About SRO

Mission Statement

Students Run Oakland (SRO) is a unique youth development program. Our mission is to improve the overall health of young people through structured physical fitness training, mentoring, and nutrition education. SRO uses the challenge of training for a marathon (26.2 miles) to help students develop long-term goals, improve their health, and overcome obstacles. SRO builds confidence, resiliency skills, and reinforces the values of commitment and hard work. Students can then draw on these values for achievement in academics and other areas throughout their lives.

Who do we serve?

SRO works with underserved students at Oakland public high schools. Both genders are represented in SRO, and the students’ race and ethnicity reflect the diversity of their schools. Most come from low-income families living in neighborhoods with high rates of violence and substance abuse, and many will be the first in their family to earn a high school degree.

For the 2008-2009 season, we are working with students at Castlemont Community of Small Schools (East Oakland School of the Arts, Castlemont Business and Information Technology School, Leadership Preparatory School), Far West High School, Rudsdale Continuation School, and Oakland Technical High School.

How do we do it?

During the six-month training season, the students commit to participate in after-school group runs and cross-training sessions, which are overseen by school-site captains and volunteers. On the weekend they come together, along with the adult volunteers, for a longer run on Bay Area trails or in Bay Area races. These longer runs are critically important for gradually increasing the students’ athletic endurance. Training and racing at different locations gives students an opportunity to explore scenic areas of the Bay Area unknown to most of them; to meet their peers from other schools; to build relationships with the adult volunteer mentors; and to achieve a series of important, incremental goals on their way to running a marathon.

What do we provide?

Each student receives:

In addition, graduating college-bound seniors receive a scholarship when they provide a college admission letter if they write an essay about their SRO experience. The program is offered free of cost to the students; all we ask for is commitment and adherence to a code of conduct (see Student Contract). The program is supported 100% by contributions from individuals in the community, foundations, and corporations.