Youth Programs

Ed Cheveres, Community Hub Director for Good Samaritan, says: “Unfortunately, many young people in the Bayview—particularly English Language Learners, foster youth, Hope SF residents, and unhoused students—might not otherwise have the space or resources to successfully participate in distance learning. Our Hub will holistically address these students’ needs.”

Good Samaritan has partnered with the San Francisco Unified School District, the Public Defender’s BMAGIC program, and leaders at the Calvary Hill Community Church to recruit for our Community Hub.
In addition, the South of Market Health Center as well as the Bayview Child Health Clinic offer our staff and participants, respectively, free Covid-19 tests.

Funding for dozens of Community Hubs is being provided by the San Francisco Dept. of Children, Youth, and Their Families (DCYF) to community organizations across the City. However, Good Samaritan welcomes donations and grants so we may help more children in need overcome academic, social-emotional, and economic hurdles during the COVID-19 crisis.

To enroll a student for free in a Community Hub near you, please visit DCYF’s website at https://www.dcyf.org/care.

Vision Academy offers African-American, Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, and low-income students the opportunity to cultivate their academic, social, and strategic thinking skills on a daily basis.

Program leaders offer one-on-one homework support to students everyday. They then guide group-based chess and computer science lessons to ensure diverse students can become tomorrow’s strategic and creative thinkers.

Social-emotional development is also important at the Vision Academy. Cohorts engage in age-appropriate conversations about what it means to set goals, maintain a steadfast and resilient character, and support one’s peers, even in the face of obstacles and structural barriers to their success. Facilitators ensure children have free time, opportunities to play outside, and chances to demonstrate their chess and computer coding knowledge.

Summer offers additional opportunities: students explore the outdoors, visit local technology companies, and go on a range of field trips.

To enroll a student, please contact us.

Jardin Secreto/Secret Garden is a daily summer camp for elementary school students in the Mission District of San Francisco. The program integrates gardening, healthy-eating, theatre, outdoor play, art, bilingual conversation, and daily reading. Trustworthy, bilingual experts in child development oversee the program, designed specifically for Latino children living in immigrant families.

Soccer Camp encourages elementary school students to enjoy soccer, healthy eating, art, music and reading. Weekly field trips allow students to learn about local history and affordable, healthy options for recreation and fun. At the end of the seven-week, bilingual summer program, students share their accomplishments and knowledge of San Francisco with their families at graduation.

Mission Mapaches/Mission Raccoons camp offers Latino middle school and High School students nature-based opportunities to explore the Bay Area, develop a support network, and learn about Latino and Native traditions that honor Mother Earth. (hyperlink to expand section to read more) This Spanish language day camp in the Mission is designed for older youth between the ages of 11-14. 15 young people explore San Francisco and Northern California through hiking, biking, camping, using public transportation and vans.

Arte Cultural is an after-school program that offers students a formal opportunity to learn about Latino artistic traditions. Students then become artists in their own right. Classes are led by bilingual artists who guide students in making individual and collaborative art, take them on field trips through the City, and help them organize a culminating showcase at their school.

Advancing Middle School Success in the Bay View Neighborhood
The Beacon Initiative transforms public schools into safe spaces where children, youth, parents, educators and community members can unite to promote healthy child development.

In 2018, Bayview-based Willie Brown Middle School (WBMS) selected Good Samaritan to launch a City-funded Beacon Center at the school. With guidance from WBMS educators, students and parents, Good Samaritan’s Beacon Center will offer intensive school-year supports to 150 of the school’s diverse students.

WBMS selected Good Samaritan based on its track record designing and operating the popular Vision Academy, a computer science, chess, and social-emotional enrichment program for elementary and middle school students in the Bayview.