San Francisco Youth Commission
Youth Employment & Immigration Committee
Minutes
Thursday, March 6, 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 5:06 p.m. Commissioners present: Li, Persky, Bae, Kong. There was quorum.

2. Approval of Agenda (Action Item)

There was no public comment. Commissioner Persky, seconded by Commissioner Bae moved to approve the agenda. This motion was approved by acclamation.

3. Approval of Minutes (Action Item)

A. Thursday, February 20, 2014
(Document A)

There was no public comment. Commissioner Kong, seconded by Commissioner Persky moved to approve the minutes to the meeting of February 20, 2014. This motion was approved by acclamation.

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

There were none.

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

A. Continue working on committee priorities

Commissioner Li shared the following update from APILO: deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) status does not expire in August 2014. There will be a renewal phase, but each individual will have a different window to renew based on when their DACA benefit was granted. There has been a lot of confusion around this, and APILO are working to update immigrant communities through outreach. Commissioners discussed how they can participate and support in the outreach process. Commissioners worked together to divide up upcoming work meetings with staff from Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (APILO). Commissioner Li shared updates from Christina Wong, staff at SFUSD, who is willing to meet with committee members to review the school’s DACA resources, as well as the Newcomer Pathway programs, and supportive services for English Language Learners and English as Second Language students. Commissioners agreed to some upcoming meeting dates.

Commissioner Li then facilitated a discussion to debrief the SF Summer Jobs+ presentation from Amy Thole, Matchbridge at the Monday, March 3rd full meeting. Committee members felt that a lot of their questions were not answered, and reviewed past SFSJ+ presentations. Commissioner Persky offered to send a follow up email with the following questions: With respect to undocumented youth, we would like to know how Summer Jobs+ plans on employing undocumented youth that aren’t a part of programs (DACA etc.) that allow them to get right to work documentation. Would this be a continuation/expansion of the program with Chalk & Lyric, or does Summer Jobs+ have other plans for the next year? Regarding the private sector, we wanted to know more about the process of recruiting and outreaching to the private sector each year. Additionally, how is Summer Jobs+ partnering with schools to make sure that educational experiences are linked with employment in the private sector? (As most public sector jobs also have educational components.) Is there also any follow-up to ensure that private sector employers check in on the wellness of the youth employees? (This currently happens in public sector programs.) What has been the evaluation so far, and has there been youth input/feedback on the organizations?

Ms. Truong then shared that Ms. Hydra Mendoza has offered to connect 1-2 Youth Commissioners a seat on a SFSJ+ planning committee. Commissioners requested that Youth Commissioner Monica Flores should be one of the two, as a college student, she may have flexibility during the day and can be an alternative member. Commissioner Li, as Chair of this committee, volunteered to join the planning committee.

Committee members spent the rest of the committee time working on survey questions for SFUSD Newcomer Pathway classes, and developing a draft proposal for hosting an offsite meeting for immigrant youth.

There was no public comment.

6. Staff Report

Ms. Truong shared some updates related to the many different Children’s Fund meetings the Youth Commission has been invited to participate in. She also shared updates from staff’s regular check ins with Ms. Mendoza related to ongoing initiatives in the Mayor’s office. Ms. Truong also provided some updates related to the free MUNI for youth campaign.

7. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 7:13 p.m.