History
The Need
Mission and Purpose
Youth Development
Community Collaboration
Management
Board of Directors
 History
ROCK was founded in September 1994 in response to the needs
within San Francisco for enhanced public education programs
and positive after school activities. Inspired by these needs,
ROCK's founding volunteers researched the problem and developed
the idea of combining school based and after school learning
enrichment programs with sports and fitness activities to
promote healthy child development. Hence, ROCK was born.
The
Need
ROCK serves a community of children who are posed with countless
social and economic challenges. Many children from Visitacion
Valley come from single parent homes as well as live in one
of the community's four public housing developments, one of
which is considered among San Francisco's most violent. These
challenges are further evidenced in the number of children
who test well below their grade level on national standardized
tests, the number of children receiving free or reduced school
lunches and the number of immigrant families for whom English
is a second language.
The combination of many of these factors results in a community
of young people where challenges are severe and resources
are limited. ROCK’s ability to provide quality youth
development programs using its collaborative and community
approach satisfies a critical need to this low income, under-served
community of San Francisco.
Mission
and Purpose
The mission of ROCK is to nurture the healthy development
of children by listening attentively to their needs and by
providing opportunities to those who might not otherwise have
access. ROCK fully implemented its pilot programs during
the 1995-96 school year and has had a continued impact since
then. ROCK's programs now include increased learning enrichment
and sports and fitness opportunities and have expanded to
include summer camp and focused leadership training and outdoor
adventure programs. ROCK's programs are designed to serve
girls and boys ages 6 - 17, who live or attend school in San
Francisco's Visitacion Valley. The ROCK vision is to promote
the positive development and long-term success of these youth,
and this vision is reflected in three overarching program
goals. All of ROCK's programs, regardless of activities or
settings, are designed to provide opportunities and environments
where children:
- Learn to connect
by building positive relationships with adults and peers
- Learn to be productive
by engaging in positive learning experiences
- Learn to navigate
through life circumstances by participating in responsible,
meaningful activities
ROCK pursues its program goals by creating environments for
children to build caring relationships with adults and peers,
supported by its low volunteer to child ratio of 1:3-5. These
environments are characteristically supervised, structured
sports and fitness as well as learning enrichment activities.
The importance of these strong relationships and enriching
opportunities is supported by youth development research,
which shows that these types of supports will greatly enhance
a child's skills and competencies while enhancing their self-esteem.
Youth Development
In partnership with the Community Network for Youth Development
(CNYD), ROCK continuously assesses the needs of the Visitacion
Valley community to ensure the organization provides the highest
quality youth development programs possible. According to
research, children will have a much higher probability of
reaching positive adult outcomes if they participate in youth
development focused programs. Specifically, the youth development
model focuses on five supports and opportunities that can
be measured by participants' experience. In creating or evaluating
programs, ROCK seeks to provide the following supports and
opportunities to its youth:
 Relationship
Building
- Guidance
- Emotional support
- Practical support
- Adults have knowledge of lives and needs of participants
- Youths have knowledge of the lives and needs of each
other
Skill Building
- Activities are interesting
- There is measurable growth and progress
- Activities are challenging
Safety
Youth Participation
- Participants are involved in decision making
- Participants are involved in leadership
- Participants have a sense of belonging
Community Involvement
- Participants are knowledgeable about their community
- Participants recognize their role in their community
and have a chance to give back
Community Collaboration
ROCK has forged valuable relationships with many community
organizations that support these goals and activities. Partnerships
include San Francisco Recreation and Parks, Visitacion Valley
Middle School, Visitacion Valley Elementary School, El Dorado
Elementary School, Bay
Area Wilderness Training, Spinsters
of San Francisco and Community
Network for Youth Development. ROCK serves over 350 children
each year with the help of approximately 130 program and organizational
volunteers.
Management
Curt Yagi, Executive
Director
Curt Yagi joined the ROCK family as a volunteer in 1998, a
Board Member/Chair in 2000 and finally as the Executive Director
in 2003. Prior to ROCK, Curt spent several years in the corporate
sector where he held a variety of business and technology
consulting positions at small and large companies. Most recently,
Curt held the position of Chief Operating Officer at a small
San Francisco company, where he gained valuable operational
experience which he is able to leverage at ROCK today. Curt
holds a BS degree in Computer Science from University of California
at Davis. In his spare time, you might find Curt chasing around
a soccer ball on the soccer field or performing music in a
local San Francisco location.
Teodora Ildefonzo-Olmo,
Middle/High School Program Director
Teodora Ildefonzo-Olmo brings to ROCK several years of nonprofit
experience at a variety of youth development organizations.
Teodora has transformed her programs from a relatively new
stage to a highly efficient and effective level of service.
Teodora holds a BA in Child and Adolescent Development from
San Francisco State University. Did you know that Teodora
(ROCK's unofficial security detail) is a 3rd degree black
belt in Shaolin Kenpo Karate?
Sarah Schwartz, Elementary School Program Director
Sarah Schwartz is the newest addition to the ROCK family.
Originally from Chicago, she came to the Bay Area shortly
after receiving a BA in Sociology from the University of Colorado.
Still fairly new to San Francisco, Sarah enjoys exploring
the City, spending time outdoors and most of all meeting new
people along the way.
Board of Directors
- Chris Ginieczki, Board Chair
- Peter Blum, Vice Chairperson
- Tara Kramlich, Treasurer
- Fati Farmanfarmaian, Secretary
- Dale Ashlock, Member
- Rick Lewis, Member
- Wylie Peterson, Member
- Kathy Shurtz, Member
If you think you have what it takes to join the ROCK Board
of Directors, be sure to contact
us today!
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