In the last week of November, there were 170 violent crimes in Oakland, as reported by Oakland Crimespotting. According to crime figures recently released by the FBI, Oakland has a higher rate of violent crime than any other city in California.
In response to this violence, an army is growing in Oakland. But this unique army - some 20,000 strong and with 23 years of training - fights for peace.
For the last 23 years, Destiny Arts Center has trained a youth army of "Peaceful Warriors" by providing financially accessible dance, theater, martial arts, violence prevention and youth leadership classes to kids ages 3-18.
About 75 percent of Destiny's kids are African-American, Latino, or of mixed race and 73 percent receive some form of scholarship to attend classes. More than eighty percent of kids involved say that Destiny has had a positive influence in their lives by increasing their confidence, their communication skills, their physical abilities, and their comfort level around people different than themselves.
Amber Espinoza graduated high school and from Destiny this spring and is now attending university.
“I believe creating environments where youth feel safe to learn and create art is crucial to violence prevention,” says Espinoza.
“I am now addicted to the energy of the world created onstage and the way that theatre can deliver a message like no other medium because it connects to the emotion of the audience.”
"Being a peaceful warrior means being able to control your thoughts and actions," says Jelani Prosser, who started training at Destiny at age eight. "I have been in so many situations where I had to control my actions because I was ready to hurt or fight somebody, but I kept it to myself and let it out on a punching bag, in my music, or just exercised until I got tired. I follow the warrior's code - never raise a fist in anger.”
"With the increase in violence in Oakland, parents and their kids are seeking long-term solutions to ensure their children can look out for themselves and be proactive in their communities, with the ability to speak out against bullying and other forms of violence,” says Christy Johnston-Limon, Destiny's Executive Director.
Destiny Arts Center is located in a residential neighborhood in North Oakland, where they hold dance, theater and martial arts classes for youth ages three to eighteen. Their new semester begins on January 2, 2012. Membership is accessible to all income levels, starting at $12 per month per child for unlimited classes.
The non-profit organization is currently looking for a larger facility because they are outgrowing their current space - a few rooms leased from NOCCS (North Oakland Community Charter School).
Destiny is now raising money to expand programming and open a new center in North Oakland that will serve over 1,000 young people each year by providing a creative-oriented, violence-free, and culturally diverse home-away-from-home. Destiny also serves 4,000 students at more than forty East Bay public schools, including all 29 of the Hayward public schools, and in schools in Oakland, El Cerrito and Richmond.
To donate a tax-deductible gift or to sign-up your child for martial arts, hip-hop dance or modern dance class in the upcoming semester, visit www.destinyarts.org or call 510-597-1619.