Meeting the Needs of Our Community
As we reflect upon our journey over the past few years, we witnessed how the heartbreaking surge in overdoses and isolation during the Pandemic required us to add to our program matrix. So, in addition to providing strategic data analysis, we now also provide direct services to our community.
We stepped forward to meet community needs because we could no longer just measure the problems; we had to ensure that our people were okay.
Reflecting on organizational changes;
Teri Carlyle, Finance and Operations Director
Learn more about new program changes at Urban Strategies Council.
Dauttis Karbassi
Former Elevate Youth California Fellow
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Dauttis was a student at Oakland Tech High School when he spotted an announcement about the Elevate Youth California fellowship at Urban Strategies. He became a Youth Fellow in January 2022.
As a Fellow, Dauttis engaged in various outreach activities, data analysis and grant writing. He was most appreciative of learning to write grant applications for funding, because he was not aware of being able to get funds to support his ideas and interests.
Daria Belle
Former Elevate Youth California Fellow
Following the sheltering-in-place of COVID, 16 year old Daria Belle was ready to connect with other teenagers. Urban Strategies’ Elevate Youth Opportunity program provided Daria with a sense of community. The EYC program became a space for her to not just be a student, but a collaborator.
As a Fellow, Daria gained knowledge about the prevention of substance use disorders, how to administer Narcan and use fentanyl testing strips. All of this information was particularly relevant in the post-pandemic Bay Area. After serving as a Fellow for 18 months, Daria moved on to college.