Putting Down Roots: The Youth Space Project Comes to Fruition

Imagine a large, bright, two-story building. The walls are painted bright colors and there are teenagers everywhere. Downstairs youth are sprawled on the floor, in chairs and at tables, reading, doing homework, playing games and listening to music. In the small snack area in the far corner kids are clutching drinks and snacks, and they are being served by their peers and friends. In a large space through double doors there is a small game of soccer taking place.

Upstairs there are several rooms filled with the hum of computers. In each room teens are learning programs like PhotoShop and PageMaker, reading materials on the web, and doing research for homework and for fun. Down the hall a tutorial session is in progress, on how to use the Internet to find national community organizing resources. The group is discussing the best way to reach members of their government and they are writing letters in support of new legislation loosening current laws against skateboarding in the city.

In the room next door a dozen or so teens are organizing for a rally against curfews. They are spread around the room, printing posters from the computers, faxing information to local business and government leaders, and painting Anti-Curfew posters and signs. In a small room across the hall a group of adults are reading, talking, and watching the small television in the corner. They are all waiting for their children to finish so they can take them home.

The whole space buzzes with activity, and with youth. They are everywhere. They are playing learning, organizing, working and relaxing. This is their world and they use it, run it and leave it at their discretion. A youth-topia, where parents wait for kids, resources are available to everyone regardless of their age or whether they're in school, and adults advise them, but don't necessarily tell them what to do.

This kind of space is a dream for many communities, where more and more teens are being discriminated against and looked down upon simply for being young. But if the folks planning Youth Space of San Francisco have their way, by 2003, it will be much more than a dream.

The idea came about five years ago, when SF teens decided that what they really needed was a place of their own. "[The idea] went from kind of a general chill space to, okay, let's really offer some growth resources so that young people can start solving problems," said Julia Sabori, the president of the youth board.

According to Javon Cogmon, its new Executive Director, Youth Space will have three major components. The first is leadership development. This will include the tools and support to learn job skills, training skills and organizing skills. Secondly, the space will be made available for entertainment and event like concerts, dances and parties. "The third component is just youth chill space," says Cogmon. "There will always be a place for teens who really just need a place to hang out," and it will include a youth-run snack bar. Youth Space will be there to assist with the basic elements of grass roots organizing. Many programs don't ever get off the ground because of a lack of space and resources. Youth there will have access to fax machines and computers and places where they can post ads, as well as to experts who will provide technical assistance with things like do grant writing.

	This is their world and they use it, run it and leave it at their discretion. A youth-topia, where parents wait for kids, resources are available to everyone regardless of their age or whether they're in school, and adults advise them, but don't necessarily tell them what to do.

Grassroots organizing is nothing new for the kids behind Youth Space. In fact, it's the reason the project has gotten so far. "[The youth] followed the ideal sort of civic process of community organizing and getting something created for the neighborhood," said Sabori. "They had an idea that came from the young people themselves and then they lobbied their community allies and adult allies and then [they] lobbied the local officials... And the idea was well received because it was needed."