Search Results

WORKSHOPS Our workshops are an excellent way to enhance your team's skills and knowledge. We offer a structured, engaging, and collaborative learning environment for niche topics that most interest you. How Youth See Themselves , and How the World Sees them How Youth See Themselves , and How the World Sees them Improving your youth outreach framed from the youth perspective. Book How Youth See Themselves , and How the World Sees them Organizing: Regional Student Diversity Summit Workshop Authentically empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds, so they can reach their full potential. Book How Youth See Themselves , and How the World Sees them Models for Motivation: Radical Candor in Intergenerational Workplaces Motivating your colleagues through a trusted model for honesty and clarity. Book How Youth See Themselves , and How the World Sees them Organizing: "The Growth WIthin" Becoming a leader in local politics, and using youth power to do so. Book How Youth See Themselves , and How the World Sees them Activate Youth to Serve Your Mission and Social Change Engaging with youth changemakers and a better understanding of their motivations. Book How Youth See Themselves , and How the World Sees them Pride Power Summit Training your volunteers effectively while preparing them for success. Book EVENT DETAILS ADD SECTION at top specific for the SD workshop (upcoming events) 3 total workshops in one day, location, rsvp form SCHEDULE A TIME One Hour Two Hours Other Groups 1-15 Offers: Book Now Groups 15+ $340 Book Now Groups 1-12 With lemons, ginger & mint Book Now Groups 12+ With lemons, ginger & mint Book Now Not finding what you're looking for? Contact Us Let's schedule a meeting to discuss how we can best accompany your needs. VIRTUAL Book us over Zoom for the convenience of everyone in the group. Read More > IN PERSON Need us to attend in person? No worries, we'll work it out with you. Gas prices on us and all. Read More > CONTACT US Shoot us a quick email if you have any questions, conerns, or feedback! Read More >

