SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — A San Francisco high school student who saw a great need in her Chinatown community during a time of distance learning has launched a tutoring center to help struggling students.

Ella English came up with the idea during the height of the pandemic when she was just 15 years old.

The now 17-year-old incoming senior at Lick-Wilmerding High School is spending her summer running a free, fully fledged youth camp.

It was opened with just five students.

“A lot of them are first-generation. Their parents were immigrants and, actually, a lot of them are immigrants themselves,” English explained. “So we have special groups for them where tutors come in and they can speak Chinese and we make sure they can speak Cantonese or Mandarin so they can have that bilingual teaching lesson with them.”

English originally brought her idea to the non-profit Charity Cultural Services Center (CCSC) on Commerical Street. She recruited a few friends to help tutor and, once word spread about the free services, the students kept coming.

“I like to read. There are a bunch of books over there in the back and I like to draw,” said 9-year-old Cindy Pang.

“I like that you can learn things and I like that there are fun activities to do,” said 9-year-old Leqi Li.

Today, two years into the program, there are nearly 150 students and 50 tutors and counselors.

The San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and their Families took notice last year and provided funding to help pay tutors and expand its capacity through the Summer Together Initiative. The program also partners with the San Francisco Public Library.

“I started at 15. It seems really difficult in the world just for young adults to get involved — teenagers to get involved with problems and solve problems and just work to solve problems that they see in the world,” English said. “So I think it’s taught me that if I see an issue and I’m passionate about an issue I can dive right in. I should dive right in.”

English says her inspiration comes from her mother, a Chinese refugee who fled Vietnam. She had a hard time learning the language and assimilating when she arrived in San Francisco’s Chinatown, much like many of these students.

“I think their parents are really busy. They work a lot and supporting a family as an immigrant can be really challenging,” English said. “My mom tells me about her experiences and her parents experiences and how she definitely didn’t have opportunities like this when she immigrated. She kind of just sat at home.”

CCSC made contact with the Wah Ying Social Club building owner across the street when the tutoring center started to grow. The owner provided space at no cost when it’s not in use by the Chung Ngai Dance Troup and International Wing Tsun Association North America.

“We have a dire need, especially the pandemic have heightened the need of the community. Distance-learning, as we can see, affects more low-income families — more than the people that otherwise have resources,” said Ashley Cheng, executive director of Charity Cultural Services Center. “So proud of the growth that we’ve been able to see and the impact we’ve made in the community.”

The program runs year-round. The center is always looking for more tutors to serve the growing number of students.

“If I could say one thing I’m most proud of is just the impact we’ve had on the kids,” English said. “They come to camp just beginning to see their counselors, beginning to start their lessons. They go home not wanting to leave.”

Betty Yu

Betty Yu joined KPIX 5 in November 2013 as a general assignment reporter. She spent two years at WTVJ, the NBC-owned station in Miami, as a reporter before moving to San Francisco.

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SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco Bay Area has the highest rates of commercially sexually exploited youth in the United States, according to the FBI, and about 98% identified were involved with the child welfare system.

Not only that, but according to a 2017 report, data from 22 agencies serving trafficking survivors in San Francisco, housing and shelter were among the top service gaps reported for youth ages 10-17.

And in fact, researchers have found that key barriers to housing include a lack of available beds, a lack of specialized support services at shelters and short-term residential care or group homes, restrictive policies that prohibit youth from returning to shelters, a lack of adults who are willing to care for older youth, and lack of adults who have the knowledge, training, and skills to support youth who have experienced complex trauma.

So, the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women partnered with the UC Berkeley Human Rights Center, Freedom Forward, Family Builders, Huckleberry Youth Programs, and West Coast Children’s Clinic to create a family-based foster care pilot for these children.

That’s why the program, called Family and Me, or FAM, is seeking foster care parents.

Interested caregivers can visit joinfam.org to learn more about the program.

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At the Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance meeting, the supervisors on the committee voted in favor of moving forward with the shelter at 711 Polk Street. The proposal will now go to the full Board of Supervisors for a final vote.

Several members of the Lower Nob Hill Neighborhood Alliance — a group that formed to push back against the proposal — called in to the meeting to voice their opposition to the shelter.

“We are worried it’s going to fail, and it’s going to fail all over our streets,” Susan Walsh, who has lived in the neighborhood since 2014, told ABC7 News.

