Education

Oakland youth get introduced to lacrosse, a popular sport in the Bay Area

Published

9 years ago

July 13, 2015

Oakland Post

Part 1

By Juan Martinez

In the past decade, the sport of lacrosse has grown exponentially in the greater Bay Area at both the high school and Division 1 college levels. In 2002, there were roughly 40 – 50 high school lacrosse teams. Today, there are well over 100.

Despite this, the sport remains rarefied. According to 2010 data from US Lacrosse, the sport’s national governing body, over 90 percent of lacrosse players, officials, coaches, and administrators are white.

Now, Kevin Kelley, who works as a goalie coach for the University of California, Berkeley men’s lacrosse team, wants to change that. In 2012, Kelley created the nonprofit Oakland Lacrosse Club (OLC), with the specific mission of bringing the sport to kids who would normally never get a chance to play it.

“Lacrosse is a suburban sport,” Kelley said. “It costs a lot of money to play. I just want to create a culture and environment for Oakland kids through a game that I love and grew up playing.”

Compared to baseball and football, lacrosse remains one of the most expensive high school sports – more than twice as expensive as baseball or basketball. The start-up cost for a team can be anywhere from $5,000 to $7,000. In addition to equipment, each team must pay an additional $1,000 to rent a field for both practice and tournament purposes.

“There are so many different layers to the diversity challenges in our sport,“ Eboni Preston-Laurent, the senior manager of diversity and inclusion at US Lacrosse, said. “For one thing, it’s expensive, especially for boys, because of the full set of gear they require – the stick itself can run you about $100 these days. I think lacrosse in general is a growing sport, but there are still kids on the West Coast and in the Midwest who have no idea what the sport is.”

Through OLC, Kelley offers free clinics to interested students for eight weeks in the fall and spring every year. He and his team of assistant coaches and volunteers, which include UC Berkeley men and women lacrosse players, meet with a group of kids for two hours. The clinics are intended to give boys and girls the opportunity to learn the fundamentals, and also learn how to play at a high level.

Lacrosse is unique in that it has the spacing of soccer, gamesmanship of basketball, and the physicality of hockey.

“Most of the teams we play have more experience,” Kelley said. “We want our teams to battle with and beat top teams from the state.”

A big component of the OLC is teaching the lessons inherent to team sports, like how to be a good teammate, the importance of positive communication, and developing the habits of persistence.

To launch the program, Kelley partnered with six Oakland middle schools (Claremont, Brewer, Oakland Military Institute, Westlake, Urban Promise Academy, and Life Academy), with the goal of recruiting students from a diverse array of backgrounds. Last year, 40 percent of Kelley’s players were African-American, and 29 percent were Latino. Just 5 percent were white.

“People told me Oakland was a basketball town,” Kelley said. “They told me that I could never get kids to play lacrosse because it wasn’t culturally relevant to them. That pissed me off. It made me want to prove them wrong!”

In practice, Kelley focuses on resiliency and preaches that to his players. He wants them to be seen as athletes and not as victims. Such support can make a difference in a city like Oakland, where only 67 percent of kids graduate high school.

Children growing up in East and West Oakland have a life expectancy 12 years less than children living in Piedmont, and are five times more likely to develop type II diabetes than children living in Piedmont.

Assistant Principal Dennis Guikema of Urban Promise Academy appreciates that the OLC promotes a happy, healthy and positive lifestyle for kids by giving them another option to perform physical activities.

“It was very interesting to see kids, who I had not seen involved in sports before, get really engaged in lacrosse,” Guikema said.

Overall, the OLC’s retention rate is around 90 percent. One-third of the kids are returning players, but almost all of the rest have only recently learned the sport.

“Every sport in America was once like lacrosse before it got diversified and integration took place,” said Lanon Gillins, OLC Director of Individual and Team Development. “Kids ask me all the time, ‘Isn’t it a white sport?’ And I say, ‘Yeah but so what?’”

This article is Part 1 of a 3-part series.

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Related Topics:Bay Area lacrosse Oakland Oakland Lacrosse Club (OLC)youth sports

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Activism

A Student-Run Group Provides Critical Support Services to Underserved Residents

Those visiting The Suitcase Clinic can get legal advice, sign up for food assistance, receive housing resources, get medical help, or enjoy a hot, fresh meal. They can also get haircuts and foot washes from the student volunteers. Nilo Golchini, executive director of the clinic, said one of the goals for most of the students working there is helping bridge the gap of trust that exists between many unhoused people and the healthcare and social welfare systems.

