PRESS RELEASE: City Youth Now Individual Request Program Helps Teen Make a Documentary
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—December 8,2009—City Youth Now's Individual Request Program has been at the heart of the agency's mission for six decades. Over the years, City Youth Now has learned that it is critical to respond to each child on an individual basis, and the importance of the small things in the life of a child.
Unfortunately, the public funds, services, and programs available are not always able to recognize and address the individual needs of the children in the system. City Youth Now works to ensure that no child is forgotten or overlooked. We are, by design, a safety net when the system is not meeting more than basic needs. For many of these youth, our flexible Individual Grants Program is often the only place they can turn for help. The City Youth Now Individual Grant program supplements resources available through the system to stabilize San Francisco's young people, helping one child at a time.
Recently, City Youth Now helped a young teenager in the foster care system start work on his dream job of becoming a documentary film maker. Christopher is a teenager living with diabetes. He has been in foster care his entire life, and struggled with adolescent onset diabetes for three years. While he is known as a foster youth and diabetic to many, Christopher would rather be known for his documentary photography.
Christopher's attentive social worker came to City Youth Now a year ago with concerns that the boy's physical and mental health were on the decline. He had turned inward and seemed to be closing himself off from school friends and family, as he struggled with his health condition and three new placements in under two years. The one thing the young man was interested in was a class in photography at school. Photography provided him with an outlet to express his artistic nature and portray his personal struggle with diabetes. His social worker thought perhaps a camera of his own would help Christopher develop his photo skills even further.
City Youth Now purchased Christopher a new camera, and in his words he is now taking "random beautiful shots for my Broadcast Club", which is broadcast on cable TV in South San Francisco. The images are being collected for a longer term project that Christopher is focusing on to educate his peers, adult mentors, and the general public on the ins and outs of living with diabetes as a teenager.
Christopher has also begun writing a film script about people living with diabetes and hopes to make a movie from his personal experiences, and the testimonies of others. He has expressed his gratitude to City Youth Now, and his social worker, for anticipating his needs at a time when he couldn't find the voice to ask for help.
About City Youth Now:
City Youth Now supports youth in the San Francisco foster care and juvenile justice systems by providing funds for services and programs that promote stability and personal growth. www.cityyouthnow.org
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Press Contact:
Brittany Jarabek
Executive Director
City Youth Now
brittany@cityyouthnow.org
