The Children, Youth, and Families Programs at the Center are specifically designed to address the following areas:
- the needs of children in LGBT families for safe, welcoming environments that acknowledge and celebrate their diverse families and prepare them to cope effectively in a broader world that is not always so welcoming and accepting;
- the needs of LGBT parents for support in dealing both with the broad common challenges of parenting well and the specific challenges of parenting in the face of the social, economic, and legal barriers they face as LGBT people; and
- the needs of LGBT youth and young adults for safe spaces in which to explore and celebrate their developing identities and access resources for addressing the specific, widely-documented challenges they face.
KidSpace
The KidSpace provides quality care to infants, toddlers and school-age children and their families. When visiting the KidSpace, children will be engaged in activities including dramatic and manipulative play, arts & crafts, story time, dance and fine motor development. The goal of KidSpace is to create a safe, trusting and challenging environment where children are encouraged to pursue new and familiar interests, develop friendships, grow in confidence and independence and continue to develop respect for themselves and others. The KidSpace is designed to meet the developmental and social needs of the children participating in the program.
The Center's youth and young adult programs include weekly drop-in programming at the Eureka Valley Recreation Center, art skills and leadership workshops, art shows, referral/linkages to other resources, a youth-led economic empowerment project and a night for youth integrating food and services, including HIV testing and counseling.
Youth Economic Empowerment Team (YET)
The goal of the Youth Empowerment Team (YET) is to empower economically disadvantaged lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, heterosexual and intersex youth in San Francisco. YET has produced a research report which is the first community assessment developed and implemented by youth who have experienced homelessness, poverty and many other social challenges. The team continues to work together towards enacting change.
LGBT family support activities include a wide range of activities offered via the LGBT children youth and families collaborative, for which the Center acts as the lead agency. This collaborative includes The Center, Our Family Coalition, Mamas and Papas, Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere (COLAGE) , and Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center (LYRIC).
Activities provided through this collaboration include a monthly parent education series, semi-monthly LGBT parent peer support programs, LGBT whole family activities, and parent networking. The programs are designed to address the needs of the whole family, with specialized, age appropriate activities designed for children ages 0 - 13 as well as parents. |
