Jamestown Builds a Pipeline of Leadership from Within Through Teen Workforce Program

"Jamestown is my home. I am Jamestown and Jamestown is me.”

One of the things that makes Jamestown programming so unique and successful is our ability to join our youth on every step of their academic and personal development journeys. We have countless youth who joined our programs as elementary school students and went on to work with our Youth Workforce summer camps and eventually become Jamestown staff.

Gibran Gonzalez is just one of the many young people who entered our doors as a student and then became a valuable member of the Jamestown leadership. In his current role as Youth Workforce Manager, Gibran coordinates high school employees, who not only receive valuable work experience and compensation but also a mentor from their community who can connect with them on a personal level.

During the lockdown stage of the pandemic, Gibran and his team had ears, hands and hearts on the ground, providing families with meals and other important resources needed to sustain their livelihood during these uncertain times. Gibran texted his students regularly to gain info about how he could support families, including mental health check-ins.

Give today and help Jamestown continue developing young leaders in our Mission District community. So far we’ve raised $120,000, let’s keep the support going! Thanks for supporting our work over the years!

To hear more about Gibran’s Jamestown journey, check out his interview below.

Q: What’s an important lesson you learned from Jamestown youth?

A: That every generation keeps getting smarter. These kids are teaching me things week in and week out.

Q: What is your fondest Jamestown memory?

A: My fondest Jamestown memory was the program I was in as a teen. I got the chance to have a place to be me, where I was surrounded by people who were like me, all in the same space. More significantly, I had mentors who had similar life experiences as me at some point in their life. Having a space to go to after school is really important.

Q: What do you want your Jamestown legacy to be?

A: I have said it since I was 15 -- I want to be the Executive Director later on in life. I know that I will have big shoes to fill as the directors before me are people I look up to. I want people to know no matter how bad you had it growing up, you can still be someone that can help others.

Jamestown Work Receives Community Honors For Continued Excellence

It’s been a busy beginning to the school year for all of us at Jamestown. Between continuing in-person learning at our Beacon Center School sites and launching some exciting initiatives, we’ve been working hard to ensure we are meeting the needs of our Mission District youth and community. With so much going on, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate our programs staff being recognized by pivotal city leaders and institutions. 

Recently, on top of clinching the National League West Division (take that Dodgers!), the San Francisco Giants organization honored our Chavez Elementary Program Manager Diana Diaz, for the latest installment of their City Connect series, spotlighting young people making a difference in their communities. Diaz has been a key member of our Chavez team, who began as an art instructor and is now serving in a key leadership role. Her professional and personal growth is a shining example of how Jamestown invests in developing leadership from within.

Be sure to learn more about Diana’s journey on the Giants City Connect blog. You can also support her work directly by purchasing art from her website!

While Diaz and her family were lighting up the jumbotron at Oracle Park, our Loco Bloco artivists were being honored at the opening of the San Francisco Symphony’s 2021-2022 performance season. Loco Bloco was selected as this year’s recipient of the Ellen Magnin Newman Award, which celebrates outstanding community-based arts organizations who strengthen the Bay Area’s cultural fabric, serves vulnerable families and individuals, and creates a more just and equitable society for everyone who lives here.

Since our merger back in 2018, Jamestown has been proud to help carry on the legacy of Loco Bloco and support their work creating a space for Afro-Latino artistic traditions to continue thriving within our community. Be sure to join the Jamestown Loco Bloco familia as well as other local artivists for our annual ReclaMisión Dia de Muertos community celebration, November 2nd at our Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 Beacon Center or November 7th at Hummingbird Farms in the Excelsior District. Come see why Loco Bloco has become such an honored cultural fixture within the San Francisco arts community!

Jamestown Continues To Meet Community Needs During Pandemic

Familia, we all know this past year has been challenging beyond measure. Our world and our communities have dealt with an incredible amount of hardship. Despite these setbacks, we have seen the Mission District rise up in the face of adversity and work together to meet our collective needs.  At Jamestown, we have been busy keeping our students engaged throughout the pandemic through virtual learning and other family support programs.

