The first Port of Oakland educational curriculum guide: Our Link to the World, has been developed in partnership with ANG Newspapers Educational Services. This exciting new curriculum is being used by teachers working with 4th -12th graders throughout Oakland and other cities of the Bay Area where ANG has distribution.
This is an eight-week program that began February 3, 2004 and concluded March 23, 2004. The 31-page teachers' guide explains the importance of world trade in our everyday lives and highlights the three lines of Port operations: Maritime, Aviation, and Commercial Real Estate. Using living textbooks - the Oakland Tribune, The Daily Review, San Mateo County Times, Alameda Times Star and other ANG publications - students and teachers will see the Port of Oakland being pro-active about schools and our community.
Initially, our goal was to offer the curriculum to approximately 100 classrooms, but more than 160 teachers have signed-up for the program.
The Port of Oakland works as a partner with Oakland Community Organizations, Oakland Unified School District, Western Aerospace Museum, the Tuskegee Airmen, Peralta Colleges, the College of Alameda, parents and students, on a design team for a new, small autonomous school. The team has put in many hours of hard work for more than a year. Oakland Aviation High School is slated to open its doors to one hundred 9th grade students in the Fall 2005.
This program "immerses" the Community Relations Department employees directly into the business communities that we serve (local impact areas). Staff regularly attends local Chamber of Commerce events and act as Ambassadors in Oakland, Alameda, and San Leandro. We are also involved in the ethnic Chambers as well.
Annually, the Port sponsors or participates in many community events
and festivals, reaching more than 500,000 people with information
about the Port. We regularly participate in events such as:
- Alameda Art & Wine Festival
- Black Expo
- Chinatown Street Festival
- Dia de Los Muertos Festival
- Oakland Art & Soul Festival
- Oakland Holiday Parade
- San Leandro Cherry Festival
- Vietnamese Tet Festival
The community newsletter is a bi-annual newsletter that provides information on current events, community-related activities and partnerships with the Port. Unlike the "Report To The Community," this newsletter features success stories and testimonials from our neighbors. First issue to be released Summer 2004.
During harbor tour season, more than 5,000 people board our chartered vessels for regularly scheduled educational harbor tours. These free tours provide a glimpse of maritime activities, giant cranes and container stacks that line the water's edge along the Oakland Estuary. These tours allow people to see how containers move from ship to shore and learn more about the Port's role in the regional and national economy.
The generosity and enthusiasm of our employees are two of our most valuable assets. We are proud of their willingness to offer both in support of the community. In 2003, employees donated $125,000 to the United Way, exceeding our 2002 effort, when we were recognized with a statewide Community Health Charities Award of Excellence. With the Port's Executive Director Tay Yoshitani as the East Bay March of Dimes WalkAmerica Chairman in 2003, Port staffers, their families and friends raised $47,250 and were named - Rookie Team of the Year - in the Bay Area.
Additionally, the Port provides students with funds collected through the Port's Asian Employees Association (AEA) and through the Marcus Foster Scholarship. As of 2003, through these two programs, scholarships totaling $212,000 were awarded to 125 students entering college or vocational school.
The Port has also donated more than 2000 lbs. of canned goods to the Alameda County Community Food Bank in the past two years.
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Education is one of the cornerstones of the Community Relations Department. We have created programs that help students realize careers related to the Port.
- The "Mack at Sea" Academy is a collaborative effort between Horizon Lines and APM Terminals, the Oakland Unified School District, Junior Achievement, and the Port of Oakland. Each month, up to a dozen students from McClymonds High School spend a day at the Port, where they learn about operations and career opportunities in the maritime industry. Our goal is to involve more Port tenants and other high schools in this partnership, and eventually, to expand the program into elementary schools.
- Student entrepreneurs serve cafe mochas, double lattes and sell pastries at Oakland International Airport's Terminal 2. The Knight's Café, run by Oakland's Castlemont High School students and Island Espresso, staffed by students at Alameda, Encinal and Island High Schools in the Alameda Unified School District, give their proprietors real-life experience in commerce. These businesses include partnerships with the Youth Employment Partnership, the Marcus Foster Foundation and others.
- The Port is a dynamic place to work and learn. Our projects and programs, vital to the Port's growth and development, offer the perfect opportunity for students to gain experience and learn about real-world scenarios and situations. Each year, full-time high school and college students work in paid summer internships with various Port departments. In 2003, 22 students increased their knowledge of the Port and its operations while helping on special projects throughout the Port's divisions. We also participate in internship programs through the Oakland Unified School District and Youth Employment Partnership, as well as Job Shadow programs with local school districts.
- Over the years, Port employees have adopted and contributed time, money and resources to local schools. They also have been HEROES (Helpers Engaged in Reaching Oakland's Excelling Schools), who help at read-aloud days, book drives and other school events.
Port volunteers donated more than 500 hours of their time and expertise at community fairs, on harbor tours and neighborhood events.
PORTalk is a program that provides education and outreach to the local community (residents, businesses, service organizations, students) as well as domestic and international visitors. Our corps of dedicated employee volunteers is sent out into the community to provide basic information about the Port, its long history, and its effect upon local and international commerce. In 2003, Port executives and employees provided educational presentations to more than 80 neighborhood, business, and civic groups. Volunteer public speakers included those fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, Tagalog, and Spanish. They addressed topics ranging from the Port's history to aviation and seaport security and future plans for Jack London Square development.
The Quarterly Good Neighbor Breakfast is an opportunity to meet regularly with community members, neighborhood associations, non-profit agencies, trade associations, special interest groups and labor groups from the cities of Oakland, Alameda, San Leandro and Emeryville. At quarterly breakfast meetings, the Port provide updates and shares information about new activities, projects, programs and initiatives. In 2003, we bestowed our first annual Good Neighbor Awards for outstanding community service.
As a "good neighbor," the Port of Oakland is committed to:
- Listening to the members of its neighboring communities.
- Respecting diverse points of view.
- Maintaining open channels of communication.
- Involving its neighbors in Port planning processes.
- Sharing its technical expertise.
- Providing resources to sustain programs for community benefit.
This report showcases our department's programs and activities and compelling stories that highlight our involvement within the local communities that we serve. This report also provides a general sense of our department's mission and vision.
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