Leadership takes real moments
Leadership at Community Youth Center of San Francisco begins in real moments, when a young person notices something that needs attention and chooses to take responsibility.
That responsibility often starts small. A student helps guide a group discussion. Someone steps in to support a peer. Another young person volunteers to keep a project on track. These moments may be quiet, but they matter. Over time, they build confidence, judgment, and care for others.
Leadership also becomes visible in more outward ways, when youth organize activities, shape projects, or bring people together around shared goals. What connects these experiences is practice. Leadership grows through doing.
What young people notice
Across several elementary school sites, young people recently designed projects based on what they observed in their own communities.
At Dianne Feinstein Elementary, one group organized a supper service for younger students, while another took responsibility for cleaning and caring for the school campus. At Garfield Elementary, youth made handmade coasters for seniors at On Lok and coordinated a food drive benefiting the SF-Marin Food Bank. At George Moscone Elementary, students collected pet food for Animal Care and Control, motivating one another through friendly competition and shared purpose.
These projects didn’t begin with a preset outcome. They began with observation—young people noticing needs, deciding what mattered to them, and working together to respond.
Creating conditions for leadership
This understanding shapes CYC’s approach to leadership development. Leadership is not treated as something to be delivered or assigned. Instead, CYC focuses on creating environments where young people can take responsibility, make decisions, and learn through experience.
Leadership looks different depending on age, context, and readiness. For some, it means speaking up for the first time. For others, it means coordinating a group, navigating disagreement, or following through when something feels difficult.
To support this work consistently across programs, CYC developed the Youth Leadership Toolkit: Building Leaders of Today.
A shared framework for practice
Building Leaders of Today brings together practices long embedded in CYC programs and organizes them into a shared framework for staff. Rather than prescribing a single model, the toolkit helps staff recognize leadership as it emerges and support young people as they take on greater responsibility.
The emphasis is on reflection, relationship-building, and shared decision-making. Staff are encouraged to listen closely, ask open questions, and invite youth into roles that feel meaningful and achievable. At the center of the toolkit is a guiding question: What does leadership look like for this young person right now?
Staff as facilitators and partners
Leadership development depends on thoughtful adult support. As young people navigate unfamiliar roles, group dynamics, or setbacks, staff help create space for reflection and adjustment.
The toolkit supports staff in balancing structure and flexibility, setting expectations while leaving room for youth leadership. It offers practical guidance on facilitating youth-led meetings, navigating conflict, and reflecting together after projects conclude. Just as importantly, it encourages staff to think intentionally about when to step in, when to step back, and how to share responsibility in ways that build confidence over time.
Leadership as part of daily program life
Through Building Leaders of Today, leadership becomes part of everyday program life. Young people are supported to identify issues they care about, plan together, and follow through.
At Redding Elementary, students created gratitude cards for residents at an assisted living facility, choosing the messages, designing the artwork, and reflecting on who would receive them and why. In the Mayor’s Youth Employment and Education Program, young people organized neighborhood cleanups and coordinated food donations, dividing tasks, solving problems, and taking ownership of the outcome.
In the Youth for Community Engagement program, youth leaders designed and delivered goodie bags for seniors that included safety kits, office supplies, and water bottles. They also spent time with seniors, leading activities and conversations that turned the project into a shared experience rather than a one-time service.
Why this approach matters
CYC treats leadership as a skill that grows through experience. By offering a shared framework through the Youth Leadership Toolkit, staff across programs are supported in creating consistent opportunities for youth to lead, while remaining responsive to individual needs and community context.
Leadership developed through everyday practice extends beyond CYC programs. It carries into schools, families, workplaces, and neighborhoods, where young people are already contributing to the civic life of San Francisco.
Supporting this work now helps ensure young people continue to have the time, guidance, and trust needed to lead. We invite you to be part of this work by gathering with us at the upcoming CYC Gala or by making a contribution today that helps sustain youth leadership across the city.