Super Saturdays: Field Trips to Fight Poverty
Early childhood experiences act as the skeleton to the rest of your life. Because our kids live these years in poverty, we have created a program that provides accessibility to new, meaningful, learning experiences with them. These are called Super Saturdays.
Two Saturdays a month, our youth are immersed in trips and experiences around the Bay Area. These trips are intended to nurture the fleeting experience of childhood, a moment in time that is markedly vulnerable for the youth we serve. Submerged for much of their lives in scarcity, these trips have the power to retrieve some of their lost youth. Our goal is to provide as many meaningful new experiences as it takes to empower these kids out of poverty.
About 90% of our youth have a first-time experience for every Super Saturday we host.
Here is some of what our kids had to say:
“Something I don't want to forget about City of Dreams is all the opportunities and experiences I’ve had. It really opened my eyes from wanting to be alone all the time to become more social around more people.” - Sarah, Ground Zero Girls
“Something new I experienced at City of Dreams was surfing. I was the only one balancing on the board.” - August
Exposure to experiences outside of Bayview’s cycle of violence shows the youth they can define themselves differently than their environment. These diverse opportunities have the potential to inspire career choices, hobbies, and build networks. Plus, regular experiences like these can revive mental health and lessen the feelings of isolation associated with poverty. We want our kids to gain the confidence to define themselves in the environments inclined to reject them.
Here is some of what the youth have experienced through Super Saturdays, many of them with their mentors present:
Amusement Parks
Surfing lessons
National Parks
Potting Classes
Go-Kart Racing
Golfing
Roller Skating
Professional Sports Games
Camping
Made possible by our community of support, Super Saturdays will always be the most anticipated event of the month. Super Saturdays promote open-mindedness, curiosity, learning, and adventure–all equally important in the fight to lift these youth out of poverty.
And the impact is stunning.
If you're interested in sponsoring Super Saturdays or a particular trip, visit https://www.cityofdreams.org/partnerships