RELATED: ‘Look around’: Advocates for South Bay’s unhoused residents concerned about delay of homeless count

Walsh said there are already several other homeless shelters in their district, including many in the vicinity around 711 Polk Street, and that the Lower Nob Hill neighborhood is unfairly impacted.

If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

“At some point we have to say, wait a minute, there’s a whole big city here,” Walsh explained. “And we don’t see these kinds of facilities popping up like in lower Nob Hill.”

If approved, the homeless shelter would have a maximum capacity of roughly 250 people and would be run by the nonprofit, Urban Alchemy. Supporters say a former youth hostel is an ideal space for a shelter since it’s already set up for communal living.

“I would urge us not to lose sight of the scale of this homeless population,” said one neighbor who called in support of the proposal. “We need shelter and support for people in this community who we’re currently failing. And delaying is a pretty shameful failing.”

RELATED: Has SF hit rock bottom? Former mayor says city’s ‘humanitarian’ ethic is to blame for recent issues

District 6 supervisor Matt Haney is among those in favor of the proposal.

“Shelter and transitional housing are solutions to homelessness and right now we don’t have enough spots for people,” he said at the meeting.

District 3 supervisor Aaron Peskin, who represents the Lower Nob Hill area, joined the meeting on Wednesday even though he is not on the Budget and Finance Committee. He asked his fellow supervisors to delay a vote until some of the concerns can be further investigated and addressed.

“I think it’s critical if we are going to succeed in this case to address the crisis of homelessness on our streets, that the city has to perform superlatively,” Peskin said. “And if we don’t, it is going to make location of these types of facilities in other parts of the city much more difficult.”

The committee chose not to delay and voted to move forward with the plan. A city spokesperson for the proposal said Urban Alchemy will ensure there is an onsite case manager 24 hours a day. The shelter will also start at 150 people and scale up slowly over time.

RELATED: Oakland opens new tiny home village near Lake Merritt for the city’s unhoused

Walsh said she feels her neighborhood is becoming an extension of the Tenderloin. Despite some of their concerns being addressed, she’s concerned another shelter of any kind could make it worse.

“The other day there was a woman walking outside our apartment naked, just naked,” Walsh described. “There were people across the street having sex in the middle of the day and openly selling drugs.”

“That’s how our neighborhood is changing,” she continued. “That didn’t happen. This is all new.”

Copyright © 2022 KGO-TV. All rights reserved.

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SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – My journey to understanding the homeless problem in San Francisco took me to Fisherman’s Wharf – where I found a young man sniffing the sidewalk with a stuffed animal under his arm.

His name is Cory Harris. He is 25 years old.

“I’m from San Diego, but the coronavirus and cleanup have just moved away.”

I asked him how long he’s been homeless. He pretty much tells me his whole life.

“Just a shame … moving from house to house, no real parents who could take care of it.”

At some point he was a foster child.

But now: “I sleep outside … I have a sheet.”

I asked if he was trying to get any services … any help.

A closer look at the homeless crisis in San Francisco

“I tried, but they didn’t really want to help me, they refused me.”

Cory says the last place he went for help was on Larkin Street Youth Services.

So I decided to go next and find out why it didn’t work out with Cory.

It turns out that it might be because he’s just a bit too old to qualify for her help.

They let me and my camera in one of their shelters on Ellis Street on the edge of the Tenderloin known as the Lark Inn.

This is reserved for young people between the ages of 18 and 24.

Those who qualify will receive welcome kits of toiletries and linens.

Once inside, colorful murals with uplifting messages greet you.

While a sunny landscape cheers this hallway, the actual bedrooms are a bit bleak.

There are cement floors, replacement furniture, plastic bins, and metal lockers for storing items.

Some beds are currently not sleeping because they are only half full due to the pandemic.

“My experience is that it’s a place where you can lay your head at night when you have nothing else.”

This firsthand perspective is from Dale Jones, a resident of the Lark Inn.

I met the 22-year-old, originally from Contra Costa County, while he was at the Youth Services Access Point on Larkin Street on Golden Gate Avenue.

Dale didn’t want to go into details about how he got homeless in San Francisco, but rather described what his life was like before he found a place at the shelter.

“Couch surfing, house-to-house bouncing in the year before I came here, I lived with seven different family members, a couple of different houses in a hotel, a couple of times on an Airbnb.”

