Pact Youth Clubs
Pact Youth Clubs provide adopted and fostered youth of color, ages 10-18, the opportunity to be mentored by adult role models with shared backgrounds, and to build community with their peers. Members are grouped with others close to their age, and meet monthly with Pact-trained counselors, adults of color who are often adopted or who were formerly in foster care themselves—allies who are eager to offer support.
In-person Youth Clubs meetings are held in the San Francisco Bay Area. Meetings alternate between fun activities (outings, creative projects, games) and a curriculum designed to help Black, Latinx, Asian and Native American adopted and fostered youth explore their feelings and experiences related to adoption, race, family and identity—issues they are often reluctant to discuss with parents or non-adopted friends.
Parents of Youth Club members are invited to attend quarterly meetings where adults learn together and create their own community. Attendance from at least one parent is required.
Our son said he wishes the club could meet twice a month— that’s how much he enjoyed it. Thank you for the work you do to help our adoptees grow and heal!”
Youth Clubs Schedules & Fees
Registration for Pact Youth Clubs opens before the beginning of each new session. In order to build a strong sense of community within the Club cohorts, drop-in/single session participation is not available. Club members are expected to attend regularly. Pact Youth Clubs tend to fill up quickly, so early registration is encouraged.
In-Person Clubs
In-person Pact Youth Clubs operate out of Pact’s headquarters in Emeryville, CA and are open to adopted and fostered youth of color who can attend monthly meetings there. Each meeting includes a substantial snack and some meetings include all-expenses-paid excursions around the Bay Area.
- Session length: 9 meetings , October-June
- Session format: 1 meeting/month
- Meeting schedule: 3-hour in-person meetings held one Saturday a month
Virtual Clubs
NOTE: No virtual clubs are currently being offered. Please check back in 2024.
Virtual Pact Youth Clubs are open to adopted and fostered youth of color anywhere in the United States.
- Session length: 4-5 meetings
- Session format: 1 meeting/month during school year
- Meeting schedule: 2-hour meetings held via Zoom on Saturday afternoons, Pacific Time
2023-24 In-Person Youth Club Sliding Scale Fees
Family Income Level
Pact Members
Non-Members
Family Income Level
Pact Members
Non-Members
Family Income Level
Pact Members
Non-Members
Family Income Level
Pact Members
Non-Members
Family Income Level
Pact Members
Non-Members
Family Income Level
Pact Members
Non-Members
Family Income Level
Pact Members
Non-Members
Family Income Level
Pact Members
Non-Members
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Non-Members
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Non-Members
Youth Club Details
Club schedule
Youth Clubs are grouped based on age; all groups are size-limited to preserve intimacy. The younger groups meet on the 1st Saturday of the month (starting October 7) and the older groups on the 2nd Saturday (starting October 14). Each group will meet from either 11am-2pm or 3-6pm. We are in the process of assigning youth to clubs according to age and will notify families of the schedule by the first week of October.
Sign-in & sign-out procedures
We ask that youth arrive promptly for each club meeting and that parents and youth wait outside the building, where they will be greeted by a Youth Club mentor. Parents must sign their youth in and out of each club meeting. Youth cannot check themselves in and out of Youth Club. If an adult other than one of the youth’s parents/guardians will sign them in or out, please email raquel@pactadopt.org by noon on the Friday before the club meeting. We ask parents not to enter the Pact office given our COVID protocols.
COVID protocols
Everyone participating in Youth Club must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Mentors will be testing for COVID before club meetings and we highly recommend that youth do the same. Masks are not mandatory but we encourage youth to wear them while indoors.
Mentor roles
Youth Mentors provide a welcoming environment for adopted/foster tweens and teens of color to form community and bond with other youth who share similar experiences. Mentors work closely with Pact staff to create structured curriculum to help youth process and share their thoughts and feelings around adoption, race and identity. They also facilitate dynamic and engaging activities and for youth to have fun and form important social connections. Mentors are great role models but remember they are only meeting with these groups once a month, so they are not available to meet personally with the youth.
What is required from parents?
Parents are required to attend four virtual parent sessions, scheduled as follows:
Thursday, October 5, 5:30-6:30pm: welcome, changes to youth club, community building
Thursday, January 11, 5:30-7:00pm: parent education & support
Thursday, March 28, 5:30-7:00pm: parent education & support
Thursday, May 23, 6-7:30pm: youth club mentor panel
We have found it matters to the youth to know that not only are they learning and growing but their parents are too.
