Growing Together:

The DCYF Newsletter

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Free Summer Meals for Children and Youth

Every weekday through August 15, 2025, sites all around San Francisco will offer free summer meals to all children and youth under age 18.  No registration or other documentation is required to receive a meal at open Summer Meals sites: children and youth just need to arrive at these sites during their serving times, and they will receive a free meal! 

Check Out Our Free Summer Meals PSAs!

DCYF teamed up with SFGovTV, the SF Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA), the Boys & Girls Club's Columbia Park Clubhouse, and Glide to create videos promoting the Free Summer Meals program in English, Spanish, Cantonese, and Filipino! Visit the DCYF YouTube channel to watch them all, and please share them!

Resources and Opportunities

Internships, Programs, Scholarships, and Other Opportunities for Youth Ages 14-24

We've converted our Summer Opportunities for Youth site into a permanent site that will feature opportunities for youth all year! There are several excellent opportunities on the site now, and many more will be added as the school year approaches. Check back often!

If your organization has an opportunity that you would like to share on the site, please let us know at info@dcyf.org.

Our415 Resource Website

Use the new Our415 website to find programs, services, and anything else you need to raise a family and grow up in San Francisco. 

Resources for Immigrant Children, Youth, and Families

DCYF and the entire City & County of San Francisco want to help immigrants, asylees, and refugees connect to resources, opportunities, and more. 

Immigrant Services and Resources Landing Page

Created by the SF Immigrant Forum, this page is a comprehensive source of services, resources, and events. 

The page includes Know Your Rights information, links to immigration legal help, healthcare access, housing and shelter support, financial assistance, and much more. The Immigrant Services and Resources Landing Page can be translated into Spanish, Traditional Chinese, and Filipino.

Want to get involved? The next meeting of the SF Immigrant Forum will take place online on Wednesday, July 30. Learn more and register here. 

Now Recruiting: Children and Youth Fund Oversight & Advisory Committee

The Children and Youth Fund Oversight and Advisory Committee (OAC) is DCYF’s advisory body. The OAC provides a forum for community members and service providers to discuss decisions related to the Children and Youth Fund, and provides advice for DCYF. All OAC members are appointed by the Mayor or the Board of Supervisors.

To learn more about the open OAC seats and how to apply for them, visit the OAC page on our website.  

Wellness, Peace, and Unity: Celebrating Successful Unity Semester Events

Prior to the end of the 2024–2025 school year, DCYF, SFUSD, and an all-star group of community-based organizations brought Unity events to five SFUSD school sites, continuing the powerful momentum from last year’s Unity Semester. We're happy to share that the Unity events were a tremendous success!

Unity events took place at Denman, Aptos, and Visitacion Valley Middle Schools, and Burton and Marshall High Schools. At each site, the events were collaboratively designed and implemented by the School Violence Interrupter agencies assigned to the school, and SFUSD Student and Family Services Division staff. 

Our CBO partners this year included the Urban Services YMCA Tailor Made program, Community Youth Center, Samoan Community Development Center, Roadmap to Peace, Instituto Familiar de la Raza, Young Community Developers, Street Violence Intervention Program (SOS SVIP), and the UCSF Wraparound Project. These organizations brought their deep community roots, cultural wisdom, and commitment to youth development to every aspect of planning and execution. 

Looking ahead, DCYF and our school and community partners are excited to continue this work, deepening relationships, uplifting student voices, and supporting a safer, more unified future for all of San Francisco’s young people.

Announcements and Events

Share Your Opinion: Youth-Led College Readiness Workshop

The youth interns in Supervisor Chyanne Chen's office are planning a free College Readiness Workshop for San Francisco high school students and their families. Undergraduate students from top colleges will be invited to present on the college application process, speak about their experiences applying to college, offer advice on completing college applications, and more.

The organizers want to know what topics you would like to learn about, and when you would like the workshop to take place. Please let them know by filling out their survey by Friday, July 18. 

See You at the Heart of the Richmond Night Market!

The massively popular Richmond Night Market is back for its second season!

Every third Saturday of the month this summer, Clement Street between 22nd-25th Avenues will host delicious local eats, amazing local talent, and beautiful local goods.

If you come to the Richmond Night Market on Saturday, July 19, stop by the DCYF table to meet with Emily from the DCYF Community Engagement & Communications Team, and get a demo of the new Our415.org website!

2025 K2C Virtual College Tour Contest 

The Kindergarten to College Virtual College Tour Contest is back for its second year! Every Monday through August 4, SFUSD students can go on virtual tours of colleges and universities, and be entered to win a $100 scholarship for their K2C account. 

First-generation college students, low-income households and students from groups underrepresented in higher education are especially encouraged to participate. 

📅 Youth can enter to win every Monday through August 4, 2025.

Memorial Service for John "Iesha" Ena

Last month, beloved youth worker John "Iesha" Ena passed away.

Aunty John, as she was known to the DCYF Family, was a ray of light at the Samoan Community Development Center (SCDC), and in the San Francisco community at large. During her 23 years of service at SCDC, she used her incredible voice to teach, to advocate, to connect, and to sing beautifully. 

