Braid Volunteer Resources
College Resources
College and Career Bound: A Planning Guide for 9th-11th Grade Students in Foster Care - This is designed to equip 9th-11th grade students with experience in foster care to achieve their college and career goals. Even if your youth was not in care after age 13, this guide is full of useful information for thinking about the college and preparing to apply.
College and Career Bound: A Planning Guide for 12th Grade Students in Foster Care - This guide is designed to equip 12th grade students with experience in foster care to achieve their college and career goals. Even if your youth was not in care after age 13, this guide is full of useful information for college applications.
Ashly Chavez Presentation
Ashly Chavez, a recent college graduate and first-generation college student, worked with Braid during the summer of 2022 to identify resources to help our volunteers be informed and supportive as they help our youth think about college. Below are resources from her workshop, including videos from her presentation.
- Presentation Videos (password: guidance)
- Presentation Slides
- What Matters To You - Worksheet
- Activities & Resources - Thinking About College
Below are a set of resources to inspire conversations about financial aid and locating programs locally and regionally for foster youth.
- 2023 Implementation Fact Sheet: Increased Financial Aid for Foster Youth - The 2023-24 California state budget includes increased funding for financial aid for foster youth across all three public postsecondary systems. The fact sheet and FAQs provide an explanation of the changes made to the Middle Class Scholarship and Student Success Completion Grant financial aid programs for foster youth.
- FAFSA & Scholarships for Adopted & Foster Care Children - This site has detailed information about Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and how to find scholarships, grants, and tuition wavier programs in every state.
- Free Classes at City College San Francisco - Free tuition for SF residents, year-round.
- Guardian Scholars at City College San Francisco - This local program engages current and former foster youth in attaining college degrees, stable housing and career-path employment.
- Guardian Scholars at San Francisco State University - This local program engages current and former foster youth in attaining college degrees, stable housing and career-path employment.
- Cal State University San Marcos ACE Scholars - This program empowers students impacted by foster care to transform their lives through higher education.
- California Student Aid Commission - This site is one-stop shopping for information about financial aid programs for students attending public and private universities, colleges, and vocational schools in California.
- Family Fellowship Scholarship - Offers generous support for tuition, housing, career guidance, and emotional support for current and former foster youth who are pursuing higher education. Applications due May 3, 2024.
- CSU Resources for Foster Youth
- Rising Stars Program - Spring application for high school juniors on track to graduate the following year, low income or living on government assistance, committed to earning a 4-year college education, GPA 2.0 or higher, live in the Bay Area. Support throughout the college application process, while in college, and even with finding work after graduating.
Emergency Resources
Huckleberry House 24-Hour Teen Crisis Hotline:
415-621-2929
- Huckleberry House provides a crisis shelter for runaway teens, support for sexually exploited youth, health care, and more.
Larkin Street 24/7 Teen Hotline: 1-800-447-8223
- Larkin Street can help you find a safe place to eat, sleep, and stay healthy. Available to young adults age 25 or under.
San Francisco Health Clinic:
(415) 386-9398
Safe and Sound Parent Support Hotline: 415-441-KIDS (5437)
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Activities & Resources for Outings
This list of resources is designed to inspire and support successful Bay Area outings for your teams and youth. The list includes a crowdsourced spreadsheet of ideas, and a handy Google Form you can use to add to this list. The required Braid Driver Form is here too, for anyone using their car for transporting youth.
- Upcoming Events
- Social Accounts w/Inspiration
- Free Museum Days Quick Reference
- Activity Ideas Spreadsheet
- Google Form - Add New Ideas
- Activity Ideas - Pinterest
- San Francisco Street Fairs
- SF Free & Fun Activities - Pinterest
- Online Activity Ideas - Pinterest
- Braid Driver Form - complete if using your vehicle (see below for driver/rideshare policies)
Educational Resources
- Learn to Be Tutoring - Free one-on-one online tutoring for youth in underserved communities, including youth in foster care, single-caregiver homes, those on public assistance or in special education.
- List of Resources for Youth in Planning Guide - This handout provides an overview of key resources to support students along their educational journey in middle school, high school and postsecondary education.
- Apply to SFUSD Schools
- A Simple Guide to San Francisco High School Lottery Process - This PDF was prepared for Braid by students at the University of San Francisco to provide an overview of the process.
- UPchieve Tutoring - Provides free online tutoring and college counseling.
- Middle School Checklist - This handout provides a checklist of key steps to help middle school students succeed academically, engage in college and career exploration activities and successfully prepare for their transition to high school.