Our Board JOB DESCRIPTION BOARD APPLICATION Purpose The board of directors is an incredibly important supportive, advisory, and oversight body at Our Time to Act. It is composed of up to 20 volunteers and meets quarterly. As described in our bylaws, the specific responsibilities of our board are to: Direct our vision, mission statement, long-term objectives, and strategies. Conduct oversight on staff, programs, and progress. Appropriate funds in our annual budget. Create and maintain organizational policy. Execute the duties of each standing committee, including the finance & development, strategy & risk, and ethics & policy, and any ad hoc committees. What role do board members play? Board directors have diverse roles in our organization. Some are experts in certain areas, lending their prowess in a subject area to improve operations or guide in times of uncertainty. Others can speak directly on their lived experiences as youth and individuals impacted by our focus areas — or, perhaps, they are a mixture of both. Each voice carries a unique perspective that relates to the Our Time To Act mission. So, we encourage you to come as you are and help us foster a constructive atmosphere for positive growth and transformative impact. What do we look for in board members? Our Time To Act prides itself on being authentic and passionate. As a result, these two values are the bedrock of our organization and team. We have also found that individuals who are curious, bold, and respectful flourish on the board. A sense of curiosity — and the ability to ask good questions — helps us identify our strengths and weaknesses as an organization. Being bold allows board directors to speak their minds, challenging the unspoken consensus in the room and widening our collective perspective. Being respectful builds crucial relationships and trust within the board and between the board and staff. What's the commitment? We know your time is valuable, and we appreciate every ounce of volunteer time our board directors can devote. We strive to keep our board commitments light and flexible while offering opportunities to get involved with projects that matter to you. Currently, board directors are required to attend four virtual quarterly meetings (~2 hours per quarter) and serve on one standing committee (~4 hours per quarter). Here are the three standing committees and their functions: Finance & Development Manage the annual budget and necessary revisions, and review important financial decisions that require board approval. Strategy & Risk Manage organization strategy related to operations, advertising, financial management, access risk, and prepare for internal and external audits. Ethics & Policy Manage the organization’s ethics policies, resolve violations of policy, and support the cultivation of a respectful and mission-focused environment. Community Connections Manage sustainable networking and fundraising, nurture relationships with partners and donors, and connect with the community through outreach. The board may also, at its pleasure, form ad hoc committees to advise/oversee certain subjects or support staff projects that are of particular interest to directors. What's the excitement ? When you join Our Time To Act, you become a part of our journey. In 2019, as a group of high school students, we raised $7,033. Now, in the first six months of 2022, we have raised over $120,000. That’s impressive growth for a young nonprofit led by young people. But funding is only one side of the story. Perhaps the more salient point is our impact on the youth community. In 2020, we engaged over 120 high school students in supporting their community during COVID-19. In 2021, we influenced San Diego city politics and made a name for youth in the local community. In the spring of 2022, we knocked on 3000+ doors and brought 500+ people to the polls. Everyone has their reason to get involved with Our Time To Act, but at the end of the day, we are united by the vision we have for our community: that the inheritors of the future hold a stake in the present. Youth should be stakeholders in key decisions that are being made today. When you join Our Time To Act, you come along for the ride that helps us grow as individuals and you become a part of a team of visionaries and doers who are shaping the future. Board Member Job Description Application Period Rolling application. This role is not eligible for monetary compensation. About the role Working within the Board of Directors and reporting directly to the President of the Board, board members perform more than administrative tasks; they are the governing body of the organization that establishes and oversees our mission, priorities, business operations, long-term development, and finance goals. Skills and Qualifications Familiarity with Our Time To Act mission, vision, values, and goals Excellent written and verbal communication skills Organization and interpersonal skills Strong information analysis skills Goal and future-oriented decision-making skills Ability to understand and analyze financial reports Ability to evaluate executive performances Ability to participate in the execution of strategic plans Ability to fulfill fiduciary responsibilities Experience & Education Previous experience in aforementioned skills preferred. Time Commitment Average six hours per quarter. Subject to change depending on number of ad hoc committee assignments (volunteer-based work). About the Organization As a 501(c)(3) youth organizing nonprofit, Our Time To Act is dedicated to building youth power (aged 15-24) in areas predominantly occupied by adults to benefit the community as a whole. We play the role of coalition builders and mentors within our communities, sharing knowledge, resources, credit, and impact. And as a justice-oriented, impact-driven, and people-centered organization, our perspective grounds us with who we serve and the work we do while advancing our mission. Equal Opportunity Employer We are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for open positions without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. Our Time To Act is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and a workplace free of harassment and discrimination for all. jobdescription BOARD APPLICATION To submit your application, please email a completed version of this form in PDF format to adhocnomcmte@ottaunited.org , as well as an updated resumé (1 page maximum). A cover letter is optional. For more information or questions email adhocnomcmte@ottaunited.org .

