Youth Programming Overview

OFSCA is honored to have partnered with the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) on an exciting and nature-filled day where Oakland youth were invited to participate in a special educational presentation and nature walk with an EBRPD naturalist on topics such as the local watershed system, environmental conservation and protection, climate change and its impacts, the history of the area, and local plants and animals.

Purpose

To deepen the symbolism in the Oakland Fukuoka Sister City 60th Anniversary mosaic mural and celebrate our connectedness to each other and nature, pebbles from Oakland, CA and Fukuoka, Japan will be incorporated into the water design of the mosaic mural with the message of "Compassion, Peace, and Community".

We celebrate our relationship we have and recognize that water and our natural environments sustain us and connect us to one another.

Who Participated?

Youth ages 8-12 years old, parents, and adults from our community!

As youth programming, promoting global citizenry, cultural exchange, education, and community building are central to OFSCA's mission, we invited youth and families to connect with each other, learn about their local parks and environment, while collecting pebbles.

Fukuoka residents similarly participated in a pebble collection event hosted by the Fukuoka Oakland Friendship Association (FOFA) in January 2022.

Message on respecting the land

Special permission was granted to this event only for pebble collection. Collection of any kind is otherwise prohibited within the parks and only allowed with permission granted directly from the Easy Bay Regional Park District.

We will enter the natural park as humble guests with respect and curiosity.

What's Next?

Participants will be invited to a future US-Japan virtual exchange about the pebble exchange and mural where we can learn from each other. We have filmed the pebble collection and nature talk. Once ready, we will share this virtually with our friends in Fukuoka!