>> welcome everyone. thank you so much for joining me today. the round table discussion. i actually have background in youth work. worked in china town before so having you four from youth commission join today is very interesting to hear your thoughts and concerns and what you are talking about from the youth commission and your generation your thoughts. let's get into it.

start with introductions. your name. grade rkts school. and what lead you to become into the youth commission? could start with emily. >> so, my name is emily, she her pronouns. (inaudible) in san francisco. and i joined the youth commission because growing up i relied on public transportation and a lot of community organizations such as (inaudible) and through these organizations they introduced me to a lot of community organizing movements happening and that is when i learned of the youth commission because my friend was also on it at the time and i was interested because i saw a benefited from a lot of public service in san francisco and wanted to insure all youth in san francisco could have opportunities to benefit from these services as well and these services would be available to everyone. that's when i applied to the youth commission and i joined and that's where i got to learn so much about like how local government works and

how i could contribute my voice to make better opportunities for all youth in san francisco. >> nice. how long have you been on the youth commission? >> i joined in 20 21 and this is my second term. >> normally the youth commission, what's the age range? >> youth ages 12-23. >> wow! you can be out of high school and on the commission? >> yeah. we have college students and we used to have middle school students on the youth commission too but now they are a freshman in high school. >> nice. awesome. >> (inaudible) >> ewen a senior at san francisco high school. i joined the youth commission. i had beener interested in san francisco politics freshman in high school and volunteered on local political campaign and district attorney election and got into that process, and from there did more campaigning and got into youth

advocacy and activism in the city. and from there i sort have (inaudible) city hall on certain issues and wanted to be on the flip side and see what i could do in city hall for young people and a voice for young people and are the youth commission was the perfect opportunity for that so why i decided to apply. thankfully i was appointed. >> great. how many years have you been on? >> second term as well so beginning september 2021. >> every turm is one year? >> yeah, because people age out so quickly and people go away for college so we try to make it like a school year roughly. >> okay. nice. thank you. >> hi. i'm hayden. i'm a junior this year at (inaudible) my first term on the commission but what drew me to it is like emily i have always been super

fascinated by public transportation. since i was two years old i had a baby sitter and she couldn't get a driver license so would take the bus everywhere and it was fascinating to see all the people and places i could go around the city and just as i got older i would explore more and more but realized that you know, like, it is not as simple as buses driving around and i can be involved in getting more buses out there, having more places to go to and like i think especially when the pandemic happened and all government meetings moved on line it was a lot more accessible for me so i was able to pgo and make public comment and see had all the presentations, see all the people on commissions and stuff and also had several friends who had been on the youth commission in the past so i just saw it as a great opportunity for me to advocate for young people, because i

feel we have a lot of needs and sometimes it isn't always represented. >> thank you. >> hi, i'm yoselin. a senior at urban school of san francisco. this is my first term in the youth commission. similar to everyone else said, i have been interested in politics and public policy and how legislation is made. i are worked for someone who worked with supervisor ronan, he really-i was fascinated with what he gets to do in his job and the issues he gets to work on and people he gets to speak. this is a great opportunity to test what you are interested in and so i applied and got in and very happy. >> how many total in the youth commission? one per district? >> yes, one per district and 5 from the mayor. >> there is 11

supervisor ones and 6 from mayor office, 5 of it which are specifically for minority community representation and one is appointee so 17 total. >> 17. great. >> (inaudible) one of the bigger commissions in the city, but because youth is everyone at some point in life, every community has youth, it is important to have enough seats to have a voice for communities and their different needs on the youth commission. >> for sure. let's get into the nitty-gritty of it. i really interested to hear some of the concerns that either the youth commission is talking about now or even you yourselves personally what concerns are you trying to like advocate for and stuff like that? who would like to start? >> i guess i can start. before joining the youth commission i'm involved in housing and mass incarceration

crimial justice system. i knew these were topics i wanted to discuss and bring up so i'm also on individual committees so two main topics is youth incarceration and substance abuse and gun violence and-yeah. those are the main issues we are talking about. >> for youth incarceration, what are some of the topics? is it more about the resources putting or not putting into it or is it- >> yeah. one main thing now is talking about juvenile justice center. forget the street. and, i think woodside and por tolla. >> it was supposed to be closed last year and has not because there is a lot of uncertainty about what is supposed to happen. i recently spoke to chief miller the probation officer at the center, so discussing ways we can support them to get that closed and have more equitable resources for the youth who are currently

inside still and relying on community members and families and friends instead of like abusive and harmful police officers and the justice system. >> is sthr racial disparities in the youth incarceration? >> yeah. what i heard from the meeting there is currently like 14 youth inside. they range in age but it is all like people of color and people from low income families who are usually the ones more involved in the crimial justice system. >> i read somewhere that like perhaps there could be more money put into the communities to help low income or kids being not targeted but don't have as much opportunities and end up in those places. >> yeah. >> versus putting

money in- >> i think it is better to fund organizations and programs. i think emily you mentioned you are in break through, i'm in the smart program help afford education and help get to college and teach them and offer activities so they have more resources and opportunities for their future. just like putting more money into programs activities and things that like shift youth experiences to a more positive one. >> any other concern? >> i can add on. i think you all said investing in youth early is really important rather then focus on punishment. i think that goes unsaid. break through helped so much in the education. if not for breakthrough and summer program jz tutorer and

mentorship they offered which my parents couldn't offer me i don't know where i would be. i think community organizations like break through and after school programs funded by the city are so important supporting youth early and insure they dont go down the wrong pact. coming from under resourced neighborhoods and first generation it was very hard to carve my own path so finding mentorship in organizations like this is important and crucial to my personal development. >> i say the science behind it too backs up the testimony. violence-i do a lot of work in gun violence prevention and programs are often more successful then police are in preventing gun violence in our city. obviously both are a part of the equation, but i think that we have seen a lot of investment. we have seen

them be quise successful and i know i am and think everyone on the commission is interested in looking how to support those programs and have them work specifically with youth as well and get young people into the program early before they have a opportunity to be put into these situations that cause violence to occur. >> yeah. >> i just say also like the education system plays a big part because it is great we have a lot of community organizations, but sometimes it can't always be the most accessible so one thing we are working on is expanding outreach and access so people know about these problems and also within our education system i was looking at data in regards to suspensions and expelgz and similar to juvenile justice center it is overwhelmingly student of color and lower income students effected by that as well as

