Prevention and Family Support Services

Welcome to the PaFSS Department. We offer the following programs:

Strengthening Families Life Skills Training Teen Programs

Jamestown has provided youth and their families with access to high quality, enriching opportunities that have enabled them to thrive. Jamestown believes that if youth are surrounded with supportive relationships, enriching learning opportunities, and are given opportunities to exercise agency and participate in their community, they will grow to be successful adults.

Jamestown places teens, over half of whom are graduates of its K-8 programming, as paid youth staff in its after-school and summer programs. Meaningful work experience is supplemented with financial capability training, family planning counseling, post high school college and career counseling, leadership training and community involvement, and healthy lifestyle coaching. Jamestown has strong evidence that this approach is effective: 100% of YAP & YIC participants graduate from high school and apply to a 2-or 4-year college. By comparison, the SF Unified School District’s graduation rate from high school for Latino students during the 2017-2018 school year was 73.8%.

Teen Programs

Youth Apprenticeship (YAP) Program

YAP students are effective and culturally competent role models for the youth in Jamestown’s programs. Jamestown continues to support the growth of the Youth Apprenticeship Program, which currently trains high school youth as teacher assistants in our After School Programs across all of our sites.

The Youth In Charge (YIC) Program

YIC will be partnering with the SF Department of Public Health: CMCA. Youth In Charge will be trained on Public Health, Community Organizing, College and Career Readiness, Cover Letter & Resume, Financial Capability, Information on Alcohol Justice, Mindfulness, Professionalism, and Facilitation/Project Management.

The Youth Alcohol Prevention Coalition (YAPC) Program

YAPC is funded by the San Francisco Department of Public Health and this coalition is a unique partnership between DPH Population Health and the Children, Youth and Families (CYF) System of Care under Behavioral Health Services.

Watch former YAPster Lizette's story! She graduated from John O'Connell High School in May of 2017, and was a Girls Got Goals assistant coach at Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 School. She is currently on our staff and has been at Jamestown since the 6th grade!

For more information about any of our teen programs, please contact our PaFSS

Youth Workforce Manager, Gibran Gonzalez at gibrang@jamestownsf.org.

Families Program

The Strengthening Families Program (SFP)

SFP is a group-based program that aims at improving communication, problem solving, and strengthening the overall bonding within the family unit. Parents will receive support in implementing effective discipline, developing healthier routines, how to effectively support children in their day to day life at school and with their peers, improve communication skills, and in creating healthier relationships with children while decreasing parental stress. The program teaches emotional self regulation, improves communication skills and relationships with parents and peers, increasing youth peer refusal skills, and reduces the likelihood of future intentions of underage alcohol and drug use.

Americoprs VISTA programs supports Jamestown better meet the needs of low income families and English Language Learners, by having our Volunteer AVP Organizer recruit and better serve parents in our programs as they exercise leadership in public schools and communities where they live and their children attend school.

For more information about any of our Families programs, please contact our

Prevention and Family Support Services Manager - Heidi Herrera, HeidiH@Jamestownsf.org

Life Skills Training

A substance abuse and violence prevention program for 5th and 6th graders through DPH, Department Public Health, based on more than 35 years of rigorous scientific research. Proven to be the most effective evidence-based program used in schools today. Developmentally designed to promote positive youth development. In addition to helping kids resist drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, the Life Skills Training Middle School program also effectively supports the reduction of violence and other high-risk behaviors.