HOUSING ACTION PACKAGE 2.0 WHAT IS THE HOUSING ACTION PACKAGE 2.0? San Diego’s Housing Action Package 2.0 (HAP 2.0) is a package of actions and policies that, if adopted, will boost the production of housing, especially affordable housing, in the city . Some of these policies include density bonuses, incentivizing the development of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in more areas of the city, and incentivizing more off-campus student housing to be built. Most HAP 2.0 policies are geared towards allowing more housing in “transit-rich areas,” such as near trolley stops and bus stations with high-frequency buses. Encouraging more housing near transit allows us to fight the housing crisis while simultaneously promoting a more environmentally sustainable city. WHAT WAS HAP 1.0? HAP 1.0 was a similar package of housing policies passed in February 2022 . It laid the groundwork for much of HAP 2.0, and also had to do with the implementation of actions and policies meant to combat the systemic effects of the housing and environmental crisis. For example, HAP 1.0’s implementation of Senate Bill 9 to allow for ADUs on single-family plots of land was a major step forward in pro-housing action for San Diego. WHY DO WE NEED HAP 2.0? Though HAP 1.0 was a vital first step for San Diego in addressing its housing crisis, there is certainly more work to be done. Currently, San Diego County is estimated to need more than 21,000 new homes per year just to keep up with demand. However, in 2021, only 9,642 were constructed , demonstrating the need for further policy implementation to solve the housing crisis. Policies such as those included in HAP 2.0 would bring us closer to meeting our housing targets. WHY IS MEETING THESE GOALS SO IMPORTANT? San Diego is a desirable city to live in. We must build enough housing to accommodate current and prospective residents. Every day, more people are competing for increasingly scarce housing, which drives up the cost for everybody. Economic research shows cities and communities that allow more housing see lower increases in their housing costs compared to cities that do not allow enough housing to be constructed. The city of Auckland, New Zealand for example enacted similar policies as HAP 2.0 in 2016. Relative to other cities with restrictive housing policies, their rents are up to 35% lower for family housing. WHAT'S THE CURRENT STATUS OF THIS LEGISLATION? HAP 2.0 is tentatively set to go to the San Diego City Council for a vote sometime in November of this year. However, on August 3, 2023, the Planning Commission removed SB 10 from the package largely due to the large quantity of negative testimony organized by anti-housing groups. Pro-housing advocates would have benefitted from greater numbers in pro-SB 10, pro-HAP 2.0 testimony both in-person and through email public comments to show the Commission the true support of the community for SB 10’s implementation within HAP 2.0. The Land Use and Housing Committee of the City Council formally removed the piece from HAP 2.0 on September 21, 2023. The rest of HAP 2.0 is intact though, and will be going up to a vote soon. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR HAP 2.0? Despite the benefits of this policy package, there are several anti-housing groups working towards blocking many of the most important aspects of this package. Their reasons for blocking systemic solutions to the housing crisis include fears of increased traffic, reduced property values, and lack of sunlight. Their loud efforts at City Council and Planning Commission meetings have already resulted in Senate Bill 10 being removed from HAP 2.0. WHAT IS SENATE BILL 10? Senate Bill 10 is a piece of state legislation that authorizes cities like San Diego to upzone single-family zoned land, through splitting lots, and other incentives, without having to cut through red-tape that usually delays the development of desperately needed housing. This legislation also provides the capacity to create San Diego’s missing middle-income housing and combat the effects of historically exclusive and biased land-use policy. Check out this webpage for more information on this bill specifically. WHY WAS SENATE BILL 10 REMOVED? A major reason there was so much attention paid to removing SB 10, is likely because it was one of the most important parts of this package. One of the more frequently cited arguments against its inclusion was due to its “irreversibility.” This provision of SB 10 refers to the fact that once a parcel of land has been upzoned using the legislation, it cannot subsequently be “downzoned,” or its allowed density cannot be reduced. The “irreversibility” characteristic is key to the impact SB 10 can create because the alternative is allowing the opportunity for downzoning. For example, in Los Angeles, downzoning efforts led the city’s zoned capacity to drop from 10 million before the 1960s down to around 4 million . Los Angeles’s 3.9 million and growing population is quickly reaching this unnecessary and avoidable capacity limit. SB 10’s prohibition on downzoning is what earned it such negative efforts from anti-housing advocates, but is what gives this policy such potential to have meaningful and positive impacts on the housing crisis if implemented. WHY SHOULD YOU SUPPORT SENATE BILL 10 DESPITE IT'S REMOVAL FROM HAP 2.0? Though SB 10 has been tabled at the moment from being implemented within HAP 2.0, Our Time To Act (OTTA) alongside our community partners and neighbors, will still be advocating for its implementation. By showing continued support for SB 10, despite its removal from this policy package, we will demonstrate to the City Council that the majority of San Diego is serious about taking action that will treat housing as a human right. Sustained support will make our efforts to implement SB 10 in the future stronger. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU? The passage of this policy package is essential to solving the housing crisis. Although the housing crisis has a multitude of causes and potential solutions, fundamentally we must build more housing. It’s like we’re currently playing a game of musical chairs; if there are 10 chairs and 15 people, ultimately 5 people will be chair-less no matter how you redistribute it. The solution is to allow 5 more chairs to be added, with plans in place to add more chairs as more people join the game. HOW CAN YOU CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS PASSING THESE POLICIES? You can get involved with Our Time To Act and lend your support through public comment when HAP 2.0 goes up for a vote. We would love to have you join us in person, through Zoom, or by making an online comment voicing your support. As the meeting date for HAP 2.0 has not yet been released, you can show your support now through making a comment here , and we will submit it for you as soon as the date is announced. HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION? Ask away! We are more than happy to provide more information. Send an email to Nicole Lillie, our Housing Project Director. nicole.lillie@ottaunited.org

