We Are the City Spotlight: A Conversation with Oasis for Girls
By the DCYF Communication & Community Engagement Team and Elisabeth Gutierrez, Program Director of RISE, CREATE & ENVISION
The COVID-19 pandemic led to drastic adjustments in how your agency, and every agency(!), served children, youth, and families. How would you describe the programming that your agency has offered since the pandemic began? What kind of transitions did your agency have to make from your ‘regular’ programming in response to the pandemic?
Oasis rapidly pivoted our in-person programming to a virtual model so we could continue supporting our girls and have continued this ever since. We purchased laptops, hotspots for girls who did not have adequate internet access at home, art supplies, stationery supplies and other materials for each participant to ensure they could participate fully in the program. Our staff hand-delivered these items to each of our girls’ doorsteps before the start of each program cycle. This included technology bundles for each student, which consisted of a laptop, headphones, a mouse, an extension cord, a lap desk, and a laptop bag. We also provided program-specific supplies, which included a 186 Piece Deluxe Art Set, canvases, easels, and journals for the CREATE program; journals, pens, colored pencils, sticky notes, and Rad Girls Can book for the ENVISION program, and journals, notebooks, color pens, basic pens, markers, color pencils, and a sticky note set for the RISE program.
We were able to continue offering our CREATE, ENVISION, & RISE programs three times each year (Spring, Summer, and Fall), and we were able to continue providing incentives for our program participants. Girls in their first program with Oasis received $300 and an Oasis Tote Bag, girls in their second program received $400 and an Oasis shirt, and girls in their third program received $500 and an Oasis Hoodie.
We knew our girls weren’t just dealing with distance learning and Wi-Fi issues at home — they were also dealing with family stresses like parents losing their jobs and increased housing insecurity. This led our team to create “Week 0,” Wellness Wednesdays, and to establish 1:1 check-ins, in alignment with the four pillars of The Oasis Way:
● High Expectations: Roles & Commitments
● Youth-Centered: Valuing & calling forth youth identities, experiences, and gifts
● Access: Barriers addressed so all can participate equally
● Strong Relationships: Trusted Adult
Week 0
As youth empowerment leaders, we knew that we couldn’t just build our virtual programs by putting what was done in-person online. The sacred and private space of coming together in a room with life set aside looks completely different from a screen in the middle of the commotion of daily life at home. We needed to go back to the roots of what youth empowerment work looks like and translate the spirit of this into new practices. This was how we came up with “Week 0,” and its foundation of Youth Engagement, Peer Interaction, and Supportive and Safe Environment. We dropped off supplies individually to girls’ homes, made hour long 1:1 zoom calls with each of them, established a youth contract, and told and heard stories to build connection before program began.
Wellness Wednesdays
Our meetings with the girls motivated us to provide “Wellness Wednesdays” to address the girls’ increased mental health needs. Wellness Wednesdays are a series of four workshops led by a wellness coordinator. They facilitate conversations with the Oasis participants around topics that have come up in the program, such as navigating family dynamics, managing stress, and finding a therapist.
1:1 Check-Ins
To support the girls we serve as they dealt with difficult COVID-related challenges, we began to connect with each girl individually over the phone or email at least once per week. Through these one-to-one connections, we learned that many of the girls needed additional mental health support.
To balance safety and the mental health needs of the girls we serve, we began a hybrid model of the program in October 2021. This model provides two virtual days and one in person day of programming each week, allowing the girls to participate in person in a small group with social distancing.
Through our growing experience and feedback we received about our virtual programming, we have learned that our culturally competent youth development curriculum, the Oasis Way, is powerful in both virtual and in-person settings. We’ve received more applications than ever before, demonstrating that girls need a safe, girl-centered space now more than ever. Given the effectiveness of our virtual programming, we are documenting our curricula, standardizing its use in all programs, and building staff capacity to train organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area how to utilize it to reach more low-income girls of color.
Please share a story that showcases how your agency handled the circumstances created by the pandemic: an experience with a participant, a family member, your team, etc. What about this experience particularly resonated for you?
We were aware that the pandemic caused financial hardships for our youth, their families, and communities. In addition to their usual incentives, Oasis was able to provide an additional $100 incentive for every program completed from Summer 2020 to Spring 2021 cycle. I told my RISE girls about the incentive program for the Spring 2021 cycle over Zoom, and I notified the summer and fall RISE alums through email. I received so much excitement, gratefulness, and love through the Zoom chats! Girls were screaming with joy — there were eyebrows raised and dropped jaws of pleasant surprise, and constant thank yous as each girl expressed how much the extra incentive would greatly impact them. Girls told me how much this would help their families, and that the extra incentive made them feel more hopeful for the future due to some extra financial stability. Every email has endless hearts and smiley faces, a million thank yous, and heartfelt messages about how special Oasis is for each of them. It was a great feeling to be in a position to support them and continue to do what’s best for them.
Despite all of the setbacks that came about due to the pandemic, DCYF still believes that San Francisco is a great place to grow up. Would you say that you/your organization feel(s) that way?
Yes! San Francisco is a great place to grow up because for one it’s the home of our girls. A city that’s also the home to racial movements, true community, and a wide range of beautiful cultures, languages, identities. The city where you can get pupusas to pho, where you can watch the World Series champion SF Giants to NBA Champions Warriors, where you can get the city views at Twin Peaks to the Pacific Ocean views at Ocean Beach, from the Golden Gate to the Bay Bridge, Frisco will always be home and the heart of the bay!
What can our City do to help children, youth, and families thrive, in general, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic specifically, or both?
This is definitely a big one and I feel there are many ways, but here are a few that come to mind.
Funding. The City and DCYF prioritized continued services for girls/families in their COVID response following the Shelter in Place Ordinance, which was a critical investment for the girls/families we serve. Building upon that, funding to meet the basic needs of girls and gender expansive youth (period products, food, finances) amid COVID-19 pandemic and recovery would be wonderful. I also recommend financial and technical assistance for girl-serving organizations to provide much-needed services to girls and gender-expansive youth who are facing social isolation.
Mental Health and Safety. Mental health is important to invest in, both general resources for youth and direct services. As for safety, although we provide a safe space for them at Oasis, our girls don’t feel safe in the city in general, including taking public transportation and walking down the street to get to our site. Working on those issues will ensure a vibrant environment for girls and families to thrive.
Please share a song that comes to mind when you think of everything that has transpired for you or your program during the pandemic.
I have three:
I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor
Rise Up by Andra Day
Good As Hell by Lizzo
