Welcome Letter

Oakland Leaf celebrated our 20th anniversary in March with Roots of Resilience, a live virtual event that shined a spotlight on the creativity and brilliance of our students and honored our community’s strength and perseverance.

Oakland Leaf has emphasized resilience skills and other aspects of social and emotional learning (SEL) from the very beginning. The specific impact of this work over the past year, however, has cemented for us that SEL is not only a meaningful component of a well-rounded youth development curriculum, it is fundamental to supporting student success in all realms of life.

While some of our students adjusted relatively well to distance learning, most struggled with online classes and endured major hardships at home. In hindsight, it is clear to us that the consistent spaces we created for young people to share their feelings, as well as our daily work teaching mindfulness, self-management, advocacy, goalsetting, and wellness practices, were far and away the most valuable contributions we made to our community this past school year.

SEL is going to be just as essential when young people return to schools in August. Students and families will be navigating brand new challenges - restructured classrooms, instruction styles, and school schedules - all while grappling with the long-term impacts of the pandemic.

Students will need time to process their feelings, rebuild friendships, practice their social skills, and adjust to the routines of campus life again. Our programs will offer the nurturing relationships and SEL skill-building opportunities that students will need to confidently reengage, reconnect, and thrive in a new and changing school context.

We are so grateful to the many generous community partners, donors, and funders that truly “get” this work, and have made it possible for us to be such a critical resource to our youth and families over this past year. Much Love to all of you. Thanks for being a part of our community.

Sincerely,

Melissa Mendez Ochoa Executive Director