- More Education & Support Resources from John Burton Advocates for Youth
- Student Rights in California - Prepared by one of our USF interns especially for Braid, this guide is an overview of students' rights in public schools and how students and guardians should proceed if educational rights are being violated.
Free Online STEM Courses for Youth
Free online courses are offered and are available to Braid youth through Juni Learning, an online platform where kids 7-18 years old can learn real-world skills and solve real-world problems.
- Juni’s courses focus on critical STEAM topics, like coding, investing, math, and more.
- Juni is offering free on-demand memberships to interested Braid youth, which gives them full access to the online courses and support.
- The courses involve short video presentations followed by a project, so they could be a great way for volunteers to engage with youth virtually.
- If you think your youth might be interested, please let us know, and we will get them signed up (with caregivers’ permission). They just need an email address.
- Learn more about the course offerings: Juni Learning
Braid Driver Policy
Braid's insurance requires that two adults are with a young person at any time, including during transportation. If you use your own vehicle, we need to have the Braid driver form on file. If you choose to drive your own vehicle, Braid is not able to provide extra liability coverage through our insurance.
Ride Share Reimbursement Policy
Braid is able to help with costs when teams need to use a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft to comply with the requirement that two adults are present with a young person at all times.
- Because of budget constraints, we can only reimburse rides that involve transporting a young person (not your personal transportation to/from outings).
- If you have an eligible expense, please email your receipt to carol@braidmission.org along with the name of the young person who was being transported.
- If it is your first time requesting reimbursement, please also send your Venmo or PayPal handle.
Mental Health Resources
BrightLife Kids offers free personalized 1:1 video coaching for children (ages 0-12) and their parents/guardians. All coaches are bilingual (English & Spanish), come from diverse backgrounds, and are experienced in working with LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and gender-diverse populations. Parents/caregivers and kids can also access a library of articles and videos.
Soluna provides free confidential support for 13- to 25-year-olds in California. Teens can chat 1:1 with a professional coach, use interactive tools to destress, or explore quizzes, videos, forums, and more. Youth are always anonymous on the app and can access counselors whenever they want, not on a set schedule.
Let’s Talk About It: A Graphic Guide To Mental Health is a lively and educational 24-page comic book created for middle and high school students that destigmatizes the conversation around mental health. Created by mental health experts, educators and cartoonists, this comic provides knowledge and resources for students to help them be healthier and more resilient. The PDF version is available on our Google Drive.
Financial Literacy Resources
Adulting 101: A Personal Guide to Finance covers the basics of personal finance including how to open a bank account, understanding your paycheck, creating a budget, building credit, the importance of saving, how to navigate car loans and student loans, filing taxes, insurance, and how to talk to your family about finances.
Other Resources
For Your Stuff provides brand new luggage for foster youth in San Francisco. Visit their site to donate a suitcase or to request one for a young person.
Youth Summer Camps
SOAR for Youth Summer Academies
Intensive one-week residential academy and ongoing academic support for rising 7th-9th graders who are in foster care/kinship care.
Youth Summer Job & Internship Opportunities
Jobs/Internships Flyer - This resource prepared by students at the University of San Francisco includes more information about:
- Year Up (ages 18-29)
- summer camps in San Francisco (ages 14-24)
- SF Recreation Programs (year-round)
- Naval Science & Engineering Apprenticeship Program (sophomores, juniors, seniors)
- Mayor’s Youth Employment & Education Program (high school students)
- Opportunities4All (ages 13-24)
- SF Youthworks (rising juniors, seniors, college freshmen)
- Boys & Girls Club Job Readiness program (middle school & high school)
- Jamestown Teen Programs (high school)
- Youth Engaged in Library Leadership (11th-12th grade)
- Stanford Medical Youth Science Program (high school juniors)
- Stanford SAGE Camp (high school girls)
- Girls Who Code Summer Program (9th-11th grade)
- The Practice Space
Friends of the Urban Forest Green Teens
A paid six-month work opportunity for young people ages 19-26 to participate in tree planting, tree care, sidewalk gardening, and community outreach.
Friends of the Urban Forest New Roots (ages 18-26)
A workforce development program for youth ages 18-26 from the SoMa, Tenderloin, Mission, Excelsior, and Bayview communities of San Francisco. New Roots provides participants with training and work experience in plant nursery operations, arboriculture, and urban forestry.
Yosemite Paid Internships (ages 18-24)
16-week entry-level employment positions in Yosemite National Park's Youth Employment Program at Evergreen and Rush Creek Lodges.
Hack the Hood Hustle and Build Summer 2025 Program
Virtual coding workshops for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and AAPI youth ages 14-25