Oakland, CA – Oakland Roots and Soul SC are proud to announce our continued support of the successful OUSD “Show UP!” attendance program, which highlights the importance of school attendance. In addition to that program, Oakland Roots and Soul SC have collaborated with OUSD to create a variety of diverse educational projects that uplift and empower Oakland students’ talent and experience. These initiatives (detailed below) are brought to life through collaboration with our premier partners—CircleCI, Penumbra, Ava Community Energy, ThredUp, Anthem Blue Cross and Oaklandish — and our community partners including YouthBeat, Oakland Athletic League, Chabot Space & Science Center, Oakland Tech Fashion Academy, and Sustainable Urban Design Academy at Castlemont High School.
“From its inception, Roots has been a purpose driven, community-oriented club. Oakland First, Always,” said Nelda Kerr, Oakland Roots and Soul Director of Community Engagement, and former OUSD educator. “There is nothing more important for the future of our beautiful town, and of our club, than to invest in Oakland’s youth. These projects represent the diversity of talent and opportunity that OUSD, Roots, Soul and Project 51O seek to nurture and develop while sewing the seeds for lifelong fandom and healthy community. We are in computer science and fashion classes, bringing student art and performance to the games, supporting student attendance, visiting schools for soccer clinics, and so much more.”
“I appreciate organizations like Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul for investing in the students of OUSD! Whether it’s recognizing academic achievement, supporting STEAM projects, showcasing student talents through game-day performances, or sponsoring attendance campaigns, both Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul consistently show their commitment to uplifting our youth and strengthening our community,” said Edana Anderson, Community School Manager, Claremont Middle School.
“Sports are such an important part of Oakland’s spirit, and students at Elmhurst hold a strong connection to soccer in particular,” said Priya Chatwani, Elmhurst United teacher. “Many of my students live right next to the Coliseum and are spectators and fans. We are so grateful that Oakland Roots and Soul came to our classroom, invited us to design an innovative prototype of their jerseys, and even gave tickets to their games, allowing us to be a valued part of the Roots and Soul games happening in our backyard.”
Overview of the Relationship
- Wearable Tech Competition – Oakland Soul Jersey + Circuit Technology wearable technology program – presented by CircleCI and Penumbra
Oakland Soul is working with CircleCI and Penumbra on a district-wide Wearable Tech Competition including curriculum co-created by OUSD STEM and Oakland Roots and Soul. Working with computer science and robotics teachers, 45 groups of up to 4 students submitted a design for a wearable tech Oakland Soul jersey, complete with lights, sounds, and whatever innovative additions they wished to add. Oakland Roots and Soul SC, in conjunction with CircleCI and Penumbra created material kits that included a Soul jersey and a variety of other technology products. These kits were then given to 20 groups who used those materials to bring their ideas to life. Finalists will be displayed at the STEM Fair May 7 at Oakland High School, at the Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul double header June 7 at the Oakland Coliseum, and at an exhibit at the Chabot Space and Science center this summer! Representatives from CircleCI, Oakland Soul, Penumbra, Pixar and Chabot Space and Science Center will judge this competition.
“Oakland kids love soccer, so integrating STEM and Tech already engages them. Exploring a technologically advanced jersey excites kids, makes them curious, and gives them a real reason to learn and apply skills that will help them in the future…and feel connected to local sports,” said Claire Fisher, Executive Director of Secondary Instruction at OUSD.
- UpCycled Fashion Project – Oakland Tech Fashion Academy – presented by ThredUp and Ava Community Energy
We’ve brought together three amazing design schools: Oakland Tech Fashion Academy, Oakland School of the Arts, and California College of the Arts, to participate in an upcycled fashion project, combining Roots and Soul jerseys with ThredUp thrifted items to create a head-to-toe looks demonstrating style and sustainability can go together. The students will receive professional mentorship from Roots’ designers-in-residence. The show will take place at a Roots game and be curated for submission in Oakland Style Week October 8-12, 2025.
