Jamestown Persists Amidst School Closures and City Lockdowns

Familia, we hope you are staying safe and healthy during these difficult times. Jamestown, along with our community partners, have done our best to remain adaptable to the circumstances and continue working to ensure our communities are safe and informed on COVID-19.

Due to the closure of all SFUSD schools, our site-specific programming remains on hold during this lockdown. Still, despite the circumstances, Jamestown remains resilient and is taking an innovative approach to continue serving our youth and families.

Currently, Jamestown program staff are working daily at our Buena Vista Horace Mann Beacon stayover shelter to handle the added capacity and support youth and families during this time of crisis. The stayover program has been greatly expanded during this shelter-in-place order and Jamestown staff have stepped up to do their part. Chavez Elementary, one of our other Beacon sites, is providing a community food bank so our families and other vulnerable community members have access to the nutrition they need to stay healthy.

Despite the social distancing order, we have still been able to offer some of our community programs through online platforms. Our Strengthening Families class continues to host regularly scheduled meetings through video chat, so families can continue to build healthy relationships and communication practices. The Loco Bloco performance ensemble, despite not being able to meet physically, continue to rehearse via Zoom meetings, keeping them active and engaged with their community and art form.

Along with hosting program meetings online, we continue to share relevant resources on our social media from the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF) as well as other community organizations working with similar populations. We want to ensure the families we serve are properly informed and connected to all the services available to them.

As Jamestown continues navigating through these uncertain times, we are doing our best to provide the services we can to our youth and families. In these tough times, it is imperative we continue to serve vulnerable populations to ensure the security of our community.

Thank you for supporting our work and being valuable members of our community.  We continue to send lots of love and light to all of our gente. Stay safe and strong everyone.

Girls Got Goals Kicks Back Into Action

It’s that time of year again, Girls Got Goals is back in action!

Now in its 16th season, our Girls Got Goals league continues to provide an outlet for middle school girls to learn a new sport in a safe and supportive environment. This year, five teams will compete in league play for a chance at the coveted title. 

Last year’s champion, Everett Middle School, saw a huge surge in interest after taking home the big trophy, so much so, that this year they are fielding two teams to keep up with the demand! Girls Got Goals has a rich history as a nurturing safe space for young women to build community and develop as athletes and human beings. With 127 players enrolled, including expansion into the high school and elementary age groups, this year is shaping up to be one of the biggest yet!

Grateful for our amazing GGG Coaching staff!

Outside of the weekly games and practices, Jamestown Sports Director Ariel Esqueda, will host personal development workshops focusing on the specific needs of each team. Past workshops have included college prep courses, healthy living seminars and restorative justice classes rooted in developing positive cultural identity for Black and Latinx youth. 

The workshops build off the program’s youth development framework and are tailored to address the direct needs of the participants. Jamestown understands that not every youth receives the same type of intentional and focused instruction in their everyday academic lives. By creating and cultivating programs like Girls Got Goals, we are able to engage students in a more intimate space, allowing us to build interpersonal relationships that strengthen our families and communities. 

Jamestown Hosts "Keeping The Promise" Event With MEDA

In celebration of Mission Promise Neighborhood’s (MPN) two-year $6 million extension grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Jamestown hosted a community event at Buena Vista Horace with keynote speeches from House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Supervisor Hillary Ronen and School Board Commissioner Mark Sanchez.

These civic leaders discussed the important work of MPN and how the collective of agencies are impacting the lives of students and families in the Mission District. The extension grant allows the program to expand from five to nine schools in total, including our Beacon Sites at Cesar Chavez Elementary, James Lick Middle School and Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8.

A number of partnering organizations were on site as part of a resource fair for families to become more acquainted with the scope and work of MPN. Members from Urban Soccer Park were also in attendance to witness the ribbon cutting of the soccer field they donated to the school earlier this year.

It was a big day for the Mission District Community and a testament to how collective, wrap-around services addressing economic, social and educational inequality can effectively improve the lives of those most in need.

Jamestown Celebrates Latino Hispanic Heritage Month with the Cast of ON YOUR FEET!

Jamestown brought in Latino Hispanic Heritage Month in epic fashion with SHN Golden Gate Theater and the cast of the ON YOUR FEET! the Broadway musical inspired by the life and music of Gloria Estefan. The cast made a special appearance at our Chavez Elementary School Beacon Site, taking questions from the students and leading them in a conga dance lesson with help from Loco Bloco student performers.

Students, teachers and cast members were all smiles as they danced along to the rhythms of Gloria Estefan. The sun was shining down on the Mission District that morning, as past, present and future generations of Latino leaders came together in a moment of joyous celebration.

As part of the festivities, SHN donated $5,000 each to Cesar Chavez Elementary School and Jamestown in support of Latino youth in the performing arts. In addition, 175 students and their families received complimentary tickets to a performance of ON YOUR FEET! where Loco Bloco welcomed early theatergoers with a performance in the Golden Gate Theater mezzanine. Our own Arts Education Director Pedro Gomez gave opening remarks discussing the importance of Latino representation in the arts and the trailblazing work of Gloria Estefan.

Cesar Chavez Elementary School students and families also received a special video message from Gloria Estefan herself (check it out, below!). Jamestown is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to partner with these amazing artists and organizations to continue fighting for Latino communities in the Mission District and across the globe.