(925) 240-1359
Hope, Support, Healing and Opportunity
Empowering Latinx youth and young adults of color to realize their strengths
One Day at a Time was founded in 1997 by Brentwood native Johnny Rodriguez, who saw how much difference a single caring adult could make. As a campus resource officer, Johnny volunteered his time to offer workshops for students who were at high risk of violence or gang involvement. Believing those young people needed guidance and an opportunity to believe in themselves, he created ODAT.
As the program grew, it expanded in 2009 to include young adults and shifted its focus to empowering youth from all backgrounds, helping students build positive relationships and embrace one another’s differences. In 2010 ODAT partnered with John Muir Health to launch the Beyond Violence program for youth and young adults hospitalized at the John Muir Trauma Center, offering wrap‑around services to reduce re‑injury and retaliation.
To concentrate fully on youth services, ODAT sought fiscal sponsorship and, in 2012, became a project of Community Initiatives, a 501(c)(3)nonprofit. In 2015 the organization launched its first elementary‑level mentoring program, giving younger children support to develop self‑esteem, social skills and peaceful conflict resolution.
Our Mission
One Day at a Time provides Latinx youth and young adults of color with Hope, Support, Healing and Opportunity to realize their strengths, their self‑worth, and their power.
Our Vision
A world where Latinx youth and young adults of color are safe, connected, self‑empowered, inspired, liberated and heard.
Our History
Core Values
Respect
We treat everyone with kindness and dignity.
Trust
We honor and create places of safety, integrity, accountability, consistency and support to build trust.
Understanding
We suspend judgment to acknowledge other points of view.
Growth
We are committed to opening doors and providing opportunities for youth to be heard and to support personal development.
Equity
We identify and apply resources according to community needs.
Dedication / Perseverance
We endure and commit to overcoming communitychallenges that would stop us from fulfilling our Vision and Mission.
Our History
One Day At a Time (ODAT) was founded in 1997 by Johnny Rodriguez to help turn around the lives of young men and women at high risk of becoming involved with violence or gangs.
Prior to his work with ODAT, Mr. Rodriguez served as a campus resource officer and volunteer across East Contra Costa County middle and high schools in community outreach and gang awareness efforts. He saw that many of the youth he worked with just needed some guidance and an opportunity to believe in themselves, and founded ODAT to address this concern.
In 2009, ODAT’s services expanded to include programs and leadership development for young adults. ODAT also redirected its focus and became centered on empowering youth and young adults from all backgrounds, not just specific subgroups. This has improved school climates by allowing young people who otherwise may not have known each other to develop positive relationships with their peers and embrace and learn from their differences and similarities.
Additionally, in 2010 ODAT partnered with John Muir Health to offer the Beyond Violence program to youth and young adults in East Contra Costa County who are seriously injured as victims of street violence and end up at John Muir Trauma Center in Walnut Creek. ODAT’s Intervention Specialist works with these clients for a year and provides resources, referrals and wrap-around services to reduce or prevent future re-injury, retaliation and recidivism linked with violence. More information on this service can be found in the ‘Programs’ tab under ‘Violence Prevention’.
ODAT began as a stand-alone non-profit. As the organization grew, it became clear the the staff needed to be free to commit the majority of their time and passion to serving youth and young adults rather than on the details of managing a bigger organization. To allow the staff to focus on work with youth, in 2012 ODAT leadership made the decision to become a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives, a 501(c)(3), public benefit, not for profit organization. Since then, ODAT has grown significantly. In 2015, ODAT started its first ever elementary level Youth Mentor program at a local elementary school to work with young children to improve self-esteem, practice positive social interactions, strengthen positive attitudes towards individuals and school, improve decision-making skills, express themselves through group activities and develop[ skills to manage anger and peacefully resolve conflicts.