- FIND A PROGRAM
- Youth Employment Programs
Youth Employment Programs
San Francisco Recreation and Parks is the perfect introduction to the work force for city youth. We partner with other city agencies and organizations to place nearly 500 teens in our parks, programs, recreation centers and offices each year, providing a unique, fun experience for youth workers.
Our Greenager Program focuses on leadership, park stewardship and community service projects for teens in the southeast and northeast neighborhoods in the city.
YEP! (Youth Employment Program) invites teens ages 14–17 to take an active role in strengthening communities while gaining hands-on experience in a fun, supportive, structured work environment.
Designed as an entry point for personal and professional growth, YEP! helps teens develop self-confidence, responsibility, and practical skills through meaningful work in our recreation centers and neighborhood parks. Participants learn what it means to contribute, collaborate, and lead, developing habits and values that extend well beyond the program.
Youth Workers, depending on their assignment, support recreation programs, facilities, and open spaces through a range of hands-on activities, including arts, sports, aquatics, gardening, cooking, facility operations, and more.
YEP! focuses on personal growth, skill-building, and community connection. With flexible schedules of up to 25 hours per week in the summer and 10 hours per week during the school year, participants balance school, work, and fun while exploring their potential!
If you have any questions, please email yep@sfgov.org or call Yuri Ugarte at 415.452.3863.
![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Greenagers
The Greenager Program is a San Francisco Recreation and Park Department and Port of San Francisco youth stewardship and leadership program that runs from February through August each year. The program was created and designed to offer teens a chance to play an important role in the community by improving the city’s green spaces, raising awareness, creating place-based projects and/or projects based on issues or themes participants value and are interested in.
The Greenager Program is for teenagers that live in or attend a school in the southeast, northeast, and Tenderloin neighborhoods of San Francisco. Greenagers are trained and provided with multiple leadership opportunities. They facilitate workshops, lead public volunteer service projects, participate in community events, go on fun team excursions and more.
Our goal is to create a safe atmosphere in which youth can learn about the importance of the preservation of our parks and open spaces, voice their concerns about their environment and community, and take action while gaining fundamental job and life skills, push and challenge their perceived limitations, bond with like-minded peers and have fun all in their own backyard!
Quick Facts
- Program established in 2012 with a crew based in southeast SF
- In 2017, added a second crew based in northeast of SF
- 123 teens have successfully completed the 8-month program, 30 have returned as leaders for a second year
- Coastal Clean Up site captains since 2013
- Engaged with over 530 community members and key stakeholders
- Service provided in over 20 different parks and opens spaces in San Francisco
- 8,767 hours of service to our city’s parks and open spaces, community events and rec centers
- Received Board of supervisor’s program commendation on July 29, 2014
- Annual sailing excursion with Blue Water Foundation and other fun adventures including camping to get youth outdoors
Program Incentives
- Earn paid work experience as a San Francisco Recreation and Park Employee
- Greenagers earn $25 per hour
- Forge new long-lasting friendships
- Gain valuable and transferable job skills
- Advance your leadership & public speaking skills
- Gain professional work experience
- Explore new parks, rec centers & open spaces
- Learn about SF’s native flora and fauna
- Looks great on your resume
Who can be a Greenager?
To be a Greenager you must meet the criteria below (see the job announcement for more details):
- You must live in or attend a high school in the Southeast Sector of San Francisco (Excelsior, Portola, Bayview, Hunter’s Point, Visitation Valley, Crocker Amazon, or Potrero Hill) or Northeast Sector of San Francisco (Western Addition, Tenderloin and Chinatown); the Tenderloin (Tenderloin Chinatown, Western Addition, Fillmore, and Treasure Island), or you must be referred to us by one of our direct partners.
- Must be a 9th to 12th grade student
- Must be able to commit to the full program
How do I apply?
If you have questions about the program, please e-mail sfrpdgreenagers@sfgov.org or call 415-831-6319.
The Port of San Francisco is a core partner of the Greenager Program

%20a2_201912101557421253.jpg)

