San Francisco-Marin Food Bank
Promote Growth
Opening the World is committed to helping our young adults become leaders within the program and within our communities. From the very start of their time with us, we create opportunities and experiences to expand their vision of what is possible in life by:
Assessing participant needs (housing, food, education, psycho-social support)
Identifying their interests, dreams, and goals
Providing resources, skill-building and educational classes, vocational support, leadership training and roles, and exposure to new people and communities
Educational Classes
OTW provides skill-building and educational classes to prepare our young adults for school, work, and life. Many of our young adults struggled in school because of undiagnosed learning challenges, their personal trauma, family dysfunction, and/or trouble with the law. These classes allow them to learn skills they may not have developed yet and help them grow their self-confidence.
Examples of classes we have offered in the past:
• How to apply to college
• How to write essays
• How to study for exams
• Creative writing
• Money management
• How to prepare for an interview
• Real Colors personality training
• How to Start a Business
• Tutoring (for identified needs)
• Classes on the culture/location we plan to visit
Vocational Support
The program offers our participants positive interactions with professionals in law enforcement, social services, and community-based organizations as well as other professionals they might not normally encounter in life.
If a participant expresses interest in a particular field, we reach out to someone in that field to speak to them about the pros and cons of the job, what education is required, and how they found their profession. In fact, this service became so popular with our young adults that it led to one of the program’s most successful events—OTW’s Annual Career Day—and is now available to all Marin County youth at risk. Diverse Bay Area professionals volunteer to help inspire our youth and serve as mentors, and in doing so, become part of the larger OTW community.
Peer Leadership
We challenge our young adults to take on leadership roles within the program and out in the community. These roles might be interviewing applicants, becoming part of the OTW Peer Support Team, speaking on panels and at events, MCing and helping plan events, creating marketing or educational videos, providing feedback on ways to improve the program, joining the Advisory Committee, or taking on another support position within OTW that is of interest to them.
We have also created Peer Leadership and Trauma trainings to teach alumni the skills needed to support the population we work with and increase their understanding of the human experience.
“OTW gives me a lot of support academically, in my mental health, and socially. It has taught me to be a considerate and conscious person.”
— E.M.