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Campaign

DCYF Youth Empowerment Project (YEP)

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Youth are helping shape DCYF's future programs and services

The Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) creates youth-led opportunities for young people to share what they need, what is working and what should change. Through YEP, young people can build leadership skills, engage other youth and bring youth experiences and ideas into City planning and decisions.

A teen girl sitting at a table with other youth in the background.

A youth-led approach

YEP creates opportunities for young people to help shape City decisions. Youth help lead the work, creating ways for other young people to share their experiences, ideas and priorities.

3 teen girls talking while sitting at a table

Build youth leaders

The YEP cohort brings together a group of young people to build leadership and facilitation skills. Cohort members learn how to guide conversations, listen to other youth and share what they hear.

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Engage other youth

Cohort members put their skills into practice by creating and leading opportunities for other young people to participate. This year, they will plan and lead Youth Sessions to help shape DCYF's 2027 Community Needs Assessment.

Learn about youth sessions for DCYF's 2027 Community Needs Assessment.

Help shape the 2027 CNA

The CNA helps DCYF understand what children, youth, TAYA, and families need and how they find, choose, and access DCYF-funded programs and services.

YEP helps ensure that youth are part of this work. Cohort members will plan and lead Youth Sessions where young people can share what is working, what they need, and what should change.

DCYF will combine what youth share with input from Focus Groups and DCYF Grantee Sessions, program data, and other research. DCYF will also use findings from the Citywide Community Needs Assessment (CCNA), including Family Summits and the Citywide Family Survey, to provide broader context about the needs of children, youth, TAYA, and families across San Francisco.

Together, this information will help guide future programs, services, and funding.

A group of teens engaging in an activity outside at a park.

Highlights from the 2025 YEP Cohort

In summer 2025, 8 young people joined the YEP cohort. They learned how local government works. They built leadership skills and connected with other youth.

The group explored We Endure, We Adapt, We Lead. This project uses data to show youth experiences in San Francisco.

Members talked about the data and shared their own stories. They chose 3 issues:

  • Youth jobs and life skills
  • Fair and equal education
  • Support for undocumented youth

The group used what they learned to create a workshop. They called it The Mirror: Lived Experiences of San Francisco Youth. They led the workshop for DCYF and Blaze Consulting Group staff.

The cohort showed that:

  • Youth can lead talks with adults
  • Youth can name problems and help find solutions
  • Real stories show what needs to change
  • Youth should have a say in City decisions

We will use feedback from the 2025 cohort to shape the 2026 program.

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