Western Addition Beacon Center

Located at John Muir Elementary School, Raoul Wallenberg Traditional High School and Hayes Valley Residential Complex, the Western Addition Beacon Center ( WA Beacon ), an entity of the Buchanan YMCA, provides quality after-school programming for youth and also serves as a community center addressing the specific needs of the Western Addition community. Our mission is to enrich the lives of community members and to ensure the healthy development of young people. We offer AM Care, a wide array of lunch time and after-school programming, including academic support, college preparation, computer and media technology, cultural arts and events, recreational activities that foster mental and physical health, and referral based case management. We also recognize the importance of family and adult services and work to serve the entire community. The Beacon strives to inspire youth and uplift the community through our ability and willingness to address the most critical community needs. The WA Beacon serves over 600 youth and families annually ; focusing on project based learning, academic alignment of educational standards and behavior management techniques through artistic expression and exploration. Through our many partnerships ( WA Family Resource Center, Urban Services YMCA Truancy Intervention Program, YMCA of San Francisco's Youth & Government Collaborative, Mo Magic, Community Partners United, Kaiser's Gate Way to Fitness Program, New Day for Learning, and Handful Players ), the WA Beacon is able to holistically meet the needs of the youth and families we serve. Supported by Kaiser Permanente, Gateway to Fitness participants engage in traditional and non-traditional forms of physical activities, learn to cook healthy food/snacks, and involve parents/caregivers in their healthier lifestyle. Activities include: Family Support Services: Family support services at the WA Beacon center cover a wide variety of service areas. This aspect of the Beacon was created to offer services that would not only support the parents of Beacon participants, but in correlation with its mission, enriching the community as a whole. Working in conjunction with the Western Addition FRC, these services offer parents opportunities to attain new skill sets, learn tools to support their children's educational goals, and receive referrals to other CBO's for necessary services. Family support services for 2009-10 include: Housed at Raoul Wallenberg High school, the 21st Century program is a comprehensive during and after-school program for the SFSUD. This program offers academic support, as well as, enrichment opportunities for the youth of Raoul Wallenberg Traditional high school. While school day programming is reserved for Wallenberg students, after-school programming is open to all youth in the community. The after-school portion of the program operates Monday thru Friday from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m ( Wednesdays program begins at 1p.m. due to early dismissal ). This program offers extensive academic support through tutoring services, and a computer learning program called Cyber-High, which allows students to work at a self-pace to make-up missing credits under the guidance and support of a Beacon staff person. In addition, both during lunch and after-school, youth are allotted the opportunity to select enrichment activities from a list that consist of a wide spectrum of interest areas including the arts, physical activities, additional academic support. Enrichment activities for the 2009-10 school year include: Science Ventures Guitar Club Turning Heads Sewing Project Beacon Culinary Project