students who are often miss school and there is a lot of reasons for that. some relate to transportation and such. it is just been exacerbated by have distance learning. not everybody had the same access to technology and such to stay connected and engaged in their education during that time. >> i'll add on, i feel when people think about issues like youth not attending school or not doing homework or committing these petty crimes, there is often a moralization and everyone is like they are just bad people. they have the wrong intentions, they are messing up the city, but i think it is just generally very important to investigate the root causes. a lot of these kids come from under resourced naerbd s and have-for a lot of people it is means of survival so so important to look beyond the surface and no there is no need to moralize these situations. these kids don't have other solutions

so it is important to look at the root cause and see how to address prevention rather then punishment and suspension and removal from school. >> it is funny talking about resources and schools. i'm often surprised how many good community organizations are like i don't know how to reach young people and i'm like have you been going to schools, the place where young people all have to pgo during the day? i think i also feel schools dont realize that they have the opportunity to provide resources to young people. they are allowed to connect with outside resources and bring them in and use them as well. that is something i'm hoping to encourage on the youth commission as well. >> right. usually it is outside -i dont want to say non profit but the-schools themselves are [multiple speakers] >> teachers have become social workers for young people.

>> which is why prop g is such a great proposition. i think it is $60 million. increases over time but $60 million goes to public schools for activities, classes, nurses, therapist to support students, which is great. which is what we need. >> yeah. just add on to that or the question, because i know high schools have counselors and probably i don't know if mental health specialists, but do middle schools and elementary schools in the city have that? >> i think it depends on the institution. i am very fortunate to go to private middle school and high school. i did go to public elementary school and there is a huge gap in education and resources available in public and private. i can't speak to that now. >> it has been a huge burden. recently both our school nurse and our school

wellness coordinator left and there was an iligez to the fact it was connected to the pay roll issues occurring with sfusd and not just that but they are already paid much less then other public school districts private school districts, like for nurses if they were to work somewhere else so it is really hard to attract people to work in these schools and we don't budget enough positions in the first place. now we have 7 school counselors for like a body of 3,000 kids and you can think of the kids that have questions about college and classes to take to graduate. it is just not enough resources in the schools. i went to sfusd middle school and we had one counselor for each grade level, but it just really isn't enough and a lot of schools-it kind of-there is pto

or lowel-able to fund a second librarian or nurse the full week opposed to 2 and a half days so if you get injured monday, you got a nurse, but tuesday you are out of luck. that's something happening in the schools and i just feel that is crazy because they don't have a affluent enough pta to fund the nurse. that should be basic. we shouldn't have to ask for donations to fund a school nurse. >> that ties into the mental health issues people are facing. covid was detrimental to everyone but especially young people who spnt hours a day online and away from mental health support in a really difficult time and i think people are beginning to realize now how important those services are. i think there is work to do but

advocase hads been relatively successful in san francisco getting more support for mental health but there is a huge gap we are now catching up with. it was never priority before the pandemic and beginning to become one now but there are so many young people struggling and waiting for support and frankly often falling through the cracks of the system that is supposed to help them. >> yeah. speaking from an older person, no mental helt what so ever in anything growing up so to talk in the progress is like huge, but of course it isn't enough still. >> there is also stigma depending on your race and religion whether mental health is a real thing. >> and also what your mental health condition is too. >> right. >> i think mental health issues always existed but

the pandemic brought to light all the really bad things happening. not exacerbated i feel no one was talking about mental health before the pandemic and i think often times like you said, a lot of the services are not offered in school so i think in general there is a wide disconnect from students and services, whether that is service in schools or community organizations. all these services exist but students don't know how to access them so there needs to be a better way to connect students to everything that can support them. >> another concern possibly-you brought up gun violence, is that another concern you all have? >> just i think just yesterday the new york times posted a story about how it is officially over-taken any other cause for deaths for young people in the united states . >> 19 percent. >> it used to be car deaths and now number one is gun violence.

>> gun violence. also the racial disparities there are incredible too. and concerning. i do a lot of work on gun violence prevention. of course there is need for federal action. we are not go toog solve the gun violence crisis until we see senate and house pass safety legislation that prevents gun getting in the hands of dangerous people but there are actions on the local and state level. eve enin california even in liberal san francisco that can help save lives, particularly around things like safe storage of guns. i wrote a resolution on the commission urging all san francisco schools to send home safe storage information and just recently a stay law passed that require schools to send home safe storage information for firearms. violence intervention programs are incredibly important to help end this crisis:

building the community relations. and also mental health is a big part. access to a gun increases-i dont know what the statistic is off the top of my head, but gun (inaudible) in killing the person then any other form of suicide and it is so irreversible. that access to guns can exacerbate the issues too and someone who might be struggling today and tomorrow but in two years from now would be in a much better place with support and medication they need there is a irreversebal thing they can do with a gun then they can in other ways of hurting themselves. >> is it the norm to have drills at school? >> yeah. it is scary having to like go through that process. >> the data actually-it is unclear but also pretty clear that having these drills

doesn't actually save lives. we now in the united states have enough data points of school shootings in schools that have lock down drills and that don't have lock down drills that frankly doesn't make much a difference. there are other policies and things we could work on that are less traumatizing to kids as well that would be better use of time and resources then lock down trills. not advocating against them, but i think that isn't where our focus should necessarily be. >> haven't done it this year. it is interesting because i just think our school campus we have so many kids and people wander on and off. i are try not to think about it, but it is a thought in my head, anybody can wander on to here. >> i think it is crazy. ever since sandy hook i

literally started doing lock down drills in third grade before i even started sex ed. i think growing up and having to do that every year was really traumatizing. this could happen to me any day so it is scary and seeing gun violence get worse as i grow up not even an adult it is terrifying. >> too many times i walked out of school and checked my phone and see a story of kids like me in a classroom like me all day being shot and killed in the classroom. it is astonish to walk of the last class of the day and check the news and see that whether it is in michigan and texas and here in california, relatively random it was that school. it very much could have been your school. that is something we can't-there is a feeling of helplessness around that too i think. >> there was the story about the kid campaigning

