6/15: YouthSpace to be Created on Steps of City Hall

MEDIA ADVISORY 6/7/04



Contact:

Chelsea Boilard 415.469.8281

YouthSpace

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YouthSpace to be Created on Steps of City Hall
Teenagers mark end of school year with a community rally to demand safe space for
young people



SAN FRANCISCO- June 15. As the school year ends, summer vacation begins, and
violence continues to increase in San Francisco, young people are left with few
places to go. On Tuesday June 15, young people and youth advocates will gather for
a press conference and community rally on the steps of San Francisco’s City Hall, to
illustrate their vision of safe youth spaces, and to ask the city and the public for
help in holding the business community accountable to San Francisco’s youth.



“Our young people are not safe on the streets of San Francisco because of the
escalating violence; they have few places to go, now that school is out and budget
cuts have eliminated many youth programs,” says Ayoka Turner, executive director of
YouthSpace.



The press conference and community rally will be hosted by: YouthSpace, a
city-supported program working to build a safe, city-wide, youth-led center; Youth
Making A Change, a youth-led advocacy project of Coleman Advocates for Children and
Youth; and the San Francisco Youth Commission. The rally will feature youth and
youth advocate speakers, youth performers, and San Francisco Supervisors, all
speaking upon the immediate need for young people to have access to safe,
youth-friendly spaces in the city. During the rally, young people will be acting
out their vision of safe youth spaces through a live model of YouthSpace, including
a study area, a youth workshop, and a music studio.



“It’s hard finding a space nowadays because some businesses have no faith in youth;
they are too busy discriminating,” says David Ramirez, a youth leader from
YouthSpace. “The fact about the problem is that we need a space for youth to stay
out of trouble in the streets.” Ramirez is one of the core leaders advocating for
safe youth spaces in San Francisco, and will speak at the rally to appeal to San
Francisco and San Franciscans for their support.



What: “The Truth: Youth Need Safe Spaces” Youth Theater Event and Community Rally



When: 12:00-1:00PM Tuesday June 15, 2004



Where: San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, between Grove and
McAllister



Visuals: City Hall backdrop; a live “YouthSpace” model to illustrate what safe youth
spaces could look like; vivid signs and posters; petition signed by hundreds of
young people

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Chelsea Boilard
Program Staff
Youth Space
(415) 469-8281