Now he tells me that he is making optimal use of the resources available to him and that he reports to his clerk here once a week.

“I’m already on the waiting list for basically cheaper apartments that will help me pay, so just go through it.”

The access side vibe is more of a college student cafe than a bureaucrat’s waiting room.

Even 12-year-olds can stop by here and have warm meals.

You have access to laundry and showers, a wardrobe and toiletries.

Below are resources to get a GED, college financial aid, or job search help.

Dale is now enrolled in a job program hoping to work as a security guard and then enroll in college.

He likes knowing that he can visit this place every day.

“At least I know they let me work Monday through Friday. At the moment I have a set program, before which I was literally from house to house, from couch to couch, day after day. “

Larkin Street Youth Services says the work to end young people’s homelessness is rare, brief and one-time.

Sherilyn Adams is the executive director.

“We know that around 50% of people over the age of 18 who are homeless had their first experience between the ages of 18 and 25, right? So we know the faster we intervene to prevent chronic homelessness. The other bit is, the longer you are outside, the more damaging it is to your health and wellbeing. “

While at the access point, I met a familiar face.

“What’s the matter with you since I last saw you? Just to survive. “

Cory was there to shower and get something to eat.

However, the 25-year-old will probably find it more difficult to find a place to sleep than it was a year ago.

“We don’t have a great system in San Francisco for the 25-35 year olds in general. Because the age range of people who are homeless is 70, 75 … and we prioritize people based on how long they have been homeless.

“And it is sometimes very difficult for people who are newly homeless and live in this way from 25 to 35 years.”

Meanwhile, Cory continues to try to get the help he needs.

“I’ve looked around [for housing]… no luck yet. “

Larkin Street Youth Services would not confirm whether they would assist Cory in finding help, but said they are able to assist those who join the system before they are 25 and will continue to receive after they are 25 .

They say they have accommodated over 400 young people so far this year.

KRON4 will continue our efforts to investigate the situation on the streets, but we also need your help. If there’s anything you think we need to see or hear, email OnTheStreets@KRON4.com

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SACRAMENTO (AP) – California is dismantling its state juvenile prisons and shifting responsibility to the counties 162 years after lawmakers created the first alternative to placing children under the age of 12 alongside adults in San Quentin and Folsom state prisons.

Proponents said the move reflected their belief that children who commit crimes can be reformed and better served if kept closer to their homes.

However, proponents and skeptics said there was a lot of uncertainty as the three remaining state lockdowns halt approval on Thursday and close in 2023. Supervision of juvenile offenders will be shifted from the State Corrections Department to the California Health and Human Services Agency.

This change in mindset “has a lot of potential to be much more effective,” said Jessica Heldman, an expert on juvenile justice at the University of San Diego School of Law, “and of course, making communities safer” by addressing the needs of the people Identify and hit juvenile offenders so they can get better.

The state system has an eventful history, which is marked by suicides and brawls by prisoners. The shift to local control is the final step in a lengthy reform effort, partly fueled by class action lawsuits and incentives for counties to keep youth out of the state system.

The first facility for adolescents in need – the San Francisco Industrial School – was established by law in 1859. Two years later, Marysville State Reform School opened for boys ages 8 to 18, 10,000 teenagers.

The number of juvenile offenders has fallen to around 750. About 16% are serving for homicide, 37% for assault, one third for robbery, 9% for rape or other sexual offenses. A disproportionately high 59% are Hispanic and 29% are Black.

Previously, adolescents could be sent to the facilities as young as 12 and in some cases remain until the age of 25, although many will be transferred to adult prison when they are 18. New admissions are now being monitored by 58 probation authorities in the district.

Young people from the age of 14 who could have gone to a state facility earlier can instead be accommodated in “safe youth treatment facilities” in the district at the instruction of the juvenile judge.

That’s a disturbing replica of state lockdowns at the local level, said Meredith Desautels, an attorney at the San Francisco Youth Law Center.

“My biggest concern is that we will actually see teenagers who would never have gone to (government facilities) to spend more time in safe custody than they were before the closure,” she said.

The counties are determined to get the law up and running, said Larry Morse, legislative director of the California District Attorneys Association, but “frankly, the details are still a little opaque and we haven’t really been able to pinpoint exactly how this will play out. “

Prosecutors want to know where teenagers who commit “the most egregious and terrible crimes” are being held and how they are being helped, he said.