for (inaudible) he got shot. >> 13 year old i believe. >> campaigning for warnack. i have been the kid in freshman year volunteering on a local political campaign and lots of people dont like campaigns. that is reasonable, i get it. having a gun in the situation made that 10 times worse. >> right. yeah. >> i was like not knocking on doors just like walking up and hanging door fliers this election and in the back of my head, i thought about what if somebody like thinks i'm stealing a package or break into their house? >> (inaudible) >> especially i feel in some more afffluent neighborhoods i see next door, they are like this teenager is walking up to my door and must be up to no good. it was a thought in my head. i was like

dang, maybe it isn't a gun, maybe it is a dog or they have something on me. >> this is not-i think people think we are in san francisco, we don't have the issue as much. especially in poor communities and communities of color, this is a consistent issue that we are still facing and a lot has to do with the fact san francisco policies don't cover parts of the state and country as well. san francisco lead the way with the ghost gun ban. ghost guns are guns you can buy online and put together yourself that don't require a serial number which gets rid of any system of keeping track of guns we have in the country, and we were the first city to actually make that illegal and in california fallowed through with that as well. selling of that was illegal. it is things like that, all these ways gun manufacturers and gun industry

is going around the policies that we put in place that is continuing the issue. especially with the gun violence we see on the e streets every day. there are school shootings acrauz the country and many more kids shot walking home because they live in a community of color that had this consistent issue. it is an astonishing thing and it uniquely american issue as well. >> i guess as the youth commission, what actually do you feel you could bring up or advice-because obviously there are many topics that have a lot of issues, but the gun violence just hits home i everyone, especially for me and everything. as a youth commission, how do you go about that? >> well, i don't know much about the ghost gun ban but our job is advice the mayor and

board of supervisors on issues related to youth. we can't solve the issue of gun violence in a night, two nights but i think what we can do is urge local policy makers to take action and i think by the local government taking action we can inspire the state government, inspire the federal government and that is how change works so i think everything we can do to inspire our local elected officials to take action on things like the ghost gun ban can inspire more counties and states and just the world in general. >> we can bring up any topic. any issue to the board of superrisers and the mayor and whether they take our recommendation or not, we can still push them and urge them to do something about it, so they can't ignore us, they have to realize this is what the youth are writing about and what they like us to do, we have to do something. >> it is fun because the youth commission in san francisco and

relatively unique to san francisco as well. it is part of our city charter so they legally can't ignore us. they don't have to take our recommendations [multiple speakers] they have to read the resolutions and talk about the issues and think most people in san francisco are open to work wg the youth commission. there is power behind that and that is where a lot of advocacy work we do gets its power. >> also, there is many board of supervisors care about us and care about the work that we are bringing up, so it isn't like they are just not reading our-or caring. they actually do care about the issues and read them and consider them. >> it is really unique, because a lot of supervisors just like reach out to us and are like hey, what do you feel about bike parking and they care about what you say. >> they offer resources or do you want to speak to this person or let me introduce you

to this organization. they really do want to help us continue our work and really expand what we know. >> the mayor recognizes me places now. that is how you know you are making a im pact, that is that kid. her office is very open to work wg the youth commission as well and i appreciate-i don't think i can think of a supervisor or mayor office that isn't open to us and listening to our concerns. >> it isn't like they just want to take our feedback for their benefit, they want to help you grow as a person. multiple offices offered me internships and different opportunities to be in this ad or help write this legislation or be in the video and that is unique because they want to see you grow as a person and follow all your dreams. literally the senator was asking what college i wanted to go to and if they

could help in any way so very sweet. >> sometimes i look at the youth commission and like, these people are going to be on the board of supervisors in 20 years. this is good we are learning now and doing this now, because we are the next generation of leaders of the city. i really do believe that. of the country. >> any other concerns? >> i think big issue we are also thinking about is young people and it is kind of upon us in some ways but climate change. there is talk recently about the great highway and we will have to close a portion of it in 2025 because it is literally crumbleing into the ocean. this is real and here now. there is a lot of the city is very ambitious when it comes to setting vision and policies. we have vision zero that in two years i think at this point we want to eliminate all traffic fatalities

of people walking across the street, get hit by a car and essentially made no progress since it started. we want 20percent of trips in the city people making them by bicycle and we are just not making any progress on all these goals we set out in terms of climate change so it can be frustrating but that motivates me. we set what our values are and how we make sure our policies and decisions we make day to day, make sure those align with what we are actually saying that we value. >> and that's replicated across so many issues of san francisco. we love to be this progressive icon but sometimes when you get down to the nitty-gritty we are not making the progress on issues we need. we are not setting the transformative policies that need to be done. transit is a great example with vision zero. >> i agree. i think the city can be very

performative and also like-it is like they say they want one thing but they completely do something else and that just gets by-pass and don't think that is okay. also, i think specifically with climate change and transportation, there are so many neighborhood disparities people dont talk about like under resourced communities experience the climate change a lot worse then other communities and growing up in the bayview and excelsior and living near freeways and experiencing pollution and not able to bike in my neighborhood in fear of a car crash because of the narrow streets t is really horrible. we can't fix the issue in the weltier communities how do we help the under served communities that experience the brunt of it? i also think people are so resistant to change. especially with the slow streets program which we have been looking into as a committee on the youth commission. the housing recreation and transit

committee. we (inaudible) benefited youth in the city specifically overall, but still the mayor and other elected officials are resistant to it and afraid of change because we are such a car dominated city and think it is important to be optimistic about the future and be realistic but also like slow streets are helpful. this can actually get to where we want to go in terms of the climate goals and people need to consider that. >> it is kind of like in a sense feel a chicken and egg problem because before i used to be somebody that is mad like i don't understand why are people stuck in their cars but i feel a lot of issue, that is the system. we set up a system that if it will take me a hour to take the bus across town or i will be all most hit by a car biking down a 40 mile per hour road, the obvious choice is to drive. that is the system we set up so it is hard to convince people that we know

