Disproportional numbers of San Francisco youth of color are failing in school and are more likely to be exposed to harm in their communities. There is a lack of educational services that can provide the social-emotional skills to overcome these risk factors. 5 Elements Youth Program is aimed at providing programs directly to students from working class families of color throughout San Francisco. We primarily work with youth in elementary, middle and high schools in the Bay Area.

Data shows that youth who live and attend schools in San Francisco neighborhoods with the lowest per-capita income are likely to be exposed to environmental risk factors. These districts have the highest concentration of ethnic diversity and children under 18, as well as the highest rates of violent crime, property crime, and mental illness. They also show the lowest rates of resident-perceived safety and employment. Mostly living in such areas, youth of color are performing at the bottom of the academic achievement gap. The high school graduation rates in the SF school district from 2013-14 was 63.9% for Pacific Islanders, 61.2% for Latinos, 57.3% for Blacks, and 37.5% for American Indians–more than 20% lower than all other ethnicities.

The conditions in low-income neighborhoods are due to historical discrimination in housing, education, and employment. Our communities have been neglected, deteriorating as industries are shut down or outsourced. Real estate developers capitalize on working class struggle by redeveloping neighborhoods as residents are removed by mass unemployment, evictions, and incarceration. Services exist to support youth, but few are helping them make a direct impact on the greater causes of these problems.

Many programs are aimed at improving the lives of urban youth, but none in San Francisco are combining hip-hop with social-emotional learning. 5 Elements’ model is unique in that we utilize visual art, music, culture, civic engagement, and research to foster youth wellness and social justice. “The limits of current youth development models are bound by an inability to examine the complex social, economic, and political forces that bear on the lives of urban youth,” according to Drs. Shawn Ginwright and Julio Cammarota. 5 Elements is not just about providing services and activities, but using them to help youth understand and directly confront the root causes of social inequality.