Oakland Peace Center extends youth sustainability workshops through July

The Oakland Peace Center and educator Jessica Jane Robinson are running a second-year Youth Sustaining Peace workshop series for middle and high school students in Alameda County through July 18. The program mixes soil science, composting, gardening, clean energy and a field trip to Rock The Bike to build practical environmental skills and leadership.

Why it matters: - The Youth Sustaining Peace program is built to give Alameda County middle and high school students hands-on experience in sustainability, food systems and community leadership. - The workshop series ties environmental education to practical skills that can shape how young people think about waste, soil health, gardening and clean energy. - The program also brings students into contact with local environmental organizations and working professionals, which can widen access to real-world learning.

What happened: - Oakland Peace Center is continuing the Youth Sustaining Peace summer workshop series this month with San Francisco Bay Area environmental leader and performance artist/educator Jessica Jane Robinson. - The program started June 6 and runs through July 18. - Robinson is partnering with Oakland Peace Center for the second year on the series. - The program includes six Saturday workshops at Oakland Peace Center. - Students are taking part in interactive lessons, service projects and leadership development. - Robinson said she wanted to expand the program with guest speakers, field trips and other more hands-on activities. - One session on June 13 focused on composting and food systems and was led by UC Davis PhD student Claire Beckstoffer. - Another session included a June 20 field trip to Rock The Bike in Oakland.

The details: - Youth Sustaining Peace is designed for middle and high school students in Alameda County. - The curriculum covers zero waste practices, food systems, sustainable gardening and community outreach. - Oakland Peace Center’s community garden is a core part of the program because students can learn sustainable gardening, healthy soil and related practical lessons there. - Beckstoffer told students about turning waste into resources and the role of soil organisms in how soil functions. - Beckstoffer later joined students in the garden to apply the lesson to soil samples and compost at different stages of decomposition. - Rock The Bike was founded in 2003 and is an Oakland-based organization that promotes biking as an everyday alternative energy source. - Rock The Bike is best known for the pedal-powered stage it created for the Coachella music festival. - During the visit, students learned about pedal power and how much energy everyday devices can require. - Robinson said the students also explored soil health, the mycelium network, beneficial microbes and clean energy alternatives. - Robinson said the Rock The Bike visit included making human-powered sherbet. - Robinson’s work includes the graphic novel character and environmental superhero Resilience, books, music videos and teaching tools such as the Earth Warrior Carbon Calculator. - Robinson runs programs in public and private schools and with nonprofit organizations in several states.

Between the lines: - The shift to a six-day format suggests the program is moving beyond basic environmental instruction toward deeper immersion and repeated practice. - The mix of soil science, gardening and clean energy shows a curriculum designed to connect ecological systems rather than treat them as separate topics. - Field trips and guest experts appear to be the main way the program is trying to keep students engaged while making the lessons tangible.

What's next: - The workshop series continues through July 18 with remaining Saturday sessions at Oakland Peace Center. - The program is likely to keep centering hands-on learning, community garden activities and exposure to environmental career pathways. - More information about Resilience Birthright’s nonprofit programs and Oakland Peace Center is available online.