Generations Center for Youth, Adults & Seniors

4135 Fairmount Avenue, San Diego, CA 92105

Office: (619) 798-3979

Hours of Operation:

  • Monday: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
  • Tuesday: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
  • Wednesday: 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
  • Thursday: 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
  • Friday: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaMaestraGenerations/

Instagram: @lmgenerations

Network for Good: https://lamaestra.networkforgood.com/projects/59095-la-maestra-foundation-fundraising-campaign

Youth Services (Center for Youth Advancement)

Music

Our beginner music classes offer an engaging and interactive approach to covering the basics of music theory, reading notes and rhythm, and instrument anatomy.  With hands-on ukulele, guitar, and keyboard practice students build confidence and coordination in their musical abiliti

Students are also provided with private vocal lessons from a professional trained, Grammy-nominated vocalist through our partnership with San Diego Opera. Vocal lessons improve your voice through coaching and practice, while also emphasizing the importance of using vocal techniques properly and safely.

Art

La Maestra provides arts education to youth ages 6-18 in San Diego. These classes are designed to give students the opportunity to learn from resident teaching artists to follow their creative pursuits and explore the different concepts and techniques that are taught in class. La Maestra seeks to provide youth with a safe space for youth to create, share, collaborate, and explore. Participating students will have the opportunity to explore a variety of media and teaching styles, including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, photography, and more.

“The art classes at CYA have taught me so much about myself as a young person in this world and as a creative person. It taught me how to think outside the box, and that a small mistake shouldn’t stop me, but instead, it can help me think of creative solutions and help me start something new. It made me realize that I have more than one path in my life. I have so many talents and with support, I can go to so many places. We are a community and we are all in this together.”-Nohemi (Age 15)

Academics

Generations’ tutoring is one of the most popular and utilized services that is hugely beneficial for students of all ages across a wide range of subjects. From literacy and mathematics to test preparation and essay-writing skills, tutoring can help develop the competencies that students need to thrive at school by helping to improve academic grades and build critical thinking skills.

During school breaks, Generations staff continue to provide academic services in the form of engaging and educational lesson plans, career exploration days, field trips, and guest speakers.

Theater

The Theater program is in collaboration with the San Diego Opera to provide youth with instruction in composition, production, and performance, guiding students through the process of telling their own stories through music, drama, and poetry. Students are encouraged to challenge themselves with an artistically inclusive curriculum that embodies the human values leading to positive behavioral health outcomes. Using techniques of Restorative Practices and the Restorative Circles format, Teaching Artists create a space for youth to reflect, open up, and share their experiences and perspectives with peers, and through the works they create, with the community. Students compose, rehearse, and present the works in public performances held at the project’s conclusion.

“Being a part of the theater program has been one of the greatest experiences at CYA. It has given me the chance to express myself creatively and lets me be free. Normally I don’t get the chance to talk about the things I’m worried about, but with theater, I can. We’ve worked on some really cool projects that I wouldn’t have ever thought I would be a part of. CYA gives me a place that I can go to be a part of a team. It’s great!” -Brayan (Age 14)

S.T.E.M

La Maestra has partnered with UCSD CREATE to take part in the CREATE STEM Success Initiative (CSSI) where students receive STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) Education. Science education gives students an in-depth understanding of the world around us and helps them to become better at research and critical thinking, analyzing information, eliminate errors, and make conscious decisions when designing solutions. STEM education links these disciplines into a cohesive system and fosters creativity in a field that is not always accessible to all students.

“In the STEAM Gardening program, I learned about something called cross