- Acorn Project – Oakland Roots SC Public School Equal Access Ticket Program
We believe uplifting our children is one of the most powerful ways to strengthen our community. That’s why Oakland Roots SC invited every public school student in the Bay Area to experience the magic of Oakland Roots soccer at our opening game at the Coliseum, March 22, 2025, helping set a Club record Crowd of over 26,000. While we began this program with Oakland schools, with OUSD as our founding partner, we expanded the invitation to include students from any participating Bay Area school district.
- Youth Beat – Life-changing media training and mentorship for Oakland Youth
Over the last year plus, our partnership with Youth Beat has given career-building opportunities for students to develop professional sports photography skills on the field, with Oakland Roots SC as well as international teams such as Guatemala and Nicaragua. We will continue to host and mentor these students, inviting them to the Coliseum as media photographers for the 2025 season. YouthBeat has also developed a greenscreen activation where fans get to take a fun Roots themed photo that is sent to their phone as a keepsake. These photos are easily brandable and looking for a sponsor.
- ShowUP! – Shifting the culture to emphasize the importance of school attendance every day
Over the past 2 years, Oakland Roots SC has collaborated with OUSD to develop the “ShowUP!” campaign and program, addressing the national crisis in school attendance that emerged after Covid. This initiative was brought to life with design and printing support from our partners at Oaklandish. To date, Oakland Roots SC has donated more than 2,000 tickets in support of this initiative.
The campaign encourages consistent school attendance by bringing together sports teams, restaurants, and other local businesses to offer attendance incentives. This year, Oakland Roots SC is working with OUSD Community School Managers to develop special incentives focused on the critical first two weeks of the school year. These initial days build good habits and are especially important for state funding, which is based on enrollment and attendance during this period each year.
- Castlemont Coliseum SUDA – OUSD Students reimagining the Coliseum
Each Spring, students in Castlemont’s Sustainable Urban Design Academy create architectural designs to imagine what could happen at the Oakland Coliseum lot. Now that Oakland Roots are Coliseum tenants, students will interview our Chief Real Estate Officer, Roots joined their tour of the Coliseum and surrounding property, and students generated their final projects considering the needs of the Oakland Roots, the community, and AASEG ownership. Projects will be displayed at the May 24 Oakland Roots game at the Oakland Coliseum.
“It’s important that Oakland Roots is working with us on these architecture projects because it provides students with a professional client experience, and focuses on community assets that we want to keep in East Oakland. Many of our students love soccer and the idea of designing a new professional soccer stadium in their own neighborhood feels very powerful for them,” said Lily Jacobson, SUDA Director and Urban Design teacher, Castlemont High School.
- Oakland Athletic League – Supporting OUSD Soccer
Oakland Roots has invited Lamont Robinson Jr., commissioner of OAL middle school sports at OUSD to join our Community Advisory Board and begin planning for Roots to support coaches and teams across the district with training, player development, tickets to the games, and more. OAL met with our technical team to lay out pathways for Roots to support soccer in OUSD, and solidify this new partnership.
- OUSD Performances at Oakland Roots Games
From the Castlemont Cheerleaders to the Roosevelt and Edna Brewer Jazz Band, Oakland Roots seeks to spotlight amazing programs and talent at our games. These could be concourse performances, on field pre-game for the National Anthem or player walk-out, or our half time shows for thousands of fans to see. These are paid performances, as we believe artists should be valued for their work. Oakland Roots have also established a gallery in section 105 where Fremont, Castlemont, Claremont, and other schools have or will be displaying work.
- School Visits and Giveaways
Oakland Roots and Soul regularly visits OUSD schools for career days, read-ins, soccer clinics, and most recently, a Random Act of Kindness that brought complimentary bagels from Boichik to Markham Elementary, presented by Anthem. In the past year, we have completed over 50 school visits.
- Community Champions
All OUSD schools, PTAs, departments, and affiliated nonprofits are eligible to apply for our Community Champions program, where 20% of the tickets sold go directly back to the program. That’s $6 on every $33 ticket.