District officials fear that smaller districts may have difficulty providing special programs for young people who, for example, commit sex crimes or have serious mental health problems.

The state will send the counties $ 212 million annually to pay for their new responsibilities – about $ 225,000 per youth.

But the California State Association of Counties said the funding formula penalizes districts that rely the most on the state system and therefore need the most help developing local alternatives.

The district’s probation officers, meanwhile, will attempt to strike a balance between reform advocates’ focus on rehabilitation and juvenile judges who, at prosecutor’s request, could send 16- and 17-year-olds to adult detention centers for the most serious crimes.

Approximately 35,000 juvenile offenders are being treated in California’s counties, of whom more than 3,600 are being held in youth homes, camps and ranches. But when juvenile judges have faced the most recalcitrant or restless juveniles in the past, they have had the option of sending them to the state juvenile justice department.

“And then you would have a huge $ 200 million system for that one kid to develop the necessary case plan. That gave the court confidence it didn’t have to go to the adult system, ”said Karen Pank, Chief Probation Officers of California.

With that option gone, officials and lawyers alike are seeking advice from the emerging state youth and community recovery agency.

A consortium of 40 youth advocates recently asked lawmakers to budget $ 30 million for the office – four times what Governor Gavin Newsom last proposed – to ensure better oversight of all juvenile justice, not just juveniles, who previously came into state custody.

“There was mass confusion at the county level with very little state guidance,” said attorney Frankie Guzmán, director of the California Youth Justice Initiative at the National Center for Youth Law.

This has often resulted in probation agencies being at the top by default, while law enforcement agencies are suspicious in the eyes of many proponents, said Guzmán, who spent six years in California juvenile prisons for armed robbery.

Heldman warned that the state cannot simply absolve itself of responsibility for the youth it is now pushing back into the counties.

“This is what I call Pontius Pilate: the state washes its hands on these wards,” said Republican Senator Jim Nielsen, a former state probation officer, during a law change debate this spring.

But Democratic Senator María Elena Durazo promised that her budget subcommittee will oversee an orderly transition “so that all young people stay in our communities, rather than in youth prisons far from the resources and support they need to heal trauma and the course to change “their life.”

“This was a moment of hope,” Durazo said of lawmakers voting for the postponement. “It was also an acknowledgment that we had to get it right and it wasn’t going to be easy.”

© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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On November 3rd and 4th, the Sarasota Youth Opera is presenting a revival of its acclaimed production of Benjamin Britten’s charming opera The Little Sweep, which was last seen in 2013. The opera will be preceded by a prologue specially created for the Sarasota Youth Opera by the conductor and Youth Opera, music director Jesse Martins and director Martha Collins (Rootabaga Country, The Secret World of Og).

The Little Sweep – a moral story with a relevant message for today’s world

Set in early 19th century Boston, The Little Sweep is an enchanting story with a positive message about inclusion and collaboration. The little chimney sweep Sammy is put into service by his impoverished family and bullied by the mean old sweeper. Little Sammy is endangered in his dangerous and dirty work when he is cleaning the chimneys in the home of a wealthy family. In the end, a group of friendly and resourceful children – supported by their young governess – save the day. The opera will be performed in English, with English titles displayed above the stage. The running time including the prologue is approx. 70 minutes and is therefore perfect for families with children.

There are 90 children in the cast of The Little Sweep, with three of the adult roles being played by members of the Sarasota Opera Studio Artist and Apprentice Artist programs. All aspects of production – including lighting, costumes, sets, sets, props, wigs, and makeup – are provided by the professional Sarasota Opera’s staff, giving youth opera members a remarkable opportunity to work with seasoned experts.

The British composer Benjamin Britten wrote the opera especially for children’s voices. The composer devoted himself to the idea of ​​educating young people in the musical arts and in another of his works – The Young People’s Guide to the Orchestra – introduced millions of young audiences to classical music and the distinctive sound of every orchestral instrument.

In addition to the opera, the production includes a prologue that explains how an opera is conceived and produced, as well as supporting content related to The Little Sweep. The audience sees the sets change before their eyes. Every member of Sarasota Youth Opera takes part in this prologue, created by Music Director and Conductor of Youth Opera Jesse Martins and Director of Sarasota Youth Opera, Martha Collins.

