Join The Mission and Support Jamestown

This past year has been groundbreaking for Jamestown, we hope you have enjoyed following the journey and growth on our Futuros Sin Fronteras blog. We have completed the merger with Loco Bloco, expanded our programming to serve nearly 4,000 youth and their families, and purchased space in the building we occupy at the Historic Centro Social Obrero. Our organization is stronger and more sustainable, poised to continue providing opportunity to kids, and helping them succeed.

At Jamestown, long-term engagement and deep relationships based on trust are the secret to our magic. This magic is the underpinning of the success of our youth, and what makes our programming special. We strive to serve youth and their families for as long as they need us -- providing crucial programs and supports to accompany them into adulthood. 

Martín Herrera Pazmino embodies the core values and mission of Jamestown. Currently a World History Teacher at John O’Connell High School in the Mission, Martín grew up in the community, attending public schools in the neighborhood, supported by the enrichment programs at Jamestown and Loco Bloco. A budding artist, he picked up his first drum at age 3 in a Loco Bloco class. Martín also attended Cesar Chavez Elementary School, where he participated in Jamestown’s afterschool program. 

Through his participation in Loco Bloco, Martín was able to hone his artistic skills and was accepted to the San Francisco School of the Arts for High School. While at SOTA, Martín worked as a youth apprentice at Jamestown, which taught him valuable workforce skills, opening the doors to a career in education. Working as a youth apprentice also provided Martín with income – a crucial component for our youth who are often overlooked by traditional college and career support programs. 

Every summer while he attended Sonoma State University, Martín came back to San Francisco and taught valuable skills to younger neighborhood kids in Jamestown’s summer programs. Martín credits his participation in Jamestown and Loco Bloco and his parents, Betty and Francisco, for his deep commitment to social justice and the Latino community in the Mission. It is where he grew as a leader, an artist and an educator.  

Jamestown’s comprehensive educational supports include academics, arts, sports, leadership development, and social emotional skill building delivered with cultural competence by our highly trained staff. Our work embodies education justice for low income youth: opening the doors to high quality educational opportunities regardless of their family’s ability to pay for it.

We consider all of our readers part of the Jamestown familia, and invite you all to donate and help us continue growing in our work during this holiday season. This will be our final blog post for the year, we hope you have enjoyed reading about all of our accomplishments and will continue following our progress into the new decade and beyond! Thank you for believing in our Mission, see you in 2020.

Jamestown: Reclaiming Space and Culture in The Mission

After months of planning and working behind the scenes, The Jamestown Community Center is excited to announce that along with a consortium of other community organizations, we have purchased part of the equity in the building that houses our administrative offices on the corner of Alabama and 19th Street. Thanks to a generous contribution from Mayor London Breed’s Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative, Jamestown is officially a homeowner in The Mission! 

To honor this triumphant reclamation of space, we want to invite all community members to celebrate and take a tour at our open house, Planting Roots: Reclaiming Community (Sembrando Raices: Reclamando Communidad) on November 20th (event details to come!).

While this relocation to a bigger and better space is certainly a win for the organization, we also see it as a victory for the community as a whole. The struggle to keep the spirit of the Mission District alive has been an uphill one. Between the rapid gentrification and displacement of community members, as well as the closing of many longtime businesses, often times we can feel like strangers in our own neighborhood. Despite the obstacles, Jamestown remains steadfast and committed to holding space and celebrating longtime community traditions with our gente.

Photo by Carla Hernandez Ramirez

One of these traditions, the Loco Bloco Blocura gala, will be making a triumphant return this year! After taking a brief hiatus, we are proud to bring back Blocura on October 18th at Patio Español. The event will include live performances from the Loco Bloco Ensemble and an art auction featuring work from some of the Mission District’s premier visual artists.

All of the funds raised will go directly to support Loco Bloco arts programming, which includes teaching artists’ salaries, music and art supplies and development for young adults involved in the Teaching Artists in Training program. You can support the work of our amazing artivists, by purchasing a ticket or becoming a sponsor today. 