this is system and understand why you drive. we are not saying you are a bad person because you drive because there i think there are people out there who are like you are a horrible person because you drive a car and you are killing all the turtles and the children. that's the system we have, so we need to show people that there is a better way and we can get there and it will take a lot of time and there will be inconvenience but in the long run, if we sit and never change it isn't going to work. there has to be a little bit of inconvenience change, people will feel uncomfortable but if we stay stagnant it isn't going to work. >> i think that's something that the youth commission has been pretty big on making people uncomfortable. elected officials [multiple speakers] i think specifically with free muni for all youth which the youth commission helped create. of course the sfmta

was super uncomfortable and like how will we pay for transit for all youth. youth cant afford fares or drive how do you spect them to pay to get to school and their job and since we proposed it we have seen so many positive im pacts. youth and hop and ride for free. they have access to so many opportunities and i think that is so important. making people uncomfurtable and showing change is good and being resisant to change is unhethy. it makes us go in the wrong direction so making people uncomfortable and doing our job to hold them accountable creates positive im pact for the youth in the city. >> i think we make each other uncomfortable too. >> you mean ear each other? >> i remember-we do a retreat before we begin every year to see where people's priorities are and meet each other and we

had intentional uncomfortable conversations recognizing the privilege people hold, recognizing the backgrounds people have and how that impact s how they view the world as well. and think that is important and often missing from the conversations we have in the city. i often see two different groups about housing is the ultimate issue. people on one side saying we have issues of not approving and building more housing and people on the other side saying i'm concerned my neighborhood will get gent riifyed and lack of dialogue and be uncomfortable stops the progress. we have so many unnecessary divides in the city especially in politics are the reason the issues are not being addressed. people in san francisco agree on the solution. we want to see less

homelessness, less crime on the street, we want to see more people getting the services they need and more people getting stable housing, but because we are not willing to sit down with each other and made the strong divisions and so resistant to changing and changing our opinion as well i think that is a reason we are seeing so many san franciscans especially within the last couple elections have expressed this we keep voting on the issues. every politician promises to solve the problem in their own way but it is never getting solved. >> we also see people moving out of san francisco because we can't fix the problems. and those cities are being also like having more housing problems as well. >> to add on, i think from not even two years i have been involved in san francisco politics i see so many patterns. the same prop every year and named a

different prop. there is no change. that is why it is important to sit together and have conversation like this and i think that is why being involved in politics as youth has been such an enlighting experience. i it is uncomfortable but i think discomfort brings positive changeism i find arguing with other youth commissionsers. i realize blind sfauts and where i can im prove by listening to other people and think why youth involvement in politics is important because you are exposed to different perspective and your own perspective and it-you are like why do i think like that and have this opinion? that is a way i have grown on the youth commission, being involved in the really intense discourse in san francisco and try to find myo perspective and being introspective with myself and other people. >> people are often ask me why

are more young people not involved in san francisco politics ? there are a lot of people doing activism and organizing, young people in san francisco, but because when we have these conversations we try to put people into these groups like moderate and progressive and that isn't how issues work and that is such a toxic environment particularly fl young person who is also still trying to learn as well. i think i felt that on the youth commission. not between ourselves but outside the youth committee being put into a box and i am like i dont know where i lie. a big part of the youth commission is learning about the issues. i don't come on the youth commission with a opinion on every issue. i had to do research and talk to people and hear different opinions in order to determine how i felt about something. we

often don't give people the space to do that. >> i think in san francisco politics there is a need to put labels on people and especially i see with the whole board of ed stuff with the low admission policy, i remember i was in a internship and they reallyb expected me to have opinions right away about how i felt about issues. i'm a ayouth and learning how to have my own perspect and engage. i think with the low admission there is a thing like if you believe we should do lottery emission then you are progressive but if not you are moderate. i think the labeling is bad because confining people in a box makes you question-that's not healthy discourse. you are labeling them. that is toxic. >> and there are only two options. we can do- >> politics isn't multiple choice. >> i think the low admission

system is problematic but doesn't mean i want to get rid of it entirely. there is middle ground and im provements that could be made and we dont allow for that. >> do you guys feel as youth especially with climate change i guess, but is a lot of pressure as youth to-not that you solve it but it is your problem? do you feel more pressure? >> of course. i feel there is a problem with putting all the pressure on people instead of company who are the most responsible for toxic air emissions and things like that. telling us to stop using plastic straws but the big companies use plastic bags and plastic containers. there is a definitely pressure on youth to fix the problem because the older people are like we will not by in the world much longer, so why do we have to fix anything?

>> crazy how connected every issue is. i was in richmond the ort day which is very under served community and they center the big chevron refinely and smoke in the air and with the free way is by. i think everything is so connected and we need to do so much. when we talk earlier about people getting to school, transportation is a big part and free muni. everything is interconnected. it is crazy. it is like hard sometimes to-i know this is a issue we need to do something about it but it is hard to really-you do need to figure out the root cause of everything and-but i think what yoselin said is true. it is hard to like when there is a drought and they tell me shave a minute off my shower, i'm like okay, but there are all these people growing

live stock and agriculture using millions tons more water. in some ways i understand there is a personal aspect to it, but we need more big policy changes. i can't solve this alone and think that is something the commission shows is really like-i didn't come into this work as a part of any big groups or organizations, i was just kind of like doing my own thing and then like kind of like when the pandemic happened there was kind of like this like coalition of people came together to like save muni service and that is when i thought we were getting results and i'm like, this has to be something we all like come together and work on. i think young people actually like realize that and that's one of the great things is we see this is like a horrible thing, but in some ways unifys us. we all have to deal with this

problem so we need to work with each other and move past any labeling of i don't like this person because they are a moderate and i'm a progressive. it is kind of uniting in a weird way. >> to add to hayden's point, that is why individualism is a big problem in the capital ist society because everyone is like you can do this by yourself and be successful and solve the world problem but since i joined the youth commission i have been introduced to people power. we are so much more power when we are collective and work together and think about the system rather then our own self-and the youth system taught me to think beyond myself and the world in general. that is something so unique i never found in any other institution. that is why people should teach kids in school. they should teach them to graduate, make as much money as possible, do whatever you want, buy the biggest