As we return to in-person learning at our Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 (BVHM) and Longfellow program sites, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on all the powerful work our talented staff has been able to accomplish during this pandemic. Below are just a few examples of how Jamestown has been able to effectively address the needs of our community:

Community Hubs

• In person learning for our most vulnerable youth:  Community Learning Hubs alongside the San Francisco Department of Health have been highlighted in  the Wall Street Journal and KQED. Our Community Learning Hubs have provided our most vulnerable students with in-person learning opportunities, in a safe and healthy environment.

• Meaningful Collaborations: We have also fostered meaningful collaborations between our dedicated staff members on site and partnering agencies who allow us to continue providing high quality programming for our Mission District familia.

Family support+ relief funds

• Weekly food boxes: In addition to providing quality programming we have worked diligently to distribute 180 food boxes weekly to our Mission District families.

• Relief funds: Over 125 Jamestown families have received financial relief funds totaling $113,000. We saw the economic impact of the pandemic and are working continuously to ensure families receive the help they need. 

Celebrating + Honoring our Community (from afar)

• Black History Month- Our team at James Lick Middle School was able to rally and put together an incredible virtual Black History Month celebration in conjunction with Mayor London Breed’s office. 

Youth Social Justice + Cultural Pride- As part of Telemundo’s tribute to Afro-Latinxs in the Bay Area, our Office Manager and Samba star, Salma, was profiled for a feature about Jamestown’s focus on youth social justice and cultural pride! We also want to acknowledge Selma's Dance Instructor and Fogo na Roupa’s Artistic Director Metzi Henriquez who has helped in the development of many women of color in the Mission District.

These are just a few of the highlights from the past few months. As schools begin to slowly reopen and with summer programs on the horizon, we look forward to navigating the new reality in community with our Mission District students and families. We know the transition back to in-person learning will have its challenges and we are prepared for whatever lies ahead. We are still here, we are still fighting and we are still working to create a more equitable and compassionate world. Stay tuned for more updates, our work is far from over. Huge thank you to all our supporters in the community who allow us to continue our work.

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. 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.

My Jamestown Journey

My name is Teya Hernandez, I am a 16-year old High School student at Immaculate Conception Academy and will be a Junior this upcoming school year. As a longtime participant in Jamestown programming, I wanted to share my experience on how it has helped shape me into the person I am today.

My journey at Jamestown began before I was even able to enroll in their after school program at Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8. My older sister was in Jamestown, so I occasionally went to the family events and showcases the organization hosted. As I transitioned into 6th grade, I was excited because I knew I was going to be part of the same fun activities my sister enjoyed during her middle school days. 

At Jamestown, it was really comforting to know I had a place to go and be productive, once school was done. The staff always set homework goals for us and created a safe space for us to hang out and be ourselves. Jamestown after school wasn’t only a fun, safe, and organized place for me to do my homework but really more like a second home. The program staff there helped me tap into my potential as a student.

During my time in Jamestown, I was also able to unlock my athletic potential through Girls Got Goals. My Coach Memo taught me not only everything I know about soccer but valuable lessons like: “You’re a student-athlete, but student comes first,” and “We may not be the best team but we are the hardest working team.”

I believe we were able to successfully secure two championships back to back because of the teamwork and trust we built over time. Looking back at my clumsy 6th-grade self to where I am now, I can definitely say I’ve improved a lot throughout middle school and have continued that momentum into high school. 

Another great activity I was able to participate in was “Tree House.”  There I was able to bond and become closer with my friends through different mental and emotional health exercises such as mindful breathing and meditation. 

Even when school was not in session, I always had Summer Voyage with Jamestown to look forward to. From everyday field trips to the big camping trip, and to the end of summer barbeque. Some of my best memories were made during my time in Summer Voyage. 

After three years with Jamestown, my middle school graduation arrived and I thought my journey in Jamestown was coming to an end. Luckily, during my freshman year of high school, I was able to participate in the Youth In Charge (YIC) teen program. Here, I was able to learn more about a community issue I was passionate about, alcohol justice, and addiction. 

