Jamestown Stories
Jamestown Programmatic Update Fall 2020
Jamestown Community Center is pleased to share our top priorities for the 2020-21 school year. With the implementation of online learning at all San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are focused on the well being and academic growth of our students during this challenging time.
Jamestown Community Center is pleased to share our top priorities for the 2020-21 school year. With the implementation of online learning at all San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are focused on the well being and academic growth of our students during this challenging time. In the past few months we have been diligently working to serve our families and ensure all of their needs are met. These are just some of the initiatives we have been implementing:
Cesar Chavez Elementary students show off their art.
Over the summer, we supported 126 families with income relief through the Cesar Chavez Go Fund Me campaign and the San Francisco Family Relief Fund.
Through our affiliation with the Latino Task Force we have been supporting food distribution, sharing informational resources and COVID-19 test sites in the Mission and Excelsior districts as we face unprecedented crises related to the pandemic.
We are collaborating with school sites to connect students to internet access and devices, while also providing school day support working with teachers, tutors, and students to continue to improve literacy and social-emotional development.
With the cancellation of Fall soccer, the Sports team has been working diligently to provide quality programming based on the needs and interest of the families and coaching staff. The sports team will be piloting one OST (Out of School Time) pod of approximately 14 youth in the Mission District focusing on physical activity and individual soccer development. The pilot program will be observed closely and follow the safety guidelines set forth by the SF Dept. of Public Health. In addition, Metas Para Atletas - a virtual training program that consist of weekly challenges that allow youth to learn new exercises, stay active and build soccer skills in the comfort of their homes will relaunch next month.
Starting September 14th we will be hosting a Community Education Hub in collaboration with 826 Valencia and DCYF to serve 12 of our most vulnerable students, so they can maintain a healthy level of learning.
Strengthening Families Program (SFP) begins this fall. This is a 14-week program where youth and their guardians will learn about communication, listening, respect, setting expectations, and personal responsibility as tools to build healthier family dynamics. All SFP facilitators attend Trauma-Informed Systems trainings funded and led by the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
Loco Bloco will begin to deliver quality virtual Afro-Latino dance and drumming and stilt walking instruction to encourage our primarily Latinx students, to discover the connections, history, and politics behind the art they practice and strengthen their sense of identity and cultural pride. In addition, a team of Loco Bloco artists are currently working with the Zoo Labs artist accelerator program to craft a musical project and accompanying visuals to engage and celebrate the historic LB community in a new and profound way.
Please consider giving to Jamestown and help us continue our important work. We thank you for your continued love and support.
Support Mission Immigrant Youth and Families In Crisis
Many residents of San Francisco know Cesar Chavez Elementary School for the beautiful murals depicting its' namesake, activist Cesar Chavez, along with other multicultural themes representing the entire community, such as the ASL alphabet mural on the Shotwell Street side of the building to represent Deaf and Hard of Hearing students and families. Chavez is an integral party of our Latinx Cultural District community.
It has become the center of food distribution, COVID-19 testing and community outreach during this crisis. Many families from the Chavez community have also gone out of their way to volunteer in these efforts, serving 478 families from all over the Bay Area, many of whom reside in the Mission District neighborhood.
Due to the Shelter-In-Place order across our city and state, the families of Cesar Chavez Elementary have been through severe economic strain. Not only that, but 90% of the people who have tested positive for COVID-19 were those who needed to leave their home to work. 95% of these individuals identified as being of Latinx heritage.
The Jamestown Community Center is hosting this fundraiser for the Chavez families in need of financial support at this time. The money we fundraise will go directly to those who have been impacted and have the highest need, primarily undocumented, unemployed, or homeless families.
In particular this fund will support our families who do not have access to unemployment benefits and will not receive a stimulus check to help them through this pandemic. Multiple families will be supported through $500 Visa Gift Cards that can be used towards paying for essential items such as groceries and toiletries.
The Mission District is the heart of San Francisco. It’s where we gather for big wins, nights out, great food, and cultural events like Dia de los Muertos and Carnaval. The Mission is beautiful and vibrant because of the richness of art and culture that come from the unique Latinx heritage and cultures of its' residents.
The families of Cesar Chavez play a big part in making this neighborhood run and contribute to its' vitality. The Mission District gives us so much. We need to show our support, love and appreciation for the families that make The Mission like no other place in San Francisco.