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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Community & Neighborhood Development, Economic Development, Education
Mission: Our Schools, Our Media (OSOM) inspires and teaches students to mobilize community action on behalf of their schools. OSOM has developed a unique, student-centered model for forging links between schools and their communities. We believe that students are the most authentic voices for what is happening in their schools. OSOM forms partnerships with public schools and community youth organizations that serve diverse, low-income communities. Together we work with students to design and produce publications for their school and local community. We call this process student-driven public engagement because students influence others to take constructive action on behalf of youth, their schools, and their communities. At each school and in each community, students create a quarterly publication focusing on issues affecting youth, their schools, and their community. The combined readership of the publications is approximately 280,000 people. While working to increase communication and collaboration between their school and local community, students gain leadership and literacy skills and a belief that they can make a difference in their lives.
Programs: OSOM currently works with 5 school communities in the San Francisco area:
Ben Franklin Intermediate School (Daly City) students create the community publication Ben s 411. OSOM works closely with the Student Leadership class and collaborates with school programs such as Club Live, a peer program designed to prevent use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs and the FUTURES program, which promotes student health. OSOM also works with community organizations such as a teen center called Neutral Territory, the Department of Sports and Recreation, and the local Chamber of Commerce. Ben s 411 is distributed as an insert in the Independent of Daly City.
At Richmond Village Beacon Center at Washington High School and Presidio Middle School (SF) students create the community publication See For Yourself. This program is an innovative, after school approach to student engagement. The project is designed to impact multiple schools in a single community. Students from the Washington High School serve as mentors to the Presidio Middle School Students as they engage their schools and community together. See For Yourself is distributed as an insert in the Richmond Review.
International Studies Academy (SF) is an alternative high school serving predominately low-income students. OSOM works together with the Ethnic Experiences class to produce the youth publication Listen Up! Students from Listen Up! have worked with community programs such as the Gang Risk Prevention Program, the New Generation Health Clinic, the Precita Valley Community Center, and the Aids Memorial Grove to improve their school and community. Listen Up! is distributed as an insert in the New Mission News.
Marina Middle School (SF) students create the youth and community publication Youth Power. OSOM works together with students involved in the Peer Resources program, a school initiative that teaches students to be conflict managers and inform other students about important issues. Because students at Marina Middle School largely come from other areas of the city, there are many challenges in bridging the gap between the Marina community and its school. Youth Power plays a central role in this effort. Youth Power is distributed as an insert of the Marina Times.
Donor & Volunteer Advisory
This organization's nonprofit status may have been revoked or it may have merged with another organization or ceased operations.