Old Skool Café

Old Skool Café is a restaurant with a significantly redemptive impact on the youth culture of San Francisco. It is a jazz club/restaurant in the city of San Francisco that employs at-risk youth ages 16-22 in all aspects of the business. Their aim as a program is to break the cycle of poverty, violence, and incarceration that plagues the community. They employ youth in positions such as hosts, servers, chefs, and entertainers to help them maintain employment and become successful in all aspects of their life.

Employment for youth at Old Skool Café has three major phases. The first phase is the pre-employment phase. This phase is a 12 week intensive skill training that provides training for long term success in the marketplace. The program is free, and those in training are paid for completing the program at the end. The second phase is the employment phase. In this phase, after the pre-employment program they are encouraged to work at Old Skool, but not required to do so. The third phase is the leadership phase. In this phase, the youth employed build their leadership and management skills to ensure success after they graduate from the employment program at age 22.

To increase their redemptive impact on the lives and culture of the youth that they are committed to, Old Skool has partnered with other non-profits and for profits. Companies such as Airbnb, Dolby, and Dayspring technologies fill this list to offer field trips, externships, and possible employment opportunities to students/employees of Old Skool when they graduate from the employment program. Through all these opportunities, Old Skool Café has had a measurable impact on the youth culture in San Francisco!