Ethan Zatko went to Destiny Arts Center as a kid growing up in Oakland and after a stint doing youth organizing in the South Bronx, he now works there as the On-Site Program Manager.  Zatko said Destiny Arts – which stands for De-Escalation Skills Training Inspiring Nonviolence in Youth – has made a huge difference in his life and he believes strongly in the organization’s mission of ending isolation, prejudice and violence in youth through performing and martial arts.

“I was incredibly fortunate to attend Destiny,” said Zatko, 26. “It was one of the most important things I did. There’s so much diversity here, and I developed meaningful relationships with adults. My martial arts teacher when I was 5 still leads the martial arts program here.”

So when Salim Rollins, the Outreach Programs Director at Destiny, got a notice about putting together a delegation of people 18-30 years old to apply for the Man Up conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, Zatko came to his mind. Zatko, along with Javier Santos, 19, and Juliana King, 20, both alumni of Destiny’s Youth Performance Company, were chosen to represent the U.S. at the international conference to end violence against girls and women. The three will join about 200 young women and men from 50 countries July 5 through 10 to hear from human rights leaders and each other about ways to address violence against girls and women.

Zatko finds the focus on young people’s voices at the conference particularly appealing. He said he believe that’s where change will come from.

“I strongly believe in the power of the young voice,” he said. “Young people are real and now and they’re experts on what they see and feel and experience.”

This conference in South Africa begins a five-year campaign. Zatko looks forward to hearing what young people in other countries have to say. 

“I’ve done work in a city or a neighborhood,” he said. “But I haven’t participated in a global movement.”

Man Up focuses on reducing violence through sports, music, technology and the arts. That makes the team from Destiny perfect to represent the U.S., Rollins said.

“These are definitely the right people to be going,” Rollins said. “What they do at Man Up is similar to what we already do."

Destiny’s programs, such as theater, dance and martial arts, emphasize movement and discipline, which kids need, Rollins said. He added the Five Fingers Violence Prevention curriculum – use your head, use your mouth, use your feet, use your fighting skills BUT only if you have to, and tell someone what happened – incorporated into these activities, give kids a chance to learn violence prevention and conflict resolution.

What Destiny does works, but it’s not easy, Zatko said.

“My experience here in Oakland is not only violence against women prevalent, but it’s normalized, and sometimes even romanticized,” he said.

Lots of people don’t feel there’s much they can do to change anything, especially without some support, Zatko said.

“A lot of young people have a negativity they carry with them because of what’s happening at home,” he said. “The flip side of that is that young people are quick to be touched. They have a lot of spirit inside them.

“Young people speak truth and when they’re given the right opportunities, they speak truth to power.”