Celebrate Love and Community
A Letter from Our Executive Director
Eserian Nakera is a traditional greeting used by the Maasai people of East Africa. It translates, ‘And how are the children?’ This question is embedded in the daily interactions of the Maasai, and reflects the high value their community places on the well-being of their children. The traditional response to Eserian Nakera is, ‘All the children are well,’ which recognizes that the overall well-being of society starts with prioritizing the health, safety, protection, and happiness of children.
For a moment, imagine if the people of San Francisco embraced this tradition and greeted fellow community members by asking: ‘And how are the children, youth, and their families?’ This year at DCYF, we set out across the City to learn whether we as a community could answer to say, ‘All the children, youth and their families are well.’
As stewards of the Children and Youth Fund, our grantmaking process and planning cycle is based on a five year timeline with three stages. First, we collect data and stories to learn about our community’s needs. Second, we identify the services that can address these needs to determine funding priorities. Third, organizations apply for grants to provide those services as we administer grants to community partners.
Our Family Summits are the critical first step towards the ultimate goal of funding important services. In 2019, DCYF hosted a total of 11 “We are the City Family Summits,” and had the opportunity to better understand the multifaceted challenges that San Franciscans face growing up, raising their families, and in providing vital community services. DCYF went out across all our district neighborhoods to learn more about the lived experiences of our children, youth, parents, grandparents, guardians, service providers and concerned residents. You served as our eyes and ears, giving us granular perspectives that may otherwise be undetectable by a City department. Thanks to you, we identified the strengths, needs and extraordinary narratives of our communities. Thanks to you, we have a better understanding of what our City can do to help you thrive. My staff and I are grateful to everyone who took the time to come to the Summits and share your perspectives with us — thank you.
As we complete the first phase of our planning cycle and set our sights on the future, we are fully aware that we will not be able to ensure that ‘All the children are well’ on our own. San Francisco’s children, youth, and their families are affected by the work of a large and intricate network of systems, institutions, and City agencies. We must partner as a City to collectively develop the most effective solutions and services. This also won’t happen without our service providers on the front lines. The organizations DCYF funds and the youth workers we support are rooted in the communities they serve. They have the ability to connect to our young people with authenticity and cultural competence. We are not just investing in high quality services for children and youth; we are investing in our communities.
Even as we look ahead to five years from now, the work is happening here in the present. Our DCYF family — grantees, partners, and our own staff — is tackling the disparities that prevent our young people from reaching their full potential. We are providing for children, youth and families to have responsive, high quality services that meet their needs. We are ensuring that the communities with the highest needs benefit most from the resources of the Children and Youth Fund.
Together, we’re making San Francisco a great place to grow up.
In Community,
Maria Su, Psy.D.
P.S. Check out the DCYF FY18–19 Citywide and District Specific Investments in Youth Report and the FY18–19 Service Highlights Brief.
The FY18–19 Investment in Youth Report includes data points about the programs DCYF funds in each Supervisorial district, the amount of funds allocated to these programs, and demographic information about the children and youth these programs serve. The report also includes Program Spotlights featuring a DCYF grantee from each district.
The FY18–19 Service Highlights Brief includes an overview of who we are, who we serve, how our funds our allocated, and direct perspectives from our grantees’ in our Technical Assistance Capacity Building programs.
