Summer opportunities for San Francisco youth
San Francisco police join with other city agencies to offer several summer programs for youth. These include:
SFPAL
The SFPAL Law Enforcement Cadet Program is a collaborative effort of the San Francisco Police Activities League (SFPAL) and the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD). Since 1959 the PAL Cadet Program has provided opportunities for growth, leadership and career experience for thousands of San Francisco youth — including many who have chosen to pursue law enforcement or public service careers. 4-week Summer Cadet Academy: The Law Enforcement Cadet Program is a 4-week Summer Cadet Academy. It is a Year-round internship program at SFPD stations or bureaus (approximately 6-8 hours per month). Graduates of the 4-week Summer Cadet Academy will be placed in an internship at an SFPD District Station and/or SFPD Bureau.
Future Grads
Community members, together with the San Francisco Police Foundation, launched Future Grads in 2012, well before tech internships were commonplace. One of the first programs to offer local high school students fully paid summer internships at some of the most prominent tech companies in the city, Future Grads started with just 20 students and has since nearly tripled in size. This summer, we’ll be looking for fifty SFUSD high school students, ages 14-18, for an eight-week-long tech-skills internship beginning in June, with a tech skills workshop and program orientation. Learn more about Future Graduates.
Community Safety Initiative (CSI)
The Community Safety Initiative (CSI) works to create a safe place for underserved youth to learn, live, and dream, without the fear of ridicule, judgment or low expectations. The CSI program provides support and resources to develop community engineers who can build bridges, pipelines and pathways for themselves and their communities to reach a better future. Youth develop skills, build relationships, and learn about careers in law enforcement, technology, hospitality, and other industries positioned to address issues around diversity and equity.
The San Francisco Police Department interacts with the youths in the CSI program by working with them on their projects. SFPD Officers work alongside the youths during their work days throughout the summer. The goal of the partnership is to build relationships with our youth in San Francisco and to be a mentor. For more information please visit Community Safety Initiative website.
Youth Career Academy (YCA)
The Youth Career Academy (YCA) is a transformative six-week exploration of career fields within criminal justice and law enforcement. Designed as a reconstitution of first contact, YCA seeks to educate San Francisco’s youth on the inner-workings of the criminal justice system through the introduction of pathways to employment. Graduates of YCA have a higher college acceptance rate than their peers and an exponentially increased career portfolio while the city of San Francisco benefits by establishing an elite pool of local youth prepared to serve the growing needs of the city. To achieve these goals, youth participate in an engaging curriculum including hands-on learning projects, field trips to relevant sites and captivating conversations with leaders in the field. Through the YCA program, Operation Genesis, Inc. aims not only to inspire our participants to pursue a career in the criminal justice field, but also to become local community leaders prepared to drive San Francisco’s cutting-edge criminal justice reform efforts into a fruitful future of prosperity through service.
These programs are offered by other city agencies:
Project Pull
Project Pull is a paid summer internship program sponsored by the City and County of San Francisco through the Department of Public Works (DPW), San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), and Youth Workforce (JCYC). It provides professional mentorship to motivated high school students from the diverse communities within San Francisco. During the eight-week program, interns explore careers in architecture, business, engineering, science and law enforcement by working with full-time city employees from various city departments. Interns opting to work with the SFPD can get experience working in specialized units, including in Crime Scene Investigations, Payroll, Personnel and information technology.
Visit Project Pull for more information.
SFO High School Interns Program
Applications are now being accepted for the 2019 Summer High School Internship program offered by the San Francisco Airport. Click here for more information about SFO High School Interns Program.
S.F. YouthWorks
S.F. YouthWorks provides paid internships for high school juniors and seniors who are current residents of San Francisco and interested in working with one of the many departments of the City and County of San Francisco.
S.F. Recreation & Parks Internship
Are you a student between the ages of 14 and 18? How would you like to gain valuable work experience, earn some extra money, and meet some new friends during the summer? The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department's Workreation Program may be your ticket to a great summer! Apply today! View the informational flyer.