Over twenty years of building community
Over twenty years ago, Community Youth Center of San Francisco looked very different than it does today. The organization operated from a single office on Post Street with a small team. Many of the school partnerships that now reach thousands of young people across San Francisco had not yet been established, and many of the programs that are now part of everyday community life were still taking shape.
Program Director Vicky Chung-Louie has witnessed nearly every chapter of that growth. Over the past two decades, she has helped launch new programs, build partnerships with schools, and expand opportunities for young people across the city. Yet when she reflects on her career, she rarely begins by talking about programs or milestones. Instead, she talks about the people.
“I’ve always wanted to work with youth,” Vicky said. “Even in high school and college, I found myself drawn to mentoring younger students and helping them navigate challenges.”
That interest eventually led her into social work, where she supported young people in schools, residential programs, and foster care before joining CYC. What began as a new opportunity gradually became the place where she would spend the next twenty years building relationships with students, families, colleagues, and community partners.
As the needs of San Francisco’s communities evolved, so did the work. Vicky began coordinating workforce development before helping establish programming for newcomer immigrant students. She later partnered with school leaders and the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF) to expand afterschool programming across San Francisco, helping bring CYC to additional school communities including Redding Elementary and Garfield Elementary.
For Vicky, none of those accomplishments stand apart from the people they were built to serve.
“I’ve been fortunate to watch both staff and students grow over the years,” she reflected. That growth has unfolded in remarkable ways. Students she first met as children have become college graduates, professionals, parents, and community leaders. Some have returned as volunteers or colleagues, carrying forward the same sense of care that shaped their own experiences.
One memory continues to stay with her. Years ago, while providing case management services, Vicky spent summers checking in with a group of students, helping them stay engaged during difficult periods in their lives. After they graduated from college, they invited her to lunch.
“I assumed I would be paying,” she laughed. “Instead, they paid for the meal and thanked me for everything I had done for them.” For Vicky, the meal itself was never what mattered. It reminded her that relationships often leave a deeper impression than people realize. A conversation after school, a moment of encouragement, or simply knowing someone believes in you can stay with a young person long after a program ends.
“Sometimes young people just need someone to be there for them,” she said. “Even if it’s only five minutes. Years later, that’s often what they remember.”
Over the years, Vicky has also found herself learning alongside the young people she serves. Their perspectives have challenged her to be more patient, more flexible, and more willing to recognize that every person’s path unfolds differently. Rather than measuring success by a single outcome, she has come to see it in the confidence young people build as they discover who they are and where they want to go.
That same perspective extends to the colleagues she has worked beside throughout her career. Many have spent years building programs together, adapting to changing community needs while remaining grounded in the same purpose. The organization has grown significantly over two decades, but its work continues to begin with relationships.
“What motivates me is that I believe in what we do,” Vicky said. “I believe in the impact we’re able to have.”
As CYC continues to grow, Vicky’s legacy can be found in more than the programs she helped establish or the partnerships she helped build. It lives in the trust families place in the organization, in the staff members she has mentored, and in the thousands of young people whose lives intersected with hers over the past twenty years.
Communities are strengthened over time through people who choose to invest in them. Vicky’s career is a reminder that lasting impact is rarely created through a single moment. It is built through years of listening, adapting, encouraging, and believing in what young people are capable of becoming.
Over twenty years of this work has touched countless lives. As we celebrate this milestone, we invite our community to celebrate alongside us. Whether you were a student, parent, colleague, or community partner, we’d love to hear how Vicky has been part of your journey. Share your memories, stories, or words of congratulations as we recognize her lasting contribution to CYC and to generations of young people across San Francisco.
Interested in helping shape the next chapter of this work? Explore opportunities to join the CYC team.