Through YIC, I was able to encounter a wealth of experiences, including a meeting with the mayor, visiting the dome at city hall, meeting community leaders, going to a Giants game to talk with their alcohol and beverage vendors about their policies and safety measures to protect fans and prevent alcohol-related injuries, all while building relationships with other cool youth. In addition to these amazing enrichment experiences, I was also able to join an alcohol awareness coalition funded by the San Francisco Department of Public Health, to further advocate against youth alcoholism and create social media campaigns around this subject matter.

Currently, I am working this summer for the Jamestown Development and Marketing Department, helping to create content for their digital platforms. I have come a long way and will forever feel like a Jamestown kid. Special shout out to all the staff that has helped and watched me grow over the years, you know who you are. 

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!

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.

Visit the GoFundMe Page and Give Today

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. 

Presenting Loco Bloco's Carnaval 2020 Theme: From Roots to Reincarnation

Through our artistic expression, we will create:

An embodiment of the ancestral traditions & wisdom living in the land & carried in our spirit

An act of community healing from our ancestral trauma as our scars evolve into adornments of empowerment
A reclaiming of our strength, power & voice as we transform our vision for our collective future

Join us March 7th at Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 School for our Spring Resource and Carnaval Registration Fair 11am - 2pm. If you want to get involved before this, join us every Monday at Brava Theater for our Free Community Drum and Dance Classes 5 - 6:15pm. Stay updated on all things Loco Bloco by following on Facebook and Instagram.

Executive Director Myrna Melgar to Pursue New Leadership Role

After six powerful years as Jamestown's Executive Director, Myrna Melgar will be transitioning out of her position to run for the City of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors' open seat in District 7 in November of this year.

Under her leadership, Jamestown grew tremendously to now serve nearly 4,000 youth and families annually. During Myrna’s tenure, the organization also doubled its funding, merged with Loco Bloco (another youth-serving Mission District organization), expanded programs and purchased office space in the Mission District. Jamestown is strong, stable and poised to continue providing low income youth with high quality educational opportunities that build inter-generational leadership within the community. 

While she will be stepping down in June from her official leadership role at Jamestown, Myrna plans to stay involved and continue supporting this community with the same passion she has always carried. The Board of Directors will conduct an open recruitment for the new Executive Director, and during the transition, Jamestown's Deputy Director, Nelly Sapinski, will assume Interim Director duties. 

Nelly has served as Deputy Director for five years, and previously led the out-of-school division for Reading Partners and Santa Clara County Catholic Charities. Nelly grew up in Tijuana, Mexico and holds a Master's Degree in Education from Harvard University. She is a certified bilingual teacher and reading recovery specialist, who has built Jamestown’s program design and evaluation systems throughout her time with the organization. 

Jamestown appreciates all the support from our extended familia of youth, families, partners and funders as we continue to serve our community during this transitional phase. Our focus remains on our work and mission of helping young people and their families realize their full potential to become powerful and healthy members of society.

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.

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!

Girls Got Goals Kicks Off Season Play!

After spending last semester training under the tutelage of a dedicated coaching staff, our Girls Got Goals participants are ready to hit the pitch!

The 15th season of the Girls Got Goals league is underway for 85 girls from across the city. This year, Willie Brown Middle School will join five other middle schools in league play as both a participant and host site for games along with Everett Middle School.

With women accounting for 70% of team leadership, Girls Got Goals continues its work as a nurturing, uplifting space for young ladies to learn a new sport and develop the social and life skills necessary to become leaders in their community. Aside from regular league matches, Girls Got Goals will also host four workshops throughout the season under the guidance of Jamestown Sports Director Ariel Esqueda.

The workshops build off the program’s youth development framework and touches on subjects such as team building, healthy habits and self confidence. Another addition to this year’s programming will be the End of Season Award Ceremony. Awards will include individual recognitions such as Golden Boot (most goals scored) and honors for Sports(wo)manship and teamwork.

This year is shaping to be memorable one for Girls Got Goals, especially with the Elementary School division kicking off soon! For a full schedule of the Girls Got Goals League, check out the link here.