District 2 Family Summit
DCYF hosted the We are the City: District 2 Family Summit on Thursday, November 14, 2019 at Sherman Elementary School. Youth and families from the Marina, Cow Hollow, Pacific Heights, Seacliff, Lake Street, Presidio Heights, Jordan Park, Laurel Heights, Presidio, part of Russian Hill and neighboring communities spent their Thursday evening with us. They shared their personal stories, perspectives and experiences to help make San Francisco a great place to grow up. Here are some of the key themes highlighted in the District 2 Family Summit.
Transportation
There is a need for improved transportation for school-aged youth. The SF lottery system provides youth with the ability to go to schools in different districts but does not provide any assistance with getting youth to and from school
Afterschool care and other youth programming: Support and Access
Parents with younger children who get out of school early in the day find it hard to obtain affordable aftercare for their kids.
Older youth feel that there is a lack of variety in afterschool extracurricular programs for middle and high school-aged youth.
There is a lack of funding for programs in D2 because of the general assessment that it’s a wealthy district. However, there are pockets of people within the district that do not fit that stereotype; furthermore, youth who go to school in D2 but live elsewhere rely of services from programs based in D2.
Acculturation and Bilingual Support Services
Chinese youth, particularly newcomer youth, report that there is a need for bilingual interpreters for their parents to relieve them of some of the burden with helping their parents navigate systems.
Academic Support
Chinese youth, particularly newcomer youth, report that there is a need for academic support, including preparation for college/life after high school.
Cultural Competency
There is a lack of culturally competent and relevant programs and services for Black, Brown, and Asian youth.
The We Are The City Family Summits are places for City residents to make their voices heard. The stories we collect at the Summits will play a critical role in our five year planning process, ultimately guiding how the City will invest in programs and services for our children, youth and young people (ages 0-24).
Shout out to the youth and families along with Supervisor Catherine Stefani and Legislative Aide Samuel Bennett for joining us. Shout out to Mestiza Catering for the delicious food spread. Shout out to Tel Hi Neighborhood Cener for providing childcare. Shout out to the Intergraphics team for providing in language facilitation. And a special shout out to the staff of DCYF and Bright Research Group.