“It was really important for us to make sure we made Blocura happen this year,” said Annie Jupiter-Jones, Deputy Director of Arts and Community. “This event is all about celebrating with our community; we’re looking forward to dancing the night away with our supporters both old and new.”

On the heels of Blocura, Jamestown along with other community partners will host the third edition of ReclaMisión in honor of Dia de Los Muertos. As in years past, this event will feature local artists, musicians and community organizations collaborating on a creative exposition of this timeless cultural tradition. The celebration of ReclaMisión allows us the opportunity to celebrate our culture alongside our people in a grand display for all to see, hear and feel. 

We work with artists of all disciplines and bring them together for a one-of-a-kind experience of cultural expression that keeps us connected with our heritage, while instilling in our young people a sense of pride and tradition that at times can feel far off given the current political landscape. ReclaMisión holds sacred space for us to remember our history and be active participants in creating it.

Events like Blocura and ReclaMision are critical to continue fostering community and creating a safe space to celebrate our cultural traditions together as a Mission familia. We will not lose touch, we will not lose hope, and we will continue working on behalf of our people for a better tomorrow.

New Home, New Beginnings for Jamestown

On March 1st, 2019, Jamestown Community Center officially relocated offices to 2929 19th Street. Nestled between Alabama St and Florida St on 19th Street, a sign stands out on the front of the colossal building:

“Centro Social Obrero - Unidos Venceremos,” “Laborer Center- United we will win,”

Inside, the vast new space has meeting rooms, a kitchen area, and an open work space, surrounded by large windows expanding almost from floor to ceiling.

The new space is a huge improvement compared to the previous small office location in a Victorian building on 26th Street. Team members, such as Office Manager Katie Garcia, are excited about the new office.

“It’s amazing,” said Garcia. “Our organization is expanding, and so we needed something bigger. The community feels like we and the organizations we work with support them.”

With the expansion of our programs (such as the recent Loco Bloco merger and the new Beacon sites), the new location allows Jamestown, who is recognized for working with partner organizations, to continue to grow and solidify as a pillar in the community.

Our new home also holds historic roots that aligns with our mission for education, growth and social justice. In 2016, the building was dedicated and named The Rosario Anaya Education Center / El Centro Educacional de Rosario Anaya, honoring the distinguished Rosario Anaya. Among many achievements in her life as an education advocate, such as being the first Latin American woman elected to public office in the City’s history, Anaya was also the MLVS Executive Director from 1973-2015.

The environment of unity and support created in Jamestown goes beyond our own staff and four walls. The new office location also houses other nonprofits, all partners of Jamestown; Instituto Familiar de la Raza’s Roadmap to Peace, Mission Language Vocational School (MLVS), and Five Keys.

“(The space) is more welcoming for families, meetings, registration fairs, and family activities,” said Human Resources and Operations Manager Santiago Lopez, who has been with Jamestown for 8 years. “The staff (is) not divided by walls.”

The new work space is intentionally mapped to promote Jamestown’s work and mission inside and outside. Having access to the talent of a full culinary school certainly sweetens the spot as well. Melgar says that MLVS culinary school hosts “the BEST Friday lunches. Everyone in Mission comes.” The organizations and community are continuously coming together in this new space to support each other in various ways.

All of Jamestown looks forward to what the future holds for us in the new office space. We look forward to seeing you in our new, bright, beautiful offices!

Mayor London Breed Visits BVHM

Jamestown Community Center had the honor of hosting San Francisco Mayor London Breed for our Soar with Reading event at Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8. Mayor Breed took time out of her busy schedule to address the youth and read an excerpt from Holly Anna’s Daisy Dreamer and the Totally True Imaginary Friend.

The students were ecstatic to meet the mayor and even presented her with letters addressing their gratitude and what they want to see in their city. Beyond the reading and presentation, students also received free books and book bags compliments of Jet Blue Airlines, who worked in collaboration with other community partners to make this a event a huge success. Jamestown is grateful for everyone involved and looks forward to hosting more community events at our Beacon Sites this year.