Youth Stewardship

The Volunteer Division’s Youth Services team coordinates and runs a variety of programs that offer youth and educators opportunities to connect with the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department’s parks and open spaces city wide.

Youth Stewardship Program (YSP)

The Youth Stewardship Program (YSP) runs from November through May and engages youth and school groups, grades K-12, in environmental education and service-learning field trips in parks citywide. Our program mission is to foster an understanding of their important role in building healthy social and natural communities.

YSP exposes urban students to an outdoor learning environment that proves to be engaging and challenging. Each trip is 2.5 hours long and includes an environmental education and restoration component. Students are taught science, environmental education, local natural and cultural history, social responsibility, a personal connection to their communities, and fundamental life skills.

The program is free of cost. Teachers can register their classes beginning in the fall of the school year, using the button below, and the program is usually full by the end of December.

Self-Guided Options

Not able to schedule a trip this year, but keen to explore our parks? Plan your own visit to the park with the help of these printable PDF guides!

A Day in the Park! by Karah Fisher  An activity book for your young person to complete in any SF park

Birds of the GGP Lakes by the 2021-22 YSP Team A bird guide for the lakes and wetlands of Golden Gate Park

Ethnobotany Card Guide by the 2021-22 YSP Team A guide to some of the most popular  SF Native Plants

Birds of Heron's Head Park by Eliz Ismailoglu A guide to our feathered friends at  Heron's Head Park

Program Links

• Youth Stewardship Program FAQs
• Youth Stewardship Program's 2021-22 Annual Report
• YSP Summary in Numbers 2021-22

Group Community Service Projects

To organize a service-only project for your group or class year-round, please complete a Group Park Volunteer Request Form      .

Not sure how or where you’d like to volunteer? No problem! Get in touch with staff at recparkvolunteers@sfgov.org.