Charles M. Collins, president and CEO of the YMCA of San Francisco, co-chair Julie Harkins, and San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr gathered on Friday, March 7, to celebrate Silicon Valley’s next generation at the Y for Youth Luncheon held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Collins called the Bay Area a home for giants in all arenas from tech to athletics to redwoods. “San Francisco allows us to visualize and imagine what our youth can become,” he said. Yessenia Pozo, a 17-year-old student from the Shih Yu-Lang Central YMCA youth programs, proudly declared, “I’m a start up,” as she introduced the afternoon’s keynote speakers. The afternoon included a live debate on the pros and cons of San Francisco’s proposed soda tax legislation held by YMCA of San Francisco’s Youth and Government Program students and a live auction with proceeds going towards the 10,000 students enrolled in the Y’s programs throughout San Mateo, San Francisco and Marin. A performance by student hip-hop group Y-Projects concluded the event with this refrain: Rise above.

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