San Francisco Youth Commission
Youth Employment & Immigration Committee
Draft - Minutes
Thursday, January 23, 2014
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 5:08 p.m. Commissioners present: Michel Li, Nicholas Persky, Jina Bae, Michelle Kong, and Sophie Edelhart. There was quorum. Staff present: Phimy Truong.

2. Approval of Agenda (Action Item)

There was no public comment. Commissioner Kong, seconded by Commissioner Bae, motioned to approve the agenda. The motion was approved unanimously by acclamation.

3. Approval of Minutes (Action Item)

A. Tuesday, December 12, 2013
(Document A)

There was no public comment. Commissioner Bae, seconded by Commissioner Kong, moved to approve the minutes. The motion was approved unanimously by acclamation.

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

Mr. Alvin Woo from the Japanese Community Youth Council introduced himself to committee members and spoke about the proposed minimum wage increase and asked members to think about effects on youth employment programs.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions and requested to have Mr. Woo return to a future commission meeting. Commissioners expressed interest in following up on the minimum wage proposal.

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

A. Debrief midyear retreat committee work

Commissioner Bae facilitated a discussion on the structure of committee work at the midyear retreat. Commissioners felt that the break out time to research and plan out priorities was productive; however the timing of the break outs should have been coordinated better. Suggestions included having the breakout sessions during the day time when participants are alert, awake, and present. Commissioners also shared that the budget and policy priorities video was too long and that the policy panel on the second day was too long. Commissioners expressed that having a large group of retreat participants leave mid day while youth commissioners had to stay until the end made for a very tense dynamic. Ms. Truong noted all of the retreat feedback and will be sharing them at a future staff meeting.

There was no public comment.

B. Research committee priorities:
i. Supporting undocumented youth with employment programs which provide stipends, researching how the City can be liable for undocumented youth in youth employment programs

Commissioner Persky has been working on a draft resolution urging for the City to take responsibility of employing and supporting undocumented youth. He has forwarded over a very basic draft of his resolution to youth employment organizations for feedback and guidance. Commissioner Persky also shared that Jose-Luis Mejia from TAY-SF has invited him to participate in a community convener meeting to share outcomes and learned lessons from LYRIC and CHALK’s 2013 pilot programs, work together to create recommendations for the City to employ undocumented youth, and plan for a report back to present outcomes to wider City departments. Commissioners Kong, Bae, and Li were interested in learning more and participating in the community convener. Commissioner Persky will be working on finalizing the details of the resolution, and would like feedback from his peers when ready. Commissioners agreed to provide support with citations, data research, and interviews.

Public Comment: Mr. Alvin Woo noted that this committee has been trying to explore ways to work with undocumented youth for several years. Mr. Woo suggested that the committee look into what happens to DACA (deferred action for childhood arrivals) program approved youth, as the expiration for the 2 year program is fast approaching. He also urged commissioners to think about the bigger picture of immigration reform.

Commissioner Li expressed interest in following up with the Bay Area DACA collaborative. She suggested that the committee be more involved in wider community events and participation in meetings related to the national dialogue of immigration reform.

ii. Work on survey questions for immigrant youth

Commissioners Bae and Kong provided a more detailed presentation on their interest in surveying students taking ELL/ESL/Bilingual classes. Currently, newcomer program tracks are functioning at about five different SFUSD high schools. Commissioners Kong and Bae would like to explore this newcomer track. They shared the following questions that they have planned for administrators:
- Can non-immigrant students place into an English Language Learner (ELL) class?
- How are the placement tests conducted?
- How do you identify as a participant in the “newcomer” track?
- What is the difference between English as a Second Language (ESL) course vs. English Language Learner courses?
-What is the effectiveness and difference between Bilingual courses and Immersion programs?

Commissioners Bae and Kong would like to explore support services for immigrant students within SFUSD, and learn about opportunities to aid students in transitioning successfully into a standard high school class. Commissioner Kong has personal experiences with being on the newcomer track and believes that the experience for newcomer students in this track is lackluster, and programming needs significant improvement. Commissioners would like to continue working on their survey questions, and would seek collaboration with members of the Student Advisory Council.

6. Staff Report

Ms. Truong shared news articles related to CBAs, reminded commissioners of upcoming programmatic meetings, and ad-hoc issue based committees. Commissioners agreed to schedule time to stop by the office to individually work and conduct research on their priorities.

7. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 7:04 p.m.