Students showcase Y Plan civic projects to West Contra Costa board

Students and district staff presented the Y Plan, a civic, project-based learning initiative at the May 27 West Contra Costa Unified School District board meeting. Jessica Petrilli, the districtdirector of college and career, described Y Plan as a partnership with UC BerkeleyCenter for Cities and Schools that hires students as consultants to tackle real community problems.

Petrilli said projects this year asked students to address questions such as how Richmond can adapt to sea level rise, how to redesign 23rd Street near Richmond High School to improve safety for youth and families, and how to expand recycling and e-waste stewardship. "They are authentic project-based opportunities where students research, engage the community and present recommendations back to civic leaders," Petrilli said.

Two student presenters, Cali Stewart and Judah Gant, described personal benefits from the program. Stewart said the biggest impact was that projects led to real proposals rather than classroom-only assignments; Judah said Y Plan expanded his public-speaking opportunities and strengthened his research skills.

Teachers and district staff described operational supports for the program, including an educator fellowship, community-school partnerships and a summit at UC Berkeley. Kennedy High School teachers and a principal described how students presented work to city officials and civic partners.

Superintendent Cheryl Cotton, speaking as a Y Plan client on a project about operationalizing the districtanti-racism policy, said students collected roughly 700 survey responses and developed recommendations staff will discuss at a June student summit. "Our staff and cabinet will take those recommendations and put them into action," she said.

The presentation highlighted program metrics from the pilot phase: staff said more than 500 students participated across middle and high schools and that 19 students had completed requirements for the state seal of civic engagement. Board members thanked students and staff for the presentations and posed for photos with student performers and presenters.

What happens next: district staff said recommendations from specific projects would be considered by relevant departments, and a districtwide student summit is scheduled in June where students will discuss next steps with staff and community partners.