VYDC

History & Mission

The Vietnamese Youth Development Center (VYDC) was founded in 1979 by people within the refugee community concerned with the lack of services targeting youth in the Tenderloin. Over three decades, VYDC has built a community of encouragement and empowerment for thousands of Southeast Asian youth, neighborhood youth in the Tenderloin, San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area.

Our Vision: Our youth, our families, our community thrive in a safe, supportive and nurturing environment.

Our Mission: 1) to provide direct assistance to Southeast Asian and neighborhood youth; 2) to empower youth their families to participate actively in the development of their community.

Our Goals are: 1) Prepare young people to transition successfully into adulthood by providing comprehensive counseling, employment, educational services and social enriching activities; 2) Divert youth from the juvenile justice system into meaningful programs; 3) Advocate for the needs of low-income youth in the neighborhood; 4) Develop youth leadership in the Tenderloin community and throughout San Francisco.

Our Target Population

VYDC began serving refugee and immigrant youth from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, who fled war-ravaged regions of Southeast Asia to arrive in a new country that was a little more prepared for them than they were for it, to a new generation of American-born children.

As the only agency specifically established to address the needs of the Southeast Asian population, VYDC has grown over the past 30 years to become a comprehensive multi-service agency providing culturally competent services to youth in the Tenderloin and San Francisco. The target age group is between 12 years old to 24 years old. VYDC serves Southeast Asians, Filipino and Pacific Islander, Chinese, and a growing number of African American and Latino youth. Many of our youth are monolingual, low-income, at-risk, high-risk, involved in multiple systems such as the juvenile justice system, adult justice system, on probation, truant, under-housed, identified with behavioral issues and living in single parent households.

Annually, VYDC serves over 1000 youth. VYDC staff provides services at local middle and high schools and alternative schools. Most of our youth come from the Tenderloin area, South of Market, Potrero Hill, Inner Mission, Richmond, Sunset, Western Addition, Visitation Valley and Bayview/Hunter’s Point areas.

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