The Bay Area Project Summary

Over the coming years, the U.S. military will continue its post-Cold War drawdown. During this reshaping of the military, the following question arises: Is it possible to reinvest some of the military's resources to strengthen young people? The Navy asked CNA to do a full assessment of reuse options in Oakland and Alameda, California. We collected data only on the three Navy installation and their surrounding communities that are closest to Oakland and Alameda although we did take a broad look at military and community resources throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our assessment has two sides, the demand or 'need' side--the community-based part--and the supply or 'resource' side--the part in which we surveyed selected military facilities. We wanted to know specific details about community needs and potential military resources and how to connect one with the other. We performed four major research efforts, and for each one we have published a comprehensive report detailing the supporting analyses. The first effort outlines the political context of defense conversion and its implications for youth and youth advocates. The next two are Bay Area youth organizations and how they might benefit from freed-up military resources. The other, Service Opportunities for Youth, assesses the many ways youth are serving their communities and how military resources could be used to further those efforts. The fourth research effort is an assessment of military buildings, people, and property items that should become availabl