San Francisco Youth Programs

Looking for Youth Programs? Check out these paid and volunteer programs for high schoolers in San Francisco! If you’re looking for summer programs, click here.



  • Youth Art Exchange: Free art classes for SFUSD high school students with some paid spots for non-SFUSD students. There are Fall, Spring, and Summer sessions and classes include animation, architecture, photography, hip hop dance, music production, mural painting, and printmaking. https://www.youthartexchange.org/ 

  • Mission Bit: Free after school in-person and online coding classes are available in the Fall, Spring and Summer. You can learn Web Design, Python coding, game design, and virtual reality. https://missionbit.org/programs/classes/ 

  • I-YEL is a paid program w/the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Design multimedia projects to support social and environmental justice challenges, plan events, and develop art and media skills. You also get to participate in outdoor activities and camping trips. Applications are typically due late Sept/early Oct and commitment includes weekly after school meetings and Saturdays. Leran more at https://www.parksconservancy.org/iyelapp

  • Mission Youth in Action! Be part of a year-round youth leadership activation program at MEDA for SFUSD high school students. It starts in September and runs once a week. http://bit.ly/missionyouthinaction 

  • Chinatown CDC Youth Leadership Program offers intensive involvement in community issues and gives youth the opportunity to apply what they learn to become effective future community leaders. Learn more at https://www.ccdcyouth.org/

  • First Exposures: Want a year full of photography, field trips, and friendship? In this free photography mentorship program where participants learn Digital Photography or Darkroom Film Photography. It takes place on Saturdays throughout the entire school year. https://www.firstexposures.org/  

  • Oasis for Girls. Looking for a space where you can grow, build sisterhood, and plan for your future? Oasis for Girls has 3 programs including CREATE: Arts & Activism, RISE: Life Development (Social Justice, Wellness, Leadersehip) and ENVISION: Career Exploration. Participants are paid a stipend and can do each program one time. In Fall and Spring, the program runs Tues, Wed, Thurs 4:30-6:30 and over the summer from 2-6pm at their office at 7th/Mission near the Civic Center BART/MUNI stop Apply at www.oasisforgirls.org/apply.  Applications for Fall cycle are typically due in early September, Summer is due in early June, and Spring is due in January. @oasisforgirls

  • Greenager Program is a program run by SF Parks and Recreation for high school students who live in or attend a school in the Southeast Sector of San Francisco (Excelsior, Portola, Bayview, Hunter’s Point, Visitation Valley, Crocker Amazon, or Potrero Hill) or Northeast Sector of San Francisco (Western Addition, Tenderloin and Chinatown); the Tenderloin (Tenderloin Chinatown, Western Addition, Fillmore, and Treasure Island), or you must be referred to us by one of our direct partners. This youth leadership and stewardship program, run by the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department @sfrecpark in partnership with @s_port, takes place from February to August. Participants will have the opportunity to lead and inspire their community by enhancing the city’s green spaces, developing place-based projects, and enjoying exciting team-building adventures. Applications are usually due in early September. https://www.sfrecpark.org/1669/Greenager-Program