Published

12 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

UC Berkeley Law Students help a clinic visitor with legal advice at their Tuesday night services. The Clinic offers a variety of resources, including medical, to those in the community who have little access to these services. Photo by Magaly Muñoz

Part One

By Magaly Muñoz

Every Tuesday evening, the dining hall of First Presbyterian Church fills up with dozens of people eating, laughing and moving from table to table, receiving much-needed services from UC Berkeley students – just a few blocks away from the university’s campus.

Individuals seeking support services can be found in this multi-stationed room on the south end of the church talking to law students, student case managers, or receiving medical attention in a corner by healthcare professionals.

This weekly event is hosted by Cal students through a volunteer-run program called The Suitcase Clinic.

The clinic, founded in 1989, was intended to offer free resources to underserved communities in Berkeley and surrounding cities. The majority of the clinic’s clientele are unhoused or low-income people looking for extra support.

Those visiting the clinic can get legal advice, sign up for food assistance, receive housing resources, get medical help, or enjoy a hot, fresh meal. They can also get haircuts and foot washes from the student volunteers.

Nilo Golchini, executive director of the clinic, said one of the goals for most of the students working there is helping bridge the gap of trust that exists between many unhoused people and the healthcare and social welfare systems.

During their tenure in the program, many of the students say they become strong advocates for homelessness rights.

Visitors of the Suitcase Clinic can receive haircuts and foot washing by student volunteers every Tuesday evening. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

“We’re also standing in solidarity with them. So, it’s not saying, ‘I’m going to help you, but I’m also going to stand with you,’” Golchini said.

Student volunteers get extensive training prior to working directly with clients. Those interested have to take a semester-long class to become versed in areas such as outreach, intersectionality, how to interact with unhoused people, how to sign people up for social services. and more.

Volunteers then get to pick from three different clinics: General, Women’s, or Youth and LGBTQ+.

The General Clinic is the most popular among visiting residents, while Women’s and Youth/LQBTQ+ have more specialized services for attendees.

The Women’s Clinic has many of the similar services to General, but also includes nail painting, childcare, and massages.

The Youth and LGBTQ+ Clinic offers a safe space for young people navigating living on the streets, with services that include housing referrals, wellness and recreation classes and employment resources.

Golchini explained that it’s important for them to keep these clinics separate because the different demographics experience poverty and homelessness differently than those who visit the General Clinic.

Suitcase Clinic student workers posing for a photo with a frequent clinic attendee. The Clinic is open to Berkeley unhoused and low-income residents who need medical or legal service, or a hot meal. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

“We’re able to provide spaces where people can come in and feel safe and not feel like they’re constantly worried that something’s going to happen to them,” she said.

An outreach team also visits encampments every other Saturday in the Berkeley area to provide hygiene kits and encourage people to visit the in-person clinic, if possible.

However, Golchini said engagement has been low for some time now due to a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that allows cities to ban and cite people for sleeping on the streets.

She said a lot of their clientele got displaced to other cities over time, making it difficult to stay in contact with the services the Clinic was providing for them.

But that hasn’t slowed down the students at the Clinic, if anything, it has pushed them to do more for the community they serve.

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Activism

Self-eSTEM Empowers BIPOC Women, Girls in Science, Math

In January 2025, Self-eSTEM will launch digital and generative AI programming, which provides digital literacy and AI literacy training through an entrepreneurial project-based activity. This programming will be a hybrid (i.e. in-person and online). Additionally, thanks to a grant from Comcast, in spring 2025, the organization will have a co-ed series for middle and high school students.

Published

1 week ago

December 9, 2024

Oakland Post

Adamaka Ajaelo. Courtesy photo.

By Y’Anad Burrell
Special to The Post

In a world where technology plays an increasingly central role in all aspects of life, the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education cannot be overstated. Recognizing the significance of STEM for the future, focusing on young women and girls is a critical step in achieving gender equality and empowering the next generation.

Self-eSTEM, an Oakland-based non-profit organization, was founded by Adamaka Ajaelo, an Oakland native who had a successful corporate career with several Bay Area technology and non-tech companies. Ajaelo boldly decided to step away from these companies to give 100% of her time and talent to the non-profit organization she started in 2014 in the belief that she can change the game in innovation and future STEM leaders.

Over the course of a decade, Ajaelo has provided futurist tech programming to more than 2,000 BIPOC women and girls. The organization has an Early STEM Immersion Program for ages 7-17, Emerging Leaders Workshops for ages 18-25 and volunteer network opportunities for ages 25 and up.

