San Francisco Youth Commission
Youth Employment & Immigration Committee
*Special Meeting*
Minutes
Thursday, December 12th, 2013
5:00-7:00 PM
City Hall, Room 345
1. Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl.
San Francisco, CA 94102

There will be public comment on each item.

Members: Michel Li - Chair, Nicholas Persky, Jina Bae, and Michelle Kong

1. Call to Order and Roll Call

The meeting was called to order at 5:00 pm. Commissioners present: Li, Persky, Bae, Kong;
Staff Present: Allen Lu

2. Approval of Agenda (Action Item)

Commissioner Persky, seconded by Commissioner Bae, moved to approve the agenda. This motion was approved by acclamation.

3. Approval of Minutes (Action Item)

A. Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013
(Document A)

Commissioner Kong, seconded by Commissioner Bae, moved to approve the minutes from December 3, 2013. This motion was approved by acclamation.

There was no public comment.

4. Public Comment on Items not on Agenda (Discussion Only)

There was none.

5. Business (All Items to Follow Discussion and Possible Action)

A. Presentation on Chinese Progressive Association’s Youth MOJO’s program and their youth priorities
Presenters: Natalie Gee, Youth MOJO Coordinator; Winnie and Melissa, youth

Youth MOJO presented the background on the national policy regarding immigration reform. Since many of Youth MOJO youth and/or families are immigrants, they decided to hold a summer campaign for immigration reform. They fought against the bill that proposed the elimination of sibling sponsorship, a very common way for immigrants to come to the US. Youth MOJO spent the summer developing outreach skills, writing letters, and getting signatures on their petitions. They also held an action at Justin Herman Plaza. Their primary platform message was to keep families together. Focusing on the Excelsior and Chinatown neighborhoods and partnering with APEN and ASPIRE, they campaigned through the Chinese media, the collection of postcards that were sent to Nancy Pelosi, and eventually received a letter of support from the Representative’s Office.

The presenters also shared their current work in keeping City College of San Francisco open, and how it impacts so many families of the city.

The commissioners asked clarifying questions regarding the Action, how they reached and got the community involved, and challenges they faced. They also asked how Youth MOJO is following up with the work they did during the summer; they are monitoring and tracking immigration at the national level, while spending most of their energy on CCSF. They asked the committee to help by sharing the platform through our media pages and outreach.

The committee also asked about the work on CCSF and where Youth MOJO is at with that initiative. Winnie told them that they have created a presentation to share with the community and folks the programs and services that are so impactful to the community that we often overlook. They are also working to develop a survey to help measure and evaluate the impact CCSF has on San Francisco.

There was no public comment.

B. Debrief presentation and review committee goals as related to presentation

The committee debriefed by asking, “How can their work at the local level connect with the immigration reform happening at the national level?” They discussed Youth MOJO’s campaign strategy and really liked their obstacle course in their Action event.

They then discussed their priorities to get more employment opportunities for undocumented youth. Commissioner Kong wanted to promote more of DACA, and ensure that DACA recipients have access to opportunities. The committee explored the idea of somehow providing youth over the age of 18 DACA eligibility or work permits.

There was no public comment.

C. Research committee priorities

The committee researched how organizations receive funding to pay undocumented youth stipends with hopes to provide more funding through similar streams. They explored case studies of other cities who have been able to provide stipends for undocumented youth (Illinois’s Dream Fund).

Questions the committee would like to explore further include: 1) How can city make work permits more easily accessible for all undocumented/immigrant youth, especially those who have DACA? How can the city dedicate money for CBO’s to specifically provide undocumented youth stipends, i.e. more collaborations and partnerships similar to the one between United Way, LYRIC, and CHALK this previous summer? Is the city providing educational scholarships, and how can they provide more, especially for undocumented/immigrant youth?

There was no public comment.

6. Staff Report

Mr. Lu provided a brief update regarding general YC office events. Commissioners were reminded to complete their anti workplace harassment training before December 20th, 2013 and to participate in the midyear retreat planning meetings.

7. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 6:58 p.m.


Any materials distributed to the members of the Youth Commission within 72 hours of the meeting or after the agenda packet has been delivered to the members are available for inspection—along with minutes of previous Youth Commission meetings and all supplementary information—at the Youth Commission office during regular office hours (9am to 6pm, Monday—Friday). The Youth Commission office is located at:
City Hall, Room 345
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: (415) 554-6446, Fax: (415) 554-6140
Email: youthcom@sfgov.org
www.sfgov.org/yc

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS UNDER THE SUNSHINE ORDINANCE
(Chapter 67 of the San Francisco Administrative Code)
Government’s duty is to serve the public, reaching its decisions in full view of the public. Commissions, boards, councils and other agencies of the City and County exist to conduct the people’s business. This ordinance assures that deliberations are conducted before the people and that City operations are open to the people’s review.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON YOUR RIGHTS UNDER THE SUNSHINE ORDINANCE OR TO REPORT A VIOLATION OF THE ORDINANCE, CONTACT THE SUNSHINE ORDINANCE TASK FORCE, please contact:
Sunshine Ordinance Task Force
City Hall, Room 244
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102‐4689
Phone: (415) 554‐7724, Fax: (415) 554‐5784
E‐mail: sotf@sfgov.org
Copies of the Sunshine Ordinance can be obtained from the Clerk of the Sunshine Ordinance
Task Force, at the San Francisco Public Library, and on the City’s website at
http://www.sfgov.org.

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To obtain a disability‐related modification or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services, to participate in the meeting, please contact Phimy Truong, Youth Commission Director [phone: 415-554 7112; email: phimy.truong@sfgov.org] at least 48 hours before the meeting, except for Monday meetings, for which the deadline is 4:00 p.m. the previous Friday.