YOUTH VOICE
The TLCBD Youth Voice Program serves as a convener for centering Tenderloin youth for positive change through collective impact.
About this Program | Youth Directory | Mental Health Awareness
ABOUT THIS PROGRAM
TLCBD will serve as the youth-centered Community Convener, unifying multisector partners and community stakeholders to realize goals. The program has 3 elements: Convening, Capacity Building, Connecting.
TLCBD co-leads the Tenderloin After School Program Collaborative; a convening of the out of school time programs, several childcare centers, and local schools serving the Tenderloin. TLCBD also convenes the Youth Access Network. This network helps to ensure that children, teens, and TAY get access to community space for the things they want. We add capacity. We provide administrative and planning support so our community can have signature programs and opportunities. Our current signature programs include: quarterly Family Festivals, a free drop-in soccer program, a mother/daughter physical activity program, and an annual 3on3 basketball tournament. We also connect youth and their adult allies with opportunities to speak to decision-makers so youth, teens, and TAY can impact their own neighborhood. We host focus groups, and stay connected with City Departments, SFPD, and DCYF to ensure they always have an opportunity to hear the voices of the youth.
The Youth Voice program is modeled on evidence-based programs that have delivered positive outcomes for youth in other San Francisco neighborhoods. For example, Mobilization for Adolescent Growth in our Communities (MAGIC) was founded in 2004 in the Bayview neighborhood by the SF Public Defender’s Office to address communities plagued by poverty and violence. In 2006, a similar program called Mo’MAGIC was created in the Fillmore neighborhood.
The initial work is made possible by the Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant from the US Department of Justice, through the Children’s Initiative.
The Children’s Initiative called for proposals of programs and strategies to break the cycle of crime in the Tenderloin district with particular attention to keeping youth from becoming involved in gangs and crime. Additionally, the call for proposals sought strategies to improve and enhance the interface between youth in the community and non-profit organizations (NGO’s) serving the Tenderloin.
We are always looking for additional funding to provide support for advocacy and leadership programs as well as for the Tenderloin Sports League that our youth are asking for. If you’re interested in making a donation to the Youth Voice program, click here.
GET INVOLVED
Help us recognize Mental Health Awareness Month.
Want to learn more?
Contact Esan Looper for more information at esan@tlcbd.org.
LEADERSHIP
The Youth Voice Program complements TLCBD’s Neighborhood Pride area of focus as part of a larger Core Framework for a healthy and vibrant Tenderloin. Over the last several years, TLCBD has grown significantly in size and scope, building robust programs through strong collaboration with multi-sector partners and leveraging additional funding to expand impact. We have expanded on the foundational Clean and Safe areas of the framework and are now working to deliver inviting sidewalks, parks and shared public spaces to grow neighborhood pride and build economic opportunity for our diverse neighborhood communities.
The Youth Voice Program will be led by TLCBD’s Director of Youth Voice, Esan Looper. TLCBD is excited by this addition to the team given Esan’s unique qualifications to carry out this vision over the next three years. He is the son of Kathy and “Father of the Tenderloin” Leroy Looper and comes to the work with more than 27 years of experience in youth development, community development and education, most recently working for 14 years with Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco.
Questions, comments, want to get involved? Email Youth Voice Director, Esan Looper at esan@tlcbd.org.
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