Support our cause by becoming a monthly or yearly member. Contributions of any size help us continue doing our work and advancing our mission. Help us organize the future in the present WHY GIVE? BECOME A MEMBER OTHER WAYS TO GIVE MAKE A ONE-TIME DONATION BECOME A MEMBER Why become a member? Without you, we can't tap into the passion, creativity, and out-of-the-box perspective that youth bring to the table. Last year, we recruited hundreds of youth to make a brighter future possible. We need your help in order to continue this work. Why monthly or yearly? We ask for a recurring donation because our work is an ongoing effort — day to day, month to month, and year to year. We need consistent resources to deliver sustained results, and we want to foster a robust relationship with you to take meaningful strides toward achieving our mission. Membership levels BECOME A MEMBER PEEP Invitation to quarterly members-only "Coffee Chats!" $5/mo $60/yr FRIEND Invitation to quarterly members-only "Coffee Chats!" 50% off of our Annual Gala Ticket ($50 value) $15/mo $180/yr SUPPORTER Invitation to quarterly members-only "Coffee Chats!" 1 Annual Gala Ticket ($100 value) Public recognition on our website (Optional) $25/mo $300/yr ADVOCATE Invitation to our quarterly members-only "Coffee Chats!" 2 Annual Gala Tickets and special recognition as Gala Co-Host ($350 value) Public recognition on our website (Optional) Invitation to quarterly "Roundtable Discussions" with Staff & Board Leadership $50/mo $600/yr Membership Goals In order to provide stability for our nonprofit, we set membership goals every month. Become a member today to help us reach our goals and fund our cause! New members (out of 50) Raised (out of $10,000)

Our team is crucial to the work we do. Scroll down to see where you can join in. Open Positions Open Positons On-Site (San Diego) Housing Justice Team Member Volunteer Position View Position San Diego, CA, USA Associate Executive Director (AED) Volunteer View Position 1 1 ... 1 ... 1

THE LIBERATED PEEP Check back soon Once posts are published, you’ll see them here. Search Aathmika Radhachandran Jan 1 3 min Aathmika: Your Guide to Changing Your Community In a constantly changing world, it's important to fight for what you believe in. Our Time to Act United's (OTTA United) Board of... 39 0 comments 0 4 likes. Post not marked as liked 4 Michael Nguyen Dec 4, 2023 2 min Michael Nguyen: Chess at OTTA I was first introduced to chess in the eighth grade. I joined my school's chess club, which was ran by my math teacher, Mr. S. He taught... 30 0 comments 0 6 likes. Post not marked as liked 6 Benjamin Wang Dec 3, 2022 2 min Our First Annual Winter Gala... And You're Invited! It has been a busy year for Our Time to Act United (OTTA United). From advocating for equitable representation during the redistricting... 96 0 comments 0 9 likes. Post not marked as liked 9 ARTICLES

Press Releases Announcing a new chapter of leadership at Our Time To Act! Jul 17, 2024 Announcing our new name: Our Time To Act Mar 4, 2024 Circulate San Diego Designates OTTA as Sustainable Growth Award Winner Sep 21, 2023 Activating Youth: Catalyst Leadership Second Workshop Aug 22, 2023 OTTA United Completes Youth Activation & Workplace Motivation Workshop Series with Catalyst Jun 10, 2023 OTTA United Celebrates Positivity and Community in Pro-Housing Listening Session May 6, 2023 Press Conference and Rally: The University Community is Pro-Housing Mar 11, 2023 OTTA United & students play a major role in successful push for more housing in San Diego Feb 15, 2023 OP-ED: "More Housing, For Us and Our Climate" by Nicole Lillie, Housing Projects Director Feb 6, 2023 Aidan Lin appointed by California Senate to new state-wide Youth Empowerment Commission Jan 18, 2023 Two young leaders, Nicole Lillie and Yvania Rubio, take new leadership roles on staff team Jan 17, 2023 Aidan Lin and OTTA United featured in State of the City Speech by SD Mayor Gloria Jan 11, 2023 1 2 3 1 ... 1 2 3 ... 3