SAVE Our SCHOOLS&PROTECT Our FUTURE

My name is Vanessa Paniagua and I'm an 8th grader at Urban Promise Academy in Oakland Ca. My school is a place were everyone feels safe, is a very strict school, and very small. We have many after school programs and during school programs too. Some examples of after school programs is graffiti art, homework club etc... Some during school programs are peer ed. this is a program that helps 6th graders understand gangs drugs and alcohol...I'm writing this letter to let you know that the budget cuts ain't just cutting money but it's also cutting futures. Urban Promise Academy needs funding for more art supplies and to have an art class during school time. My education is very important to me. My education will allow me to go to college, help out my family and reach all my goals. My family wants me to get an education so that I'm someone in life. The future of Ca. depends on high quality ed. for all.

College for All Experience

College for all was a totally new experience for me. I liked that we got to be with each other and educate ourselves in a fun way. I liked my room mate and the way we worked with each other in the activities. The tour guides were pacient and they had fun with us they weren't just serious they worked in a fun way. I also liked the breakfast we ate it was pretty good and we were able to eat whatever we wanted. That's what I best liked about the trip.

I will want a lot of different things at the college I apply to. One thing I will like for it to have is a Chicano/Latino center. Also an art building were I can improve my skills. It will have to have a high percent of people of color because that way we can let USA know people of color can do it and that we need them to help us succeed.

Gang Oppression

My group's area of focus is gang oppression. The ones oppressing us are teenagers out there involved with gangs and "OG's" . This system is oppressing teenagers our there that want to "fit in". They convince others to join their gangs and their crews. They restrict people from wearing their favorite colors and going out to places because they think they own the "barrios". They harm people by oppressing them and also by killing and jumping innocents. The range of murders by gang members grow every year. This is horizontal violence because it's hurting everyone in the community specially their families. A personal experience is that 4 of my cousins died because they got shot by the opposite gang members. Gangs are one of the biggest oppressions.

LIBERATION

  There is many ways that can help us liberate ourselves from gang oppression. This can be by going to after school programs of our choice that interest us like graffiti art, music etc... This will help everyone feel safe and be able to wear what they want meaning any color without having to worry about getting jumped or killed. To be free from this oppression means to be able to be you without having to be afraid and scared of a gun or a group of people. Also since now there's the whole gang injuction going on we can't be hanging out in groups because then 5-oh will think we are gang related but if gangs will end this wouldn't be a problem any more. I think keeping ourselves from the streets can really liberate us from gangs.

Gangs In the town:)

My experience with the Gang Oppression group discussion was amazing. My group started out in a rate of approaching and ended with a rate of exiting. It wasn't easy having to use college vocabulary, but as strong mature 8th graders we persevered & got to our end:)

MY AMERICA POEM

MEXICAN
YOUTH
ART
MIRACLES
EXPERIENCES
REALITY
INDEPENDENCE
COLLABORATION
AMAZING

COLLEGE FOR ALL

I came from Mexico when I was 5 years old. I’m the oldest out of 3 daughters. My mother is a single mother and my dad left me when i was 4 and my little sister was 2. Mom was a young teen when she had me. She was 15 years old when she got pregnant and 16 when she had me and 18 when she had my little sister. She has been a single mom ever since the day my little sister was born and started working ever since i was 4 years old. I had to raise my sister alone with some family help but it was hard to not have mommy by my side. Shes the person that inspires me to study and be some one in life. I’ll give her back all the love and things she gave me by being successful in life.

    The mayor issue I’ve had in life is not having my dads support. That has affected my little sister and me in so many ways growing up without a dad was hard but we succeed through it. Mom always told me to never give up think farther of what I want in life and success be the best on what I want. To learn how to forgive to be able to be forgiven.

    In life I’ve had many new opportunities. Opportunities that have helped me out through the learning about life. One big opportunity was coming to the USA 8 years ago. This opportunity has helped me with my education and has helped my mother with saving up money for my sisters and my future. The second big opportunity was in the 6th grade I was flunking in the summer and I went to boot camp. This experience helped me in many ways because as soon as i got to the 7th grade i was interviewed by the Today Show. They asked me about my life and how I went from a 0.50 to a 3.00 GPA. These 2 big opportunities have helped me understand that I’m capable of succeeding on what i want if i set my mind to a goal and follow the steps in an organized way.

    An issue that is confronting my family and community is the lack of money, jobs, and education. We have many different programs that help us out but there’s a lot of segregation and unfairness against color people and Latinos in general (immigrants). The lack of money has been an issue in my family and my community because it has led teens to give up their education and join gangs, do drugs, or just drop out and not care about what’s happening in the outside world. Teens don’t think about what to do about this so they take the easiest path and give up on their dreams.

This issue is affecting my family in many ways. I’m leaving to Mexico after graduating from middle school. This decision was taken by my mother because of the lack of money and the gang violence there is here. This is affecting my education in many ways because it is much easier for me to drop out up there because you have to pay every month and every test you take. Mom will have to work everyday day and night like she used to do before coming here. I’m loosing one year of school because of this decision that has been taken because of the lack of jobs and money there is.

    Gang violence is also affecting my community. The rank of deaths because of gang violence has been growing since 2001. Many teens are joining gangs so the lack of money isn’t an issue in their lives any more. They decide to join gangs to be able to protect themselves from all the outside issues not knowing that they are actually affecting their lives more and more everyday. These teens take the easiest paths not knowing that it’s kill or get killed out there. They loose their lives in the streets and they never knew what they wanted. They followed the wrong path and instead of being 6 feet above others they’re 6 feet underground.