Sarasota Opera is proud to partner with Embracing Our Differences to bring students and teachers from Sarasota and Manatee Counties to a special school matinee from The Little Sweep on Monday, November 5th at 10:30 am. Participants are invited to sing along to the last music number of the show. Materials to prepare students for their debut at Sarasota Opera are included in a teaching material handbook distributed to teachers. This special matinee is provided to schools for free (transportation courtesy of Embracing Our Differences & Tickets courtesy of Sarasota Opera).

Benjamin Britten’s little swing

Sung in English with English titles over the stage?

November 3, 2018 at 5.30 p.m. and November 4, 2018 at 12.30 p.m.

A Sarasota Youth Opera production

Ticket information

Family Pack tickets (up to 2 adults and 4 children) are only $ 65 and are available by calling (941) 328-1300 or the Sarasota Opera Box Office at 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236.

Single tickets are $ 15 for children and $ 30 for adults, and can be purchased at sarasotaopera.org and at the Sarasota Opera box office. For more information, contact the box office at (941) 328-1300.

ABOUT THE YOUTH OPERA SARASOTA

Since 1984, Sarasota Youth Opera has given thousands of young people the opportunity to experience opera firsthand by participating in extra-curricular choirs, Sarasota Opera’s main stage productions, summer workshops, and fully staged Youth Opera productions. As the only program in the United States that pledges to present full annual opera productions for young voices willing to include anyone who wants to participate regardless of skill level or ability to pay, Sarasota Youth Opera is a national model for opera education .

Youth opera choirs: From the age of 8, singers are divided into one of two choir levels. Each choir provides a framework for everyone to participate and advance at their own level as they gain greater skills and experience. The selection listed consists of classical music that includes operatic and choral pieces in various languages. The choirs perform in formal concerts and outreach events throughout the community.

Opera’s main stage season: Members of the youth opera are selected to participate in the Sarasota Opera’s winter festival season to perform in the main stage children’s choir, as extras (extras who play non-singing roles) and for special roles by the composer for children’s voices. In the last few seasons these have been roles in La bohème, Tosca, Carmen and – at the coming Winter Festival 2019 – in the Magic Flute and in Turandot. Singers are involved in the entire production process – from early music to dramatic rehearsals and performances with opera professionals.

Youth Opera Productions: Part of Sarasota Opera’s commitment to young people includes commissioning new opera works for children and young adults. Six new works were presented as part of this mission: Deadline (1989), Polly Pens Her Lightness (1993), Tom Sutas Eye of Ra (1998), John Kennedy’s The Language of Birds (2004), Daron Hagens Little Nemo in Slumberland (2012 ) and Rachel J. Peters’ Rootabaga Country (2017). Members are involved in the creation of each opera, complete with professional staging, costumes, lighting, sound, and orchestral accompaniment.

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SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 2, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – The San Francisco Federal Credit Union (SFFedCU) today announced its 2021 Youth Scholarship Program for high school graduates in San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. Three students will each receive $ 2,500 to apply for their college education.

“Part of our mission is to give back to the community. So it’s important for us to invest in our youth members who are tomorrow’s leaders, ”said Jonathan Oliver, President and CEO. SFFedCU promotes financial literacy at a young age. The non-profit organization with 49,000 members has a special youth account program that was launched in cooperation with the city and that helps young people save money for the future.

The youth scholarship program was established to support students who are members of the SFFedCU and are planning to pursue further education in college or vocational school programs. Since its inception in 2007, Credit Union has awarded nearly $ 140,000 in scholarships. Scholarship holders are selected based on academic data, demonstrated leadership skills, attendance at school, community activities, honors, work experience, goal setting, and aspirations. As part of the application process, students are asked to fill out an essay. Financial needs are not taken into account.

For more information and to apply, please visit SanFranciscoFCU.com/2021-youth-scholarship.
All applications and materials must be received by May 28, 2021.

Via the San Francisco Federal Credit Union
The San Francisco Federal Credit Union has served San Francisco since 1954 and is non-profit and member-owned. Anyone living, working, worshiping, or attending school in San Francisco or the San Mateo Counties is eligible. The Federal Credit Union of San Francisco is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration and is an equal housing lender. We provide banking, credit, and securities services to nearly 49,000 members and have assets of $ 1.2 billion. More information is available at SanFranciscoFCU.com

For more informations:
Rob A. Silk
415-615-7012
Rob_Seide@SanFranciscoFCU.com

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