While the organization’s programs center on innovation and technology, participants also gain other valuable skills critical for self-development as they prepare for a workforce future. “Self-eSTEM encourages young women to expand on teamwork, communication, creativity, and problem-solving skills. The organization allows young women to enter STEM careers and pathways,” said Trinity Taylor, a seventh-year innovator.

“Our journey over the last decade is a testament to the power of community and opportunity, and I couldn’t be more excited for what the future holds as we continue to break barriers and spark dreams,” said Ajaelo.

“By encouraging girls to explore STEM fields from a young age, we foster their intellectual growth and equip them with the tools needed to thrive in a competitive global economy,” Ajaelo says.

Empowering young girls through STEM education is also a key driver of innovation and progress. When young women and girls are encouraged to pursue careers in STEM, they bring unique perspectives and problem-solving approaches to the table, leading to more diverse and inclusive solutions. This diversity is crucial for driving creativity and pushing boundaries in scientific and technological advancements.

Self-eSTEM has fundraising opportunities year-round, but year-end giving is one of the most critical times to support the program. Visit www.selfestem.org to donate to the organization, as your generosity and support will propel programming support for today’s innovators.

You will also find more details about Self-eSTEM’s programs on their website and social channels @selfestemorg

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Black History

Percy Lavon Julian: A Trailblazer and Business Titan in Chemical Innovation

Born in Montgomery, Ala., in 1899, Percy Lavon Julian grew up during a time when educational opportunities for African Americans were severely limited. Despite these challenges, his parents — graduates of what later became Alabama State University — instilled in their children a deep belief in the power of education. Julian excelled academically, graduating valedictorian at Indiana’s DePauw University in 1920.

Published

1 week ago

December 8, 2024

Oakland Post

Percy Lavon Julian. Public domain.

By Tamara Shiloh

Percy Lavon Julian was a brilliant American chemist and businessman whose groundbreaking discoveries transformed the pharmaceutical industry.

Known for his innovative work in synthesizing medicinal drugs from plants, he was a pioneer who opened new doors in chemical synthesis. One of Julian’s most notable achievements was being the first to synthesize physostigmine, a natural product used to treat glaucoma. His groundbreaking methods for producing human hormones like progesterone and testosterone from plant sterols revolutionized the steroid drug industry. These methods paved the way for the affordable production of life-saving medications such as cortisone, corticosteroids, and artificial hormones for birth control.

Born in Montgomery, Ala., in 1899, Julian grew up during a time when educational opportunities for African Americans were severely limited. Despite these challenges, his parents — graduates of what later became Alabama State University — instilled in their children a deep belief in the power of education. Julian excelled academically, graduating valedictorian at Indiana’s DePauw University in 1920. While his dream was to pursue a doctorate in chemistry, racial barriers initially stood in his way. Undeterred, he eventually earned his Ph.D. from the University of Vienna in 1931, becoming one of the first African Americans to achieve this milestone.

Returning to the United States, Julian faced discrimination that made it difficult to secure academic or research positions. Despite being denied jobs due to his race — even from prestigious companies like DuPont — he persevered. His big break came at the Glidden Company, where he led the Soy Products Division. At Glidden, Julian spearheaded several important projects. He developed the world’s first plant for industrial-scale production of isolated soy protein, which served as an affordable alternative to milk in various products. During World War II, his refined soy protein was used to create Aer-O-Foam, a lifesaving firefighting foam for the U.S. Navy. This achievement earned him the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal in 1947. Later, Julian turned his focus to synthesizing hormones from plant sterols, revolutionizing the production of cortisone and other critical medications. His cost-effective methods made these treatments more widely available, improving the lives of countless patients worldwide. Eventually, he founded Julian Laboratories, Inc., solidifying his legacy as a leader in steroid chemistry and pharmaceutical innovation. Julian Laboratories chemists found a way to quadruple the yield on a product on which they were barely breaking even. Julian reduced their price per kg for the product from $4,000 to $400. He sold the company in 1961 for $2.3 million (equivalent to $23 million today) and became one of the first Black millionaires.

The U.S. and Mexico facilities were purchased by Smith Kline, and Julian’s chemical plant in Guatemala was purchased by Upjohn. In 1964, Julian founded Julian Associates and Julian Research Institute, which he managed for the rest of his life.

Julian also helped to establish the Legal Defense and Educational Fund of Chicago.