Causes

Youth development Education

Posted by

Michele S.

Founder

Our mission

The San Francisco 49ers Academy provides adolescent students with a community of support that empowers them to be engaged in school, to reach their full potential, and achieve academic and personal success in middle school, high and beyond.

What we do

The Academy creates a community of support embedded within middle school and high schools to empower students to thrive during a crucial time that can set the stage for the rest of their lives. For nearly 25 years, our approach has fostered lifelong connections between students, families, teachers, and local service providers to ensure the fundamental needs of the whole child, and their families, are met.

We work on-the-ground at two school sites all day, every day to support students year-after-year. We look at students' individual needs and build a powerful pipeline for success that follows students as they enter middle school, transition to high school, graduate, and embark on their post-secondary endeavors.

Our program consists of lifelong mentors, deep-rooted trust, and three levels of wraparound support that consist of:

Level 1: School-wide strategies: We advise schools and school districts on best practices to create safe and supportive learning environments. We build awareness around and help to implement enrichment opportunities, partnerships with local service providers, and system improvements. We help bridge middle schools and high schools to ensure students are set up for success as they make this transition and prepare for graduation. We facilitate school-wide events to build community and connect families with resources. We attend district and community meetings to advocate for system-level change.

Level 2: Targeted, needs-based services: Removing barriers to student success by identifying a student's and their family's individual needs and deploying services accordingly. We get to know students, assess their individual and family needs and deploy services accordingly. This may mean providing students with new shoes, clothing, or school supplies. Or it might involve connecting a family to community housing or legal services or arranging food and gifts for the holidays.

Level 3: Intensive individualized support: Students with the most need and highest risk are assigned a caseworker. Caseworkers provide ongoing one-on-one mentorship, meeting at least once a week with students. They bring educators, school leaders, families, and local service providers together to coordinate efforts, make referrals, hold students accountable, and track progress.