Charity Cultural Services Center - Family in Transition Monthly Newsletter
December 1, 2024
Sleigh Your Goals in December
Welcome to the FIT program! December is here with all its twinkling lights and festive vibes, and it’s a great time to think about your goals for next year, too. Discover our FIT-tastic events, resources and updates to make this season extra merry and bright!
GRATITUDE CENTER
👚 Children’s Clothing Swap👚
Thank you very much to all 8 participants who helped with the Children’s Clothing Swap on November 23! You made our clothing drive a warm and cozy hug for the community. Thank you for filling hearts (and closets)!
👩🎓 Ready, Set, College! - Workshop 👨🎓
We are very thankful to the 6 attendees who attended the Ready, Set, College workshop on November 17! In this workshop, we talked about some of the different paths you can take in higher education (public, private and community colleges).
THIS MONTH’S FIT EVENTS
🎄 Joy to the City 🎄
Get ready to spread some holiday cheer as a volunteer at the second annual Joy to the City holiday celebration! This free, all-ages event will bring joy to thousands of Bay Area families with exciting festivities like a toy giveaway, ice skating, live entertainment, holiday photos and delicious hot cocoa to warm you up. Volunteers, this is your chance to help create a magical experience and ensure everything runs smoothly! ONLY 8 spots are available on a first come, first-serve basis.
Time: Saturday, December 7th from 1:15PM to 4PM
Location: Chase Center Thrive City, 1725 3rd Street, San Francisco, CA
*This event counts for (1) FIT volunteer credit. To sign up for this event, fill out the Google Form linked here.
😎 Own Your Spotlight 😎
Step into the spotlight and own your story with confidence! This workshop is all about helping you highlight your best traits, talk about yourself like a pro, and leave a lasting impression. Whether you’re meeting new people, networking, or just trying to have a great conversation, we’ll help you communicate clearly and confidently — all while having fun. More information about the workshop can be found below:
Time: Saturday, December 14th from 1 PM to 2:15 PM
Location: 731 Commercial St., San Francisco, CA
*This event counts for (1) FIT workshop credit. To sign up for this event, fill out the Google Form linked here.
👍 End of Semester Gathering 👍
CCSC's Family in Transition program invites you to join us for our end of the semester gathering! 🎉 Whether you’re here to snag a reward for meeting the requirements or just to chill, we’ve got fun activities, great food, and drinks lined up. Let’s celebrate the semester together!
Time: Sunday, December 22nd from 1 PM to 3 PM
Location: 731 Commercial St., San Francisco, CA
Sign up for the event here or scan the QR code in the flyer above.
LOCAL EVENTS
🌃 DFT (Downtown First Thursdays) 🌃
Check out Downtown First Thursdays (DFT) – a FREE monthly street party happening every first Thursday from 5pm to 10pm in Downtown SF! Get ready to hit the streets with disco vibes, DJs, live music, drag shows, fashion, street performances, and more. It all takes place on 2nd Street (between Market and Howard) and the surrounding area on Thursday, December 5th. Make sure to RSVP here.
🏮 Parol Lantern Festival 🏮
The parol lantern is the quintessential Filipino symbol of hope, blessings, luck, and peace during the holiday season. These lanterns can be found lighting up windows in Filipino homes throughout the world! You can watch live entertainment, see lots of lanterns, try different Filipino foods and more! The festival is on Saturday, December 14th. RSVP here or by scanning the code above.
🎄 Make Christmas Ornaments 🎄
Make colorful Christmas paper ornaments for holiday decorations! Put them on your tree or around your house! This event will be held at the Chinatown Public Library on Friday, December 20th from 3:30 - 5:00 pm. Space is limited. If you’re going, make a reservation by calling: (415) 355-2888.
🎆 Let’s Glow SF 🎆
Get ready to light up your holidays at Let’s Glow SF! From December 6th to 15th, downtown San Francisco transforms into a free outdoor art festival, projecting huge, animated holiday designs onto eight iconic buildings. Every night from 5:30 to 10:00 PM (starting at 7 PM on opening night), you can see these stunning projections and laser shows turn the cityscape into a glowing winter wonderland. Don’t miss it – it’s the largest holiday projection event in the country! Check out the map and more details here.
🎇 Exploratorium: GLOW 🎇
Speaking of glowing, you can step into a world of light and wonder at the Exploratorium’s GLOW! Play with lit-up games, create your own colorful shapes, watch objects that seem to float in midair and even gaze at a giant, glowing moon. This event is going from now until Sunday, Jan 26 2025 with daytime and nighttime hours. Get free tickets with your San Francisco Public Library card through the Discover & Go program.
RESOURCES
🙋♀️ Coro Leadership Program 🙋♂️
Are you a 9th, 10th or 11th grader who wants to grow as a leader? Coro Northern California's Exploring Leadership (EL) Youth Program is an exceptional opportunity for high school students to develop leadership skills, explore civic engagement and career pathways. Applications are open now! The program is from June 23rd to July 31st, but the priority application deadline is December 20, 2024. Learn more here.
📝Profile in Courage Scholarship 📝
The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest lets you write about a U.S. leader who served after 1917 and showed courage by doing the right thing, even when it was hard or unpopular. You’ll pick a leader from recent history and explain how their brave actions made a difference. It’s a great way to learn about leadership and share what courage means to you. Plus, the winner gets $10,000.00 (and there are plenty of runner up scholarships, too). Get more info here.
👩💻 Career Technical Education (CTE) 👨⚕️
Looking for direction? San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) has a program that might help, and it might be in your high school! The program is called Career Technical Education (CTE). It helps students explore careers, learn new skills and even earn college credits before graduation.
From Biotech to Culinary arts, there are 53 CTE programs that teach you how to think critically, get tech-savvy, speak confidently and be a leader. Check out this two-pager to see all the cool career options and academies in different SF high schools.
🚢 Free Ferry Fridays 🚢
Hop on board! SF Bay Ferry rides from Richmond to Downtown SF (and back!) are totally FREE every Friday through the end of the year! You can cruise across the bay in just 35 minutes, no reservations needed. Normally $4.70 each way (or $2.30 for youth and seniors), Fridays are your ticket to ride for free! This is the perfect chance to enjoy the views and explore SF without spending a dime. Grab your friends and make it a ferry Friday! More info here.
📢 Tell the City 📢
Do you want to let the City of San Francisco know how you feel? Do you want the Mayor and city supervisors to be aware of youth issues when they’re making decisions? Well, you may want to attend the Youth Commission’s Budget Community Forum on Thursday, Dec 5, 2024. You can share what issues you think are important. Check out their X (Twitter) for more information.
INSIGHTS
🎄 So Many Holidays! 🎄
December is like the ultimate holiday mash-up month! While most people think of Christmas, there’s a whole bunch of other cool celebrations happening too. Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, celebrates miracles and the lighting of candles for eight days. Kwanzaa, which honors African culture and heritage, is all about family, community, and remembering your roots. And let’s not forget about Festivus — yes the holiday made famous by Seinfeld (a TV show)! It’s a lighthearted “holiday for the rest of us” with quirky traditions like the Airing of Grievances and the Festivus Pole. Whichever holiday you celebrate, we hope you have a good one.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
SURVEY
💡 Your Event Ideas 💡
We want to hear from you! What kind of workshops and volunteer opportunities would you like to have at FIT? Just fill out this survey and let us know. We would greatly appreciate it.
Charity Cultural Services Center
731-747 Commercial St, San Francisco, CA, 94108
415-989-8224 | website: www.sfccsc.org | email: fit@sfccsc.org
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