The Ena Family and SCDC will host a memorial service for Aunty John on Saturday, July 26 from 2pm to 5pm at SCDC, 2055 Sunnydale Avenue in San Francisco. We hope to see you there. 

17th Annual BMo'Magic 2025 Summer Youth Showcase

The 17th Annual BMo'Magic Youth Showcase is coming up on Wednesday, July 30 at the Marines' Memorial Theatre! This year’s showcase promises to be an unforgettable event filled with creativity, passion, and community pride. Let’s fill the theater and show our youth the love and support they deserve! The Youth Showcase is free and open to all, but registration is encouraged so the organizers can accurately track community attendance.

Know a Graduating SFUSD Senior? Tell Them to Claim their K2C Money!

SFUSD students in the Class of 2025, and in the Classes of 2023 and 2024, all have at least $50 in their Kindergarten to College (K2C) accounts, plus any contributions or incentives, to continue their education after high school.

Applications Open for O2 Sabbatical Award

The O2 Sabbatical Award honors dedicated nonprofit executive directors in San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties with an essential three-month break for rest and renewal.

The O2 Sabbatical Award Includes:

• $50,000 toward the cost of the executive director’s three-month sabbatical
• $15,000 in flexible funding to support staff professional development, as well as stipends for the interim leadership team in recognition of the additional responsibilities assumed in the executive director’s absence
• 25 hours of coaching to help organizations prepare for the sabbatical, advise interim leadership teams during the executive director’s leave, provide support with re-entry, and achieve organizational development goals (e.g., greater shared leadership, succession planning)
• Participation in the O2 Peer Network, including annual gatherings and shared learning opportunities. O2 alumni also mentor new awardees and serve on the O2 Selection Committee

📅 Applications are due by August 13, 2025.

Get Your Summer Reading On with Summer Stride 2025

Get ready, get set, STRIDE! It’s time for San Francisco’s biggest summer reading and learning challenge for all ages. Through August 31, complete Summer Stride to earn an irresistible tote bag decorated by local artist Ken Pak to carry your books!

Applications Open for Youth Empowerment Fund's Youth-Led Grant Program

The Youth Empowerment Fund (YEF) is a youth-led grant program from the YMCA of San Francisco's Urban Services. YEF awards San Francisco's young people with up to $10,000 to support a wide range of projects including, (but not limited to) school clubs, small businesses, organizations, etc. 

📅 Applications due by September 15, 2025.

Free, Fun, and Fabulous: Yerba Buena Gardens Festival!

The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival is back with a summer season of fun, fabulous events for the whole family! There's something coming up for everyone, from circus performances to dance classes to art exhibits and so much more. And it's all free! 

Free Fun Family Activities at the Salesforce Transit Center 

The Salesforce Transit Center has released their calendar of free events from May to November! Check out what’s coming up at the Transit Center, including family-friendly special events, performances, fitness and wellness classes, story times, and much more.

Find Sites Near You Serving Free Meals for Children and Youth 

The CA Meals for Kids Mobile App can help you find sites serving free afterschool and summer meals all over the state of California! You can use the app to find sites by address, county, city, zip code and partial site name. Download it for free on your iOS, Android, or Microsoft devices.

Visit Museums for FREE with Museums for All 

Through the City’s Museums for All program, San Francisco residents with EBT or Medi-Cal cards can get free or reduced admission to more than 25 local museums and cultural centers! 

Visit the San Francisco Museums for All page to find out which museums are participating, and to learn how to get free tickets. 

California Golden Bear Pass for CalWORKS and Tribal TANF Recipients

California’s state parks offer a fun, affordable, and healthy way to connect with family, friends, and the outdoors. The State of California believes that all residents should have access to our parks, and that families should be able to enjoy nature’s benefits regardless of income.

If you receive CalWORKS or Tribal TANF benefits, you can apply for the California Golden Bear Pass, which provides free vehicle day-use access at over 200 California State Parks! 

Save the Date: Exhibitor Registration for 2026 Summer Resource Fair Opens November 1

We know, we know...we're in the middle of summer 2025. But as we say at DCYF, "summer lasts all year!"

The date of the 2026 Summer Resource Fair has not been finalized, but it will definitely take place in mid- or late February 2026 at the County Fair Building.

What is set is the date and time exhibitor registration will open: Saturday, November 1, 2025 at 11am on our Summer Resource Fair page. We always reach capacity for exhibitors, and in 2025 we did so faster than ever. If your organization would like to host a table at the event, mark your calendar now and don't miss out!

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Land Acknowledgement Statement

The San Francisco Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families (DCYF) acknowledges that it carries out its work on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone, the original inhabitants and stewards of the San Francisco Peninsula. As the government agency that stewards the Children and Youth Fund, we accept the responsibility that comes with resources derived from property taxes upon unceded and colonized land. We recognize the history and legacy of the Ramaytush Ohlone as integral to how we strive to make San Francisco a great place for life to thrive and children to grow up.

Learn about the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone.