Financial literacy is crucial to the sustainability of youth workers and ending the cycle of poverty. The goal of this training is for participants to learn the basics of finances and learn ways to educate their staff and youth. Additionally, participants will walk away with concrete strategies for how make sure the money they pay to youth (e.g. stipends, wages, etc.) is not be divested in check cashing institution. Content Expert: Mission SF Community Financial Center

By the end of this training, participants will experience, understand and be able to apply:

• The principles of investment cycles and how it practically shows up in youth’s lives;
• Strategies for increasing financial literacy;
• A personal action to realize financially literate communities. 

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Margaret Libby, Mission SF Community Financial Center 

Mission SF Community Financial Center (Mission SF) is the non-profit affiliate of Mission SF Federal Credit Union, a community development credit union (CDCU) serving the Mission District of San Francisco since 1971. Mission SF expands economic opportunity and access to quality financial services for low-income youth and families, primarily in the Mission District, where there is the highest concentration of high-cost fringe financial outlets in San Francisco. Mission SF uses four core strategies to accomplish this goal: (1) raising awareness about alternatives to high-cost fringe outlets and linking unbanked residents to quality financial services; (2) providing financial education and counseling; (3) increasing income and earning power; and (4) improving community financial services, resources and opportunities. Mission SF’s work targets those families and youth facing the most barriers to accessing financial services and financial counseling, largely low-income African American and immigrant Latino families.

Celina Ramos-Castro, Mission SF Community Financial Center 

Born and raised in San Francisco’s Mission District, going through public school all my life, and living in the hood, I feel I know WHAT’S UP.  I’ve worked with non-profits since I was a youth, volunteering and then helping design and execute programs for youth. I feel the reason I was so attracted to non-profits, but even more to youth leadership was because I knew that youth need a place to voice out their opinion and create positive change in their community. I have a passion to promote education, self-worth and love in my community.

Mission SF CFC promotes financial opportunity, through essential financial literacy education and low-cost services. I like to think at we are trying to break the cycle of poverty by creating awareness of options. We want to reduce the fear people in our community have regarding money and services.

I work with wonderful young people, empowering them to promote financial liberation amongst their peers.  Every day they surprise and inspire me with their creativity and forward thinking, which of course encourages me to continue doing this type of work.  The youth programs Mission SF CFC has include a youth-run credit union, a youth peer-to-peer financial literacy and economic justice education program as well as a college prep workshop series. Youth are the ones that develop, design, promote and provide these programs, they are purely amazing and I get to work with them. =)

Christen Gray, Juma Ventures 

Jason Wyman, Youth Worker Collective 

Jason Wyman has been in the field of youth development for over 15 years. He started by supporting a youth philanthropy program in Minneapolis Unified School District and worked his way up to become the Educational Program Director at the OMI/Excelsior Beacon Center where he brought school, youth, and community together to address the academic, civic, and mental health needs of the student population. From there he launched into supporting the next generation of youth workers by creating trainings, resources, and networking opportunities through Beacon Academy, the Afterschool Corps, and the Youth Worker: Collective. He worked as the Director of School-Community Relations at Excelsior Middle School and directed the Change! Program, the community engagement program at EMS. Jason has been involved with the Youth Worker: Collective since 2003, and he is excited to be the first staff of the Youth Worker: Collective. When he is not advocating for youth and families, Jason enjoys cooking, reading, and hanging out with his husband.

This training is facilitated by Youth Worker: Collective, funded by DCYF as part of the AFATAC Leadership Tracks.