house, a mansion, make a family. they should teach kids to feel responsible for the world and im pact they make on the world and that is what the youth commission taught me and it has been the most meaningful life lessen i learned. >> it is funny how often an adult will come up to me or in the youth commission in general and say i'm so glad you are the future. you will solve our problems. you will be part of the solution. these people work in city government too. your job is to solve the issues. i'm part of the solution too, but you can't just give that to our generation. that is expectation we feel the im pact of climate change so therefore we need to solve it. we can't solve gun violence until young people demand it from the state legislators. you need to be part of the solution too. we need to bridge the gap between youth and adults as well. a big thing i believe in

is coalition building across divides. there are things that yoselin and i don't don't agree on and with vote against each other. at the same time we need to work hand in hand to solve the issues we do. and like hayden was saying, there is a thing i dont want to work with this person because we disagree on this issue. >> you need that. >> you can disagree on the issue and also agree on this issue and need to work together to get it done. >> i think that is another thing with teaching youth these things in schools. these are really important life skills. leadership is important life skill. collaboration across divides is important life skill and taught me so much as a person being able to debate with all these different people. me and you argue a lot, but- >> we are great friends by the way. >> we are really great friends but have been able to do meaningful things together and that is something we should include in the education system

challenging youth to think beyond their own perspective and work with people they disagree with and i think leadership opportunities like that should be provided all across the city so we can cultivate the next generation of leaders that will change the world. >> there is this term that being used a lot by the younger generation. it is funny for sure, and but i want to ask what does okay boomer, that term, what does that mean? what is the meaning? obviously i don't know if you can explain where it came from, but what does it mean and really mean i guess, if there is a real meaning to it. anybody want to explain what okay boomer is? >> kind of a millennial thing i think. >> i don't know. i'm somebody who is on twitter and see it a lot there. it is like- >> any social media platform you see it. >> it is something that we'll say in response to-sometimes

there is a lot of we do face people or adults who they might straight up disagree with us, but they might be people who they say they agree and say i really want to help you and do the opposite. they don't really put their money where their mouth is so to speak, so it is like calling them out like okay--i think it is kind of like seeing sometimes people say look at you, you guys are all entitled or the lazy generation or whatever and they see us as being rude to them by saying okay boomer, but the realty is, it is kind-they dont value us. i don't get respect from you so why am i going to go and support whatever you want or agree with whatever you say? i feel like-there is this weird twisted power

structure. they always tell you respect your elders but you don't respect me, so-- >> there is a huge gap between adults and youth now a days. they like don't like care about our ideas or think you are still too young. we had more life experiences. we have been in school longer and seen more so you don't understand and can't speak about this. that might be maybe true but also our opinions matter and we have been through things and seen things and you should like care about our opinions as well. okay, boomer. >> interesting, it is a funny neme but speaks to the issue of how much space our different generations taking up in the conversation and gen z is willing to demand space then others and political movements. >> gen-z is-late 90 to

early 2010? >> yeah are. i think everyone on the youth commission now is gen z. >> gen z has stereo type of, never experienced no internet. >> addicted to technology. very loud. >> yeah. they also say a social justice warrior. >> yeah. [laughter] >> some of the stereo types. >> the best thing gen z when needed we come together and unit and fight for what we need and want. >> just fed up. i think there is a push within our generation to be like guys, this is so dumb. adults arguing over the issues, 40, 50 years and so over it and need to move on and solve the issues instead of talk about them and think that is true on the local state and national

level and globally. >> i was just going to say, i feel like the term okay boomer is a justification for the massive divides that exist between our generations and we have seen that because there are so many technology advancements happening so it is created wide divides between us and the generation before us but i don't think using the term is a okay to justify that. we don't have to work with these people. we do have to work with these people to achieve meaningful change. these people make the decisions that effect our every day lives and if they don't have perspective how we are im pacted no change will get made and i think that is quhie why the youth commission is so important because the mayor district supervisors, they make decisions on everything that effect our lives so why it is important to have a voice in city hall because they need to work for us to create better outcomes for all youth in san francisco. >> i think it is

important to recognize there is a lot we have to learn as well. i think part of okay boomer can be dismissive of generational knowledge that we need to get as well. i think it is possible to both demand change from a generation and learn lessens from them at the same time. >> right. >> has anyone said it? >> i never used it. >> we use it as a joke. >> we use it against each other. i don't think i have been told a person okay boomer. >> i thought it in my head. i feel a lot of times there is a like thing where like it is like a form of like gas lighting. we have a personal experience and like that's my experience and i'll share that with people and the first thing they tell me is stats dont support that. my experience doesn't support that. that shouldn't have happened and try to dismiss me. my personal experience can't possibly be valid because they have done research that may or may not be valid. maybe their

research didn't include youth so there is no way the research included my perspective. they will invalidate me. i don't say to them. i don't want to be super rude but i'm like uh-huh, uh-huh. sure. that is what you think. >> i think also for like career expectations one thing i love about the youth and younger people is that we dont let companies--how do i say this (inaudible) we have more salary expectations. that is sometimes companies give you the low ball and people are like, no, we want transparns and want to get paid what we need to get paid because minimum wage living and you can't afford to live in a city with hundred thousand dollars you need to live well, so i think that for careers it is also which career will give us the most money to

survive in this world. which is tech comes in and stem. >> interesting too, there is-very tabu to share your salary but becoming encouraged. i would feel very comfortable-i don't make a salary but post college i think it is important especially as a white male to share the information with others to be aware of disparities and rectify them as well. that might be a generational thing too. i feel it was taboo to talk about your economic situation. we complain a lot about it. we also grow up in a time of incredible inflation. literally everything is so expensive and my parents are like how does it cost $5 for a cup of coffee? i'm like let me tell you about books in college. >> everything is

expensive. >> it is weird, i work for the city in a job outside of this and like, i don't know, i just like think it is like cool because it just list the salary when you apply i looked at other jobs and like wait that isn't the standard they don't tell you how much you get paid? somebody was telling me about buying a car and the weirdest thing in our society we are like go to the car dealership and it isn't the price, it is quhoo is the best negotiator. it is a weird thing. i just want simple. i want to walk in and know how much i pay. >> i think i feel aware of the value of my work. especially doing this work as well which is demanding and hard and unpaid because of just how the city is set up. i love it. knowing the value of the skills you have and being willing to say that's not a high enough salary for me. i need

