ImproveSF has partnered with YouTube and the Bayview YMCA among others to curate a collection of creative work that illustrates the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood. To explore the power of creative expression to change perceptions of a neighborhood and revitalize underprivileged areas, we’re collecting submissions of creative content of all kinds – paintings, comic strips, fashion designs, personal essays, spoken word poems, Instagram shots, or songs – that feature the Bayview Neighborhood as a main character.

// THE CHALLENGE //

This challenge aims to collect and share the stories behind the local treasures of the Bayview – the people and places that make the neighborhood a unique cultural destination for our City.

// HOW TO PARTICIPATE //

Submit your piece to our online platform! All submissions should be centered around the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood, and should touch upon a local issue or subject you think the rest of San Francisco should know about. The format is up to you.

Some Ideas:

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  Locally filmed music video

  
  


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  A written profile of your favorite non-profit organization

  
  


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  A portrait (written or visual) of a community hero

  
  


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  A personal essay

  
  


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  A legendary recipe

  
  


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  Illustration

  
  


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  Spoken Word Poem

  
  


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  Film Vignette

  
  


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  Your favorite mural/street artist

  
  


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  A picture book written about your neighborhood

  
  

Who are your characters? Why is the work inspiring, and what is the impact to the neighborhood or to San Francisco?

// PRIZES //

Prizes will be awarded for stories in the following categories:

• Story about Inspiring People // $50 Gift Certificate to Limon Rotisserie - Bayview (www.limonsf.com/limonsf/third)


• Local Business Story // $50 Gift Certificate to Limon Rotisserie - Bayview


• Cultural Treasure Story // $50 Gift Certificate to Old Skool Cafe (www.oldskoolcafe.org)


• Most Creative Storytelling // $20 to SCRAP (www.scrap-sf.org/)

A People’s Choice will be also highlighted at the challenge closing ceremony event.

The Story

This challenge has been a collaboration between the Mayor's Office of Civic Innovation and the Bayview YMCA's Youth in Government Program. ImproveSF partnered with youth from the Bayview YMCA to create a plan for how to change perceptions around their neighborhood, and after conducting interviews with residents and being trained in digital storytelling techniques, the youth identified the need to collect and share stories of the neighborhood with the rest of the City as a community issue important to them and their peers.

This challenge has been a collaboration between the Mayor's Office of Civic Innovation and the Bayview YMCA's Youth in Government Program.