CAN joined by Bay Area Community Resources (BACR) in hosting Thomas Hernandez, legislative correspondent from Senator Butler’s office, who joined us from DC. The visit to California was to see programs that showcased Youth Empowerment and Workforce Development. Naturally, BACR started us off by visiting Rusdale Newcomer Continuation High School in Oakland, where we got to see their after school program where they offer multiple programs that are popular with their students, including the Urban Arts and Beat Making program, the Recreation Team Building program, and the incredible Bike shop and program (pictured). Francisco Sanchez, Program Manager from BACR and former Site Coordinator at Rusdale, showed us all the excellent programming. 

Our second visit of the day consisted of visiting the historical Mission Language and Vocational School (MVLS) office with Ruth Barajas, Director of Workforce and Reentry. Many youth-led programs are housed there, including their Job Center, ReSET Justice Collaborative, Roadmap to Peace, and Hope SF Champions. We had the opportunity to hear from staff and young people about the transformative nature of the community programming and its impact on them and their communities.

Mariana Lopez Quintanilla, Industry Director, hosted our third and final visit to A Home Away from Homelessness. We had dinner with young people who shared their stories of impact and saw the innovative space with wrap-around services for the young people and families participating in this program. 

There were so many gems and great stories shared during these visits! Thanks to Thomas for making time to see this work in person and bringing this experience back to Senator Butler’s office, and thanks again to BACR for hosting!