By Winston Ashby | Executive Director and Founder
From January through June 2026, the PARTI Program expanded youth leadership, violence prevention, workforce development, and civic engagement initiatives across Santa Clara, Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, San Joaquin, and Los Angeles Counties. During the summer, PARTI served 216 youth ages 12–20 through leadership development, mentoring, healthy lifestyles, workforce readiness, civic engagement, and arts-based programming designed to help young people build confidence, develop career skills, and strengthen community connections.
Full report:
The year began with the 26th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Stop the Violence Celebration, bringing together youth, educators, civic leaders, and community partners to promote peace, racial healing, and violence prevention. PARTI also prepared to expand its Stop the Violence Initiative into five counties—Santa Clara, Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and San Joaquin.
PARTI strengthened educational partnerships through the Umoja Program at Evergreen Valley College, engaging 30 students in leadership development, mentoring, workforce readiness, and civic engagement. In preparation for the regional Fall Bullying Prevention Campaign, 23 youth leaders developed outreach strategies, awareness activities, and Bullying Prevention Toolkits for schools across the Bay Area.
Youth leadership extended into workforce development through spring and summer internships. Jeremiah and Viabhava, both former PARTI high school participants, returned as interns alongside Peyten, Janehla, and Dasire, demonstrating the program's long-term impact by creating leadership pathways where alumni return to mentor and serve the next generation.
Through its Artificial Intelligence and Peacebuilding Initiative and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), youth met with Congressman Jimmy Panetta and San José City Councilmember George Casey to share recommendations on bullying prevention, public safety, and workforce opportunities. These accomplishments laid the foundation for the October launch of the Youth Empowerment and Success (Y.E.S.) Partnership, expanding mentoring, internships, and career pathways while demonstrating PARTI's commitment to developing youth leaders who create lasting community impact.
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