FOR YOUTH, BY YOUTH

HYPE Center values and centers the voices of young people, and strives to ensure the services and space is responsive to the needs of our members. We use various feedback mechanisms to hear from our community, and we vet all service providing partners using a survivor-designed trauma informed assessment to ensure all HYPE services prioritize the safety and well-being of our community.

YOUTH FOUNDING PROCESS

Before launching HYPE, we spent a lot of time talking to young people about their experiences and what pushed them into homelessness, the sex trade, and situations of exploitation. We kept hearing from youth that it was hard to navigate the resources and services available in San Francisco and that too often when they would reach out for support, they would find they weren't eligible for various reasons. We believed things could be different-- that there must be an easier way for young people to access the things they needed-- and so the HYPE Center was born.

During the fall of 2019, Freedom Forward worked with VOICES to hire a cohort of Youth Founders who embarked on a 15-week paid process to survey other young people, develop a name, mission, and logo, set-up the center, and identify initial partners.

YOUTH FOUNDERS

During the fall of 2019, we hired a cohort of Youth Founders to design the HYPE Center and to inform the mission, services, and resources. This founding process involved designing and conducting a survey of other youth to determine needs in the community; developing a name, mission, and logo; identifying and interviewing initial partners and services; deciding on how the building's space would be used and setting up the space; and developing the Center's wishlist to best reflect the needs and interests of Bay Area youth.

MISSION STATEMENT BY OUR YOUTH FOUNDERS

The Center is a diverse community of youth that is open to those seeking services, including individuals who have been impacted by systematic oppression, sexual exploitation, or homelessness. We bridge the gap of resources and opportunities youth are lacking by uplifting young people’s resilience and strength.

OUR LOGO

Our HYPE Center logo was designed by Ricqwan Davis, a local youth artist. The logo represents the whole Bay Area community from San Francisco and Oakland to the greater East Bay, and symbolizes the inclusive culture of the HYPE Center.

Launching HYPe

In December of 2019, over 150 people gathered to celebrate the HYPE Center’s Youth Founders and the work they put in to launch the space:

INITIAL PROVIDERS WHO HELPED US LAUNCH HYPE!