How do Pact and parents communicate?
A Slack channel will be shared with all Youth Club parents. You are welcome to use Slack to communicate among yourselves or with Pact staff. Mentors will NOT be on Slack, nor are any minors or non-Youth Club parents invited to join. Youth Club Mentors will record a brief video after each club meeting to share activities with parents; these videos will be posted on each group channel.
Are we expected to pay for missed events?
Registration fees cover the cost of training staff-mentors, organizing activities, and inviting guest speakers. Lots of time and energy go into planning and preparing for each club meeting. Therefore, we are unable to accommodate last-minute requests to participate and are similarly unable to refund fees for missed sessions.
Are the clubs therapeutic?
While not therapeutic in nature, our clubs focus on community and are guided by adult adoptees with exceptional training and experience working with adopted youth around exploration of adoption, race, family and identity. Youth will alternate fun activities such as games, creative projects and outings, with activities and conversations that focus on adoption, race and identity. The program includes interactive curriculum tailored to adopted and fostered youth of African American, African, Latinx, Asian and Native American descent to explore their feelings and experiences.
What if my child doesn’t like to talk about their adoption?
Community matters for youth, and it is important for adopted youth of color to find mentors and peers who they can trust and look to as they process their own experience. Often youth who are reluctant to talk about these issues with parents or friends find comfort and camaraderie within our clubs. Many participants experience understanding while learning new ways to grow into strong, conscious young adults.
Questions? Contact youthclubs@pactadopt.org
Youth Clubs Staff
Jovante "Kaly" Holloway
Youth Empowerment Specialist
Javonte (he/him) is a same-race domestic adoptee from San Francisco, CA. He is a local multimedia artist with years of experience as a youth mentor with a focus on the arts. His experience as an adoptee inspired him to work with Pact youth and provide a safe space for creative expression and constructive conversations about issues of identity and family.
Nthabi Anderson-Bahr
Youth Mentor
Nthabi (she/her) is a transracial, international adoptee from Lesotho. In 2021 she graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a BA in Criminal Justice. Currently, Nthabi is working with Santa Cruz County Probation with plans to attend law school to represent those unjustly impacted by the criminal/legal system. Nthabi has worked as a mentor at Pact Camp West and East as well as with Pact’s youth clubs.
Marianne Hurst
Youth Mentor
Marianne (she/her) is a transracial, international adoptee born in China. She has worked at Pact Camp as a mentor and also worked with youth on the autism spectrum helping them and their families understand behavioral patterns and preferences.
Jacob Young-Min Linde
Youth Mentor
Jacob (he/him) is a transracial, domestic adoptee of Korean descent who graduated from University of San Francisco in 2022 followed by a year as a Bay Area AmeriCorps volunteer. He currently works at Tenderloin Community Elementary School in San Francisco as an Associate STEM Teacher. Jacob attended Pact Camp as a youth and is committed to giving back to the next generation of adopted youth.
Jake Plut
Youth Mentor
Jake (he/him) is a transracial adult adoptee from California, a graduate of New York University with degrees in Music and Black Cultural Studies. He currently works as a freelance producer and songwriter as well as with the community organization US4US in his native San Francisco. He has been a member of the Pact community since he was three years old and is excited to serve on Pact’s Board and as a youth mentor and counselor at Pact Camp and in the year-round youth program.
Deepa Pious-Milnor
Youth Mentor
Deepa (she/her) is an international transracial adoptee born in Nepal and raised in the Bay Area. She received her BA in Psychology and is currently working as a behavioral therapist, with plans to attend graduate school in the near future. Deepa is a Pact Camp and Youth Club alum.
Kaniesha Woodard
Youth Mentor
Kaniesha (she/her) earned her MSW in 2020 and since then has worked with youth and families to create developmentally appropriate behavioral interventions and plans. As a domestic transracial adoptee, Kaniesha is committed to working within the adoption world to help youth discover their full identity and find agency within their own narrative and journey. Kaneisha is currently working as an academic advisor at Northeastern University, Oakland Campus.
Raquel Vivanco
Event & Parent Program Manager
Raquel (she/her) is the adoptive mother to two Latin@ persons. She has been an active member of the Pact community for over fifteen years. As a Pact staff member, she contributes her experience with non-profit organizations and human resources, as well as her dedication to ethical adoption reform.