Dear Friends, Community Members, and Supporters:

Welcome! The Mayor's Youth Employment and Education Program (MYEEP) is pleased to share with you the program's inaugural e-newsletter, which will be distributed on a quarterly basis. MYEEP's new e-newsletter is designed to share some of our success stories and keep the community informed about the program.

Employment is consistently identified as a top priority by youth in San Francisco. As The City's largest youth employment program, MYEEP serves over 1,500 high school students annually.

MYEEP is a collaboration of 12 community-based organizations, located in some of the most under-served neighborhoods in The City. The goal of the program is to support the positive development of youth in San Francisco by engaging them in meaningful employment, career, leadership, and community involvement opportunities.

The New Directions Employment Program (NDEP), a MYEEP initiative, was established in June 2006 by the Department of Children, Youth, & Their Families (DCYF) and the Juvenile Probation Department (JPD). NDEP is a year-round employment and training program that provides youth involved in the Juvenile Justice system with opportunities for work-based learning, life skills, academic support, and educational workshops focused on positive youth development. NDEP has provide employment to 257 youth in 2008, to date.

For more information, please visit www.myeep.org.

If you would like to support MYEEP, please click here.

Tyre Ellison
Tyre began his participation with MYEEP in 2004 as an intern with San Francisco Goodwill Industries. During his 3.5 year tenure with MYEEP, Tyre also worked for the Sunnydale Boys and Girls Club, leading programs for pre-teens, and the One Economy Corporation as a Digital Connector, teaching adults how to use computers.

While in MYEEP, Tyre developed numerous skills and attributes through work experiences and weekly workshops that he believes have helped him with his transition to college. “I developed patience as I was teaching people how to use computers, because each learned at their own pace. This has translated to academic success for me, as I have become a more focused student and allocate to myself the time I need to learn”.

Tyre developed his computer skills and understanding of the value of a college degree during MYEEP and Digital Connector workshops. He also learned about the importance of giving back to the community, something that Tyre hopes to continue while in college and beyond.

Tyre’s passions go beyond academics and his community. He is also a walk-on member of the UC Berkeley Football team, which he hopes to leverage into a full time gig with the NFL.

Tyre credits his current success to the experiences he had while in MYEEP.

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Franklin Guandique
Franklin participated in MYEEP last year through Horizons Unlimited, located in The Mission District, and worked at the Columbia Park Boys and Girls Club. In addition to his participation in MYEEP, Franklin also managed to work another job, volunteer, and graduate with a 3.0 GPA!

While in MYEEP, Franklin enjoyed interacting with different groups of people and challenging himself as a participant. He served as a great role model for fellow participants and was always eager to volunteer his time and energy to others.

Participating in MYEEP further solidified Franklin's dream of going to college. He received a MYEEP Moving Forward scholarship and is currently studying psychology at San Jose State University. He will be the first in his family to graduate college and looks forward to working with youth in his community upon graduation.

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The Meridian Interns Program, founded in 1996, provides MYEEP youth with a paid internship at the Meridian Gallery. Youth learn all of the skills necessary to run an art gallery and continually play a role in the beautification of San Francisco.

Examples of past Meridian Interns Program projects include:

• In 2000, in collaboration with the SF Travel Bureau and Grants for the Arts, the interns created "Urban Nature" a 24ft x 8ft mural at Hallidie Plaza, opposite the Information Center near Powell Station.
  
  
• During the summers of 2001-2006, Meridian Interns worked with the National Park Service and The Presidio Trust to restore the Presidio by removing non-native vegetation and replacing it with California native plants. Meridian youth also created a mural in 2005, which currently hangs next to the Crissy Field Center.
  
  
• In the school year of 2001, the interns created "Tender Hart", a mural in Myrtle Alley on the back wall of the SRO Hartland Hotel.
  

• Devin Cecil Wishing was among the first class of interns at the Meridian, twelve years ago. Devin graduated with the highest honors from the Caifornia Art College (formerly CCAC). Devin is now the senior art instructor for the Meridian Interns Program.
  
  
• Jen Wen is now and intern in the architectural company Stantec where he works onsite and in the drawing office. He is also attending City College.
  
  
• Brian Lei started his first semester at the California Art College in fall 2008. He received a full scholarship and has already been recognized as the most advanced in drawing skills in his class.
  

Vietnamese Youth Development Center


The Vietnamese Youth Development Center (VYDC) was founded in 1979 by a small group of Vietnamese refugees concerned about inadequate resources and assistance for youth and families arriving and settling in The Tenderloin Neighborhood and throughout The City. Sharing almost thirty years of partnership, VYDC has been a part of MYEEP since its inception.

Serving nearly 700 young people annually, VYDC is excited to be at their new location with upgraded equipment and facilities to serve The Tenderloin and Southeast Asian communities! For more information on programs and services, please visit their website.

VYDC website