As the year draws to a close, there's a lot to celebrate in Oakland.

Current TV, Youth Radio and several other nationally-recognized media organizations make the Bay Area both a media hub and a youth-made media mecca.

Here are our 2010 Top 10 highlights from Oakland's youth media makers.

10. Heard but not seen - When Oakland Police got into a shootout on the 580, Grand Lake resident Manny Black couldn't see what was happening, but he could certainly hear it. His clip was even featured on the Oakland Tribune's website - along with his colorful commentary.

Oakland 580 Shootout Documented by Local Residents

9. The legacy of Jerry Brown - Although Jerry Brown hasn't been mayor of Oakland since 2007, the effects of his vision for Oakland continue to unfold. His 10K plan aimed to bring 10,000 new residents to downtown Oakland. Part of this vision included restoration of the glamorous Fox Theater on Telegraph (closed from 1966 to earlier this year). This rebirth creates an uptown haven for both Yuppies and Hipsters. But it also benefits Oakland young artists and performers. 

What many don't realize is that Gov.-elect Brown also is a founder of the Oakland School of the Arts. When the Fox re-opened, this nonprofit charter school got a new home - in the same building. (It was originally housed in the Alice Arts/Malonga Casquelourd Center.) The opportunities this creates for Oakland's youth should be felt for decades to come. 

8. Ella Baker Center expands its blogs - Two years ago, social media wasn't a focus for The Ella Baker Center - though multimedia certainly was. This was the year Ella Baker started to blog, launching Ella's Voice and getting everyone on the staff - including youth and a number of local activists and community leaders, a log-in. While it's hard to measure the traffic, the ideas expressed are often a must read.

7. What's black and white and green all over? - This year saw the opening of a new Youth-Made Media hub: the Oakland Green Youth Media & Arts Center, now called United Roots Oakland. This collaboration brought together talents from Cov Records, Art in Action, Colored Ink, Grind for the Green, Community Rejuvenation Project, Turf Unity Project and the DIG Cooperative.

With funding from Adobe Youth Voices and the Black Eyed Peas, this center has been working to raise up the next generation of music and media professionals. It has just launched a gorgeous new website - and are planning a program for re-entering adults.

6. Oakland Tech students perform at the Fringe Festival - After a series of successful fundraisers, Oakland Tech High School students made it to Edinburgh Scotland's renowned Fringe Festival. They even blogged about their experience for Oakland Local.

5. National platform for youth poets to have their say - Founded in 1996, Youth Speaks has always been deeply rooted in Oakland. Although its offices are in the city of San Francisco, many board members and staff live in "the Town." In fact, Brave New Voices, the first poetry slam dedicated to youth in the nation’s history, still lists Oakland as a hub on most flyers and tees. This year, HBO announced that they were picking up the Brave New Voices TV show for a second season. 

4. KDOL is an educational channel ... in more ways than one - Oakland Unified has always had a public access channel - KDOL TV Channel 27. This year KDOL began to expand it's work with Oakland Unified students. 

This past spring, KDOL and students from Oakland International High School produced a documentary about their school's unique role in helping immigrant and refugee students throughout Oakland get prepared for success in college and beyond. The students were teamed with Pam Uzzell, an established professional documentary filmmaker, and Chris Guevarra, an Oakland native and graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz, film program, to learn video production and produce this short film.

Building on this success, KDOL TV and the Media Enterprise Alliance are now offering a multi-dimensional university, college and industry-connected video and television production class. Guest speakers include award-winning industry professionals, University of California, Berkeley, School of Journalism and Haas Business School graduate students. Expect great things from this program in 2011.

3. No bus for old men - Iyanna Washington, Oakland resident and a student at San Francisco Art Institute, was simply riding AC Transit line NL. Like most Oakland youth, she was also carrying her cell phone/video camera. In 2010, the video (and her commentary) blew up online and was featured on many national shows including Tosh.O and TruTV. Her clip became known as "Old White Man Beats Up Black Guy on Bus." Only in Oakland. 

2. Honoring East Oakland's talents - As a multimedia teacher at Youth Uprising, Yoram Savion worked with both aspiring performers and behind the camera talents. This creative collaboration led to the creation of YAK Films and the short film "RIP Rich D" featuring the Turf Feinz. The film was completed in 2009, but didn't become a YouTube sensation until 2010, spurring national and international exposure for Youth Uprising.

1. The revolution will be televised - The top spot in youth-made media has been the opportunity to document an issue of national significance: the murder of Oscar Grant. Although much of the media coverage has been by mainstream outlets (and adults), youth voice has also been significant.

There are simply too many clips and too many citizen journalists to properly recognize everyone. So we've selected one of our favorites, this one from YO! TV (aka Youth Outlook Multimedia). Content Producer Valerie Klinker documents a Town Hall meeting Pro Arts Gallery where Youth Speaks poets and community activists came together to respond to both the Oscar Grant sentencing and police brutality.