to live off--especially if you have a degree. that's just not what i'm worth and think people in gen z are willing to be aware how the system is taking advantage of people and like low balling them basically and much more willing to stand up to that and because i think there is also this personal dynamic where it is like if i was talking to a employer i would be much more willing to say i know you are not low balling me intentionally. like what you said. [laughter] but the system is. >> to add on r i love the youth commission. i love the work we do and it is a really fulfilling job and i would love to find a job like this some time after i graduate college. >> i see myself being a staff member. >> it is also a privilege to be able to know what you want to do and to be able to

pursue that because if i wanted to do writing or something because i reading and writing, i probably would want be able to do that because i'm first generation, parents are immigrants and don't make that much money and don't have the line of generational wealth t. is a privilege to do your job and what you love and public service is pretty well pay-it is privilege and think being able to consider that and having privilege to do something like this and having the time right now i'm really grateful for that but not everyone can do that because they don't have time and have to consider salary more then we do. now we are just checking on-is this going to make me enough so i can go shopping but these are really important jobs people rely on their lives for. >> we talked about-is there a stigma about youth in politics and- >> for sure. >> do you feel it or do you feel it at all? >> i feel there is

little like-i dont know if micro aggression is the right term. i got a permit to use the bike room from city hall and i filled out the form and the lady was looking at me and was like, you work here? i'm like yeah, i don't have a city e-mail address but can i write my employee id number. she is like, you have those, that is cute. she wouldn't talk to an adult like that. she wouldn't say you have employee id that is cute. i was like wow, in that moment. i don't want to tell too many stories. >> sometimes they don't take you seriously because you are a young person. >> i remember walking into supervisors office, we were inviting-legislative aids and a couple times they are like, hello. they are like, why are you here? i'm like this is a public office so everyone can walk into and second of all, we are commissioners. that is the reason we are here.

>> i have been called cute so many timeatize is unbelievable. i'm like man, i'm just trying to do my job. i remember there was a interesting debate i had with this guy. we were doing a trash cleanup and it was me and this other dude talking about this book we read about youth involvement in politics. i said i don't think youth should be involved in government because they will be sad and disallusioned how much the government can't do. i'm like-i tried my best to argue with him very respectfully but that is such a bad take because i think youth should be taught to be optimistic rather then pessimistic where we can go in the future but a lot of adults think otherwise. a lot of adults believe the same things he believes. they think youth should just do their little thing, go to school, have fun- >> if you are not creating change why are you there? for

the money? >> there is also issue the youth commissioners felt of tokenization and being like a politician with-photo op- [multiple speakers] look at the youth leader i'm promoting and are they leave and there is no mentorship. there is big difference between mentorship and tokenization. i think we do a relatively good job in city hall. i think most people care about us and (inaudible) but there are times too where i'm like from people who i think of as people who are mentors who are like you just want me here to stand next to you for a photo opand don't think i'm will ing to do that without having a conversation with you about this issue. >> you can tell when meeting someone or being at an event when they are just

like using you versus if they actually care what you have to say. >> i think as a youth commissioner, it is so important to find the balance between being used for tokenization but also using that clout. you should take advantage of it. >> you are standing next to the elected official. >> it gives the youth commission more prominence and if it helps us do our job mine as well. it is important to find balance and make sure you are not taken advantage of. >> something else that is interesting is-i feel like i mentioned earlier but i feel like i didn't have any training. i have my own experience. >> before you continue, just saying you do not need experience to come into the youth commission position which i feel sometimes is the- >>b i have no experience in politics. >> push people not to want to apply for the job because i don't know anything about local government and won't know how

do this or that but you don't need it. >> you don't get thrown on a commission. there are people to support and educate you. >> i do feel in some ways i'm expected to know a concern thing or behave the way like the political machine kind of wants me to and you know, be professional and smile when the presenter is obviously like lying to me and stuff and thank them for coming and like, that's just not me. don't feel you will disrespect me and lie to me and then expect me to be nice because i am supposed to be nice to you. i feel people feel they can get away and that i'm not go toog call them out or not supposed to call them out as a young person. i'm supposed to thank you so much for your time. thanks for valuing my poor youth commission. no, i don't know-i just feel you wouldn't lie to the board of

supervisors like that or if you did you would get called out so i'll call you out. there is this expectation we are supposed to behave like-not saying we shouldn't be professional, we should be professional but i expect the same professionalism back. i don't want to be, yes. >> there have been times people come to the youth commission and are think they forget we are ultimately here to hold the city government accountable. >> an employee of the city. >> that and also it is like, the job of the youths commission is to be a voice for youth. we are going to call you out when you don't know if lie is the words to use, fudge the number, whatever happens. there have been times where i'm like, you forgot this isn't just a group of young people who are interested in this, but a commission who job is to hold people accountable. >> i think the image of youth in the city is also just really interesting because some people

will be like, you dont do any knowledge, they hang out and get (inaudible) they just sit and play video games. a lot of people come into youth commission presentations thinking we don't know anything. we will surprise them when we know these procedures and ask the specific questions related to policies on whatever they are presenting on. it is funny. >> so, is it i guess not youth commission but in general as youth is it a challenge to get more youth interested in politics and anything the youth commission is try toog do to help that? >> i think just bringing more awareness of what the youth commission is and the resources available for people to sign up and join. that is something that our community outreach members are trying to do. >> yeah. last year i was (inaudible) and we did this thing where we made instagram posts about the

initiatives we worked on. we detailed the initiatives and free (inaudible) able to put the work on social media and legislation on social media is important because it teaches youth that you can have a voice in all these city policies that are effecting your lives and a voice in the big movements and think making the youth commission as accessible to avenue everyone as possible is important. >> (inaudible) >> vote 16 is an initiative by the civic engagement committee of the youth commission and works to lower the voting age to 16 age in all city elections- >> san francisco specifically. >> san francisco city elections. it is actually received a lot of support from the board of supervisors, but lost my nearly 3 percent in the first election in 2016- >>.5 >>.5 in the next election. we are working to get it on the 2024 ballot again with more voter education, more outreach because we believe it

is important youth get involved in voting early because it instills a habit that voting is important. >> i think-i touched on this before, but a lot of young people are interested in politics but also scared to get involved because of how toxic it can be. i feel like i also heard from so many young people their first interaction with politics was negative so they were steered away from it. i had plenty situations happen to me with political activism but i think the environment we have on the youth commission and trying to create more generally within youth advocacy and activism in san francisco is positive and supportive. all of us have different opinions, have different views on issues, and voted different ways but i also know i can go to any of the people around the table and on the youth commission to say this was a bad

experience that i felt x, y, z about or i am in the situation, can we talk about it, because we all are in the same boat of sometimes things don't go our way and because we are young people we have certain experiences we want to share with each other as well. >> i think what is interesting about the youth commission is you don't need to know much about politics to be on the youth commission. my perception of it was that i need to know all of these u.s. amendments and need (inaudible) i think that is what a lot of people think the youth commission is. that you need abundance of political knowledge to be on the youth commission but i realized it was less political. a lot of community coalitions and just speaking from your own perspective and where you come from as a youth for better outcomes for everyone in san francisco and i think that is important because it is like, i think the discussions in the youth commission encourage people to talk about

where they come from and what they truly believe rather then affiliation to a political party. that is not what the youth commission is at all. >> i remember when i was applying to the youth commission, i reached out to (inaudible) i don't know anything about politics and scared. what will happen during the first meeting and you were like no, you will be fine and learn along the way and that is for any youth who want to get involved you dont need to go anything. you will be trained and taught along the way so take initiative, join it, don't be scared. >> also people get turned down from the youth commission. the supervisor jz mayor decides. there are other opportunities to get involved. reach out to youth commission staff. the youth commission seats people on other bodies and outside the youth commission as a whole another area of politics and policy work as well. i also say anyone watching this being i don't know if i want to be on the youth commission or i want applied but didn't get on, there is still so many ways to get involved. we have a website you can find

our information on. i really encourage that because you don't get started until you get started and once you get started you keep going and end up in a seat like this. >> i think it is so funny because involvement in politics is a little ball rolling. there is a million little balls rolling and opportunities. it is just crazy actually because the first thing i did is internship where i cleaned the streets in san francisco and now i'm like on the youth commission. >> (inaudible) if you are not sherbet the youth commission or not accepted to first time volunteer for the district supervisors, try to form a relationship with them or who ever is in the office and apply again to the youth commission. >> i think the other thing too is like, as much as there are people involved, there are a lot of people who aren't and it is a great opportunity because

i feel the biggest thing-you don't have to know anything special. you don't need to have learned anything. just show up and live your experience. you don't need to be on the city commission. we have our meetings are open to the public. you can show up to the board of supervisors and make public comment and speak your truth. just know your own experience and it will get you pretty far honesty. people will recognize you. i was just some little kid who would go to the mta board of directors and are- >> now they know you. >> i was at a random event and they came up to me and hugged me and are like my gosh, you are hayden miller from the meeting. i felt somebody. i'm like wow, these people know me and they don't always vote the way i want them to vote, but they listen and they hear you and that's what government is there for. just remember at the end of the day, it might not always go the your way, the way government works,

but for you that is the whole purpose of government is to serve you, so- >> the youth commission has public comment on every item and every motion we ever make. every city commission does. our meetings are open to the public. we want to make space for you. we want to hear from you. please come, share your opinion and you can also even if you can't make a meeting you can write public comment in too. i say especially at the-it is hyper-local the youth commission. we only represent young people in one specific area and one specific state so that is where your public comment will have the most im pact. a couple times people reached out and said this is a issue i didn't know needed to be addressed but it was because i reached out that this is something relatively easy we could address and change too. it isn't a big deal for city government but it is big deal for this person. >> adding to hayden's point, i think city hall is pretty youth

friendly because ewen was talking about running into city hall at 5 p.m. i have multiple occasions where i run down trying to get to the bathroom in city hall and an elected official would pass by or i'm holding a big bag of snacks. i think professionalism is important but like hayden was saying it is important to speak your truth and be yourself because coming into city hall, i didn't know anything about city politics. all i knew is i cared about these organizations, i cared about all these issues and i wanted to make a difference and people here really believed in me regardless how prfessional or elquent i was. they mentored me and come a long way. it is important a place like this is accessible for youth because people have offered me professional clothe to go to this event and they offered me opportunities to like speak on panels and have speeches in front of crowds of 200

people and i'm shocked people believe in my. that is what san francisco city government is and it is beautiful. >> everyone in the building is still like a person. i remember the first time i met with an elected official and was like i'm nervous and what if i say something wrong and they came in and was like i'm tired from the last meeting. give me a second while i get a cup of coffee. there are moments where i'm like, it really like-we ultimately are still just students who spend most of our day in high school. elected officials are still people who make mistakes and who are doing their best and who have been entrusted with this position by voters, but also are still people who you can relate and talk to. >> i think before i would see city government as like blocks. they were machines but it is people operating these machines. people are making decisions and writing

these documents and i think realizing that was so important understanding how i make a voice. i think a lot of the role on the commission isn't research, it isn't writing, it is just connecting with people. understanding that city government is all just people and making realizing how important the connections are. it really helps you in your work. >> really realwy appreciate you all coming today. i learned a lot from you all. please please always keep saying your truth, your voice and also encouraging other youth to share their voice as well and i think-we always think we are in good hands but we got to keep fighting the good fight so matter what so thank you for joining us today. >> (inaudible) follow sfyouth-calm. >> we have facebook too. >> we meelt every

other monday 5 to 7. >> thank you to sfgovtv as well. >> thank you so much. >> awesome. thank you. >> thank you. >> the stewardship program is a (indiscernible) based program. we work with student kind r garten

through 12 grade and work with scrks fusd and (indiscernible) focus on 5 themes. sense of place, plant adapation and animal adaptation, water soil or (indiscernible) depending on the grade level and accommodations the class may need the educators work to adapt the programming to be whatever works best for the class, so they can gain activities (indiscernible) some don't, we try to meet students where they are at and get comfortable connecting in the space and feeling a sense of ownership and safety within their (indiscernible) >> the first component of a youth stewardship program trip will be a in clasds visit where we go to the school, we give a presentation on the natural history of san francisco, we talk about the concept of a habitat, so what does a habitat contain, understood, water,

shelter, space. >> children at this age, they learn best through using their senses, having the real life experience and (indiscernible) students also learn about responsibility and it is a great message for student to learn, if you take care of environment, the environment will take care of you. >> so, when we finally get the kids outside, we have two main components to the field trips. one is going to be the restoration component where we are working on the habitat and parks by pulling out (indiscernible) or maybe watering, and then the other side of our trip is going to be the educational component, which can range from a nature walk with a sensory theme where we are talking about what we smell

and hear, to a focus on plant adaptation and animal adaptations. >> (indiscernible) >> just a great opportunity for students to learn more, connect with nature, and hopefully what they learn from the youth stewardship program they can take with them for the rest of their lives, and they will appreciate their environment more. hopefully, when they appreciate it, they take care of it more every day. >> (indiscernible) >> so every year we open the application up in the fall. interested teachers can apply for a classroom visit and up to two field trips to the city park of their choice. field trips are 2 and a half hours long and like i said, they can happen in any city park

>> the bicycle coalition was

giving away 33 bicycles so i applied. i was happy to receive one of them. >> the community bike build program is the san francisco coalition's way of spreading the joy of biking and freedom of biking to residents who may not have access to affordable transportation. the city has an ordinance that we worked with them on back in 2014 that requires city agency goes to give organizations like the san francisco bicycle organization a chance to take bicycles abandoned and put them to good use or find new homes for them. the partnerships with

organizations generally with organizations that are working with low income individuals or families or people who are transportation dependent. we ask them to identify individuals who would greatly benefit from a bicycle. we make a list of people and their heights to match them to a bicycle that would suit their lifestyle and age and height. >> bicycle i received has impacted my life so greatly. it is not only a form of recreation. it is also a means of getting connected with the community through bike rides and it is also just a feeling of freedom. i really appreciate it. i am very thankful. >> we teach a class. they have to attend a one hour

class. things like how to change lanes, how to make a left turn, right turn, how to ride around cars. after that class, then we would give everyone a test chance -- chance to test ride. >> we are giving them as a way to get around the city. >> just the joy of like seeing people test drive the bicycles in the small area, there is no real word. i guess enjoyable is a word i could use. that doesn't describe the kind of warm feelings you feel in your heart giving someone that sense of freedom and maybe they haven't ridden a bike in years. these folks are older than the normal crowd of people we give bicycles away to. take my picture on my bike. that was a great experience. there were smiles all around.

the recipients, myself, supervisor, everyone was happy to be a part of this joyous occasion. at the end we normally do a group ride to see people ride off with these huge smiles on their faces is a great experience. >> if someone is interested in volunteering, we have a special section on the website sf bike.org/volunteer you can sign up for both events. we have given away 855 bicycles, 376 last year. we are growing each and every year. i hope to top that 376 this year. we frequently do events in bayview. the spaces are for people to come and work on their own bikes or learn skills and give them access to something that they

may not have had access to. >> for me this is a fun way to get outside and be active. most of the time the kids will be in the house. this is a fun way to do something. >> you get fresh air and you don't just stay in the house all day. it is a good way to exercise. >> the bicycle coalition has a bicycle program for every community in san francisco. it is connecting the young, older community. it is a wonderful outlet for the community to come together to have some good clean fun. it has opened to many doors to the young people that will usually might not have a bicycle. i have seen them and they are thankful and i am thankful for this program.safety.

>> folsom street in san francisco south of market home to some of the fill pens and lieutenant governor culture integrity and major it 25er789 and decisions the streets originally developed for industrial activity and move vehicles and goods through the area now the area is a culture at that particular time economic and residential and has more people walking and biking and taking public transit the folsom goals include improving safety and for walking new street trees and ailed street light. thank you very much. sass decorative crosswalks and part of vision zero high energy network part of the 12 period of time of streets

in san francisco that gets 58 percent of cashes and industrial challengers pedestrians not sign by car vehicles and walk to block to block bicycle challenges the future bike lanes in full protection next to the moving vehicle and no way from vehicles to park in the bike lane and with the people thank you for the opportunity right creating unsafe actions at the folsom will include for a moment from 2 to 11th street two-way abag and medians and transit only lanes and street crossings and beverages and now street trees and landscaping the folsom street part of the greater

effort to howard street and went there a three year public engagement set the record straight in 2016 improving traffic safety to people walk and biking and folsom street within second streets yerba buena benefit district is a significant tree place no our neighborhood home to the residents. it provides access to the gardens that includes children's facility and have a traffic hub and offers buildings and small businesses and a lot of excellent restaurants as well. so insuring that into it is safety for the variety of entertainment is important and the be available improvements

insuring the safety for transportation and the measure to keep contract at a safe course for drivers as well as pedestrians who walk along the streets we the the hold outs an excellent amenity for our seniors and children for the streets and provide opportunities for businesses for amenities and beneficiaries to enjoy the neighborhood outside and, of course, the graphic crooks is exciting to us as we pride ourselves on the hub of san francisco and bringing in those additional artistic elements that safety officer as safety features for biking and some of the filing pens directors think that residents and community work in the south of market work with the sfmta to help with the straight projects

and access to address pedestrian safety when it comes to biking and the transportation network and making changes that address the high speed of cars impacting some of the sidewalks. and she states we're excited please keeping and place making component like and some of the street signs and proposed giveaway will be bio street neighborhood improvements to the today's experience of residents and community members. and the sfmta is partnering with sf puc and a contracts engineering for improvement only folsom street and it is expected to begin in early 2024 the project team will work with the community and for outreach and businesses and openhouse in here stay tuned as

we describe fortesting.

>> could. to that the 43 san francisco good government awards excited to be here when i all tonight i'm aliza the cfo for spur they host those awards every year we believe so strongly in the power of local government to have a profound impact on people's lives and it is important to occasionally shine a light on the people that make those contributions with you do everyday serving the people of san francisco the contributions are experienced by a really broad community the labor that going into that