeley, serving families in East Oakland since 2015.
Our Beginning
The Youth Empowerment Program (Y.E.P.) was established in April 2011 by a group of students at UC Berkeley with the goal to encourage detained youth to persevere through the social and global forces that keep them at an extreme disadvantage.​ In the fall of 2015, as the result of an unjust change to federal law regarding volunteer access to detention facilities, Y.E.P. had to re-evaluate the program.
Starting in 2015, the Youth Empowerment Program partnered with the Central American Refugee Committee (CRECE) to serve youth and their families in East Oakland by providing one-on-one tutoring, weekend community events, workshops, and field trips.
Our Mission
The Youth Empowerment's mission is to empower youth to continue their education no matter their circumstances. Y.E.P. mentors work towards providing a well equipped and safe space for youth and their families to do so.
Our Vision
Our vision is for youth and families of color to have the resources to overcome to education gap and make higher education more attainable.