Bayview Foundation wins 2014 SF Peacemaker Award

San Francisco – Bayview Hunters Point Foundation for Community Improvement Executive Director Jacob Moody recently accepted this year’s Community Boards Leadership Peacemaker Award on behalf of the over 40-year-old organization, which provides tailored, comprehensive support for at-risk youth in Bayview Hunters Point. The award was presented by Community Boards Executive Director Darlene Weide at the fourth annual Peacemaker Awards luncheon on Friday, June 6, at the City Club of San Francisco.

Lillian-Shine-Jacob-Moody-accept-SF-Peacemakers-Award-for-BVHP-Foundation-060614-by-Jim-Norrena-1-300x293, Bayview Foundation wins 2014 SF Peacemaker Award, Culture Currents
Lillian Shine and Jacob Moody accept the Peacemakers Award on behalf of the Bayview Hunters Point Foundation. – Photo: Jim Norrena

“Community Boards mediates conflicts once they arise, but our Peacemaker Awards recognize those working tirelessly to prevent conflict from occurring in the first place,” said Weide. “This year’s honorees are making San Francisco a more peaceful and better place to live.”

In addition to Bayview Hunters Point Foundation, 2014 San Francisco Peacemaker Awards were presented to two individuals who advocate for youth in San Francisco: Anayvette Martinez, an advocate for LGBTQ youth, and Sasha Rodriguez, a recent Lincoln High School graduate and peer mediator.

Additional certificates were presented to the winners by David Chiu, president of the SF Board of Supervisors, and by representatives of state Sen. Mark Leno and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi. In a brief speech to the audience of close to 200 people, Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi praised the work of Community Boards, noting that San Francisco’s jail is among the least crowded in California and the US.

The Honorable Justice Cruz Reynoso – civil rights lawyer, professor emeritus of law and the first Chicano associate justice of the California Supreme Court – gave the keynote address, focusing on restorative justice. He shared stories of conflicts mediated using restorative justice principles, noting that those who mediate their disputes using alternative dispute resolution report higher satisfaction with the outcome than those who go through the legal system.

Bayview Hunters Point Foundation for Community Improvement tackles youth gang violence and other crime head-on by connecting community members with – and fostering collaboration between – existing neighborhood services. Their Community Response Network (CRN) provides counseling at crime scenes as well as continuing support at the hospital, in the home and in the neighborhood, connecting crime victims, their families and witnesses with trauma recovery and mental health services, job training and placement, alternative education, health services and recreation opportunities.

“Community Boards mediates conflicts once they arise, but our Peacemaker Awards recognize those working tirelessly to prevent conflict from occurring in the first place,” said Weide. “This year’s honorees are making San Francisco a more peaceful and better place to live.”

Their Youth Services program provides a safe space for 11-18-year-olds to congregate and connects them with counseling and treatment, community beautification projects, and positive educational and recreational opportunities. The ROSIE Project provides hands-on, ongoing support to help 14-25-year-old women meet court obligations and follow up with positive life choices in school and the community.

The mission of Community Boards is to empower the communities and individuals of San Francisco with the strength, skills and resources needed to express and resolve conflicts peacefully and appropriately for their culture and environment. Since 1976, Community Boards has assisted 46,000 San Francisco residents and trained more than 16,000 community members to be skilled mediators. More information is available at www.CommunityBoards.org.