Project Summary

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EAYC will work in topic-based committees of 10 youths each, focusing on a topic, creating recommendations, and presenting them to decision makers. EAYC will be a valuable after school activity that is productive, builds self-esteem, leadership abilities, and linkages to the community.

About me

a. I am a 28-year-old woman, born and raised in San Francisco. My father passed away when I was 8. My mom raised me by herself. I was an only child being raised in a big city with just my mom, but she always made sure that I was involved in different activities outside of school like camps, sports, art, music, and boxing. I never had time to be bored or influenced to go down the road of crime, violence, or sexual activity. The lack of productive, esteem-building activities causes youth to act out in a negative manner. This has led me to the work I've been doing for the last 6 years. While in college in Boston, I worked as an Americorps Member with girls on probation. I fell in love with the girls even though they were considered "bad girls". They weren't. They just didn't see any other options so they got involved in activities that got them into trouble. Our program was a group where girls talked about their lives and began to understand their own needs. We exposed them to other life options. I went back to SF to work at the Girl Scouts setting up troops in low-income areas. 3 years later, I worked at a low-income housing development in Ashland as the Resident Services Coordinator. I ran an after school program and started the YLC. I was one of the only youth service-providers in the area. Kids who lived in the development brought their friends to my program because they didn't have anywhere else to go. Now I am the Youth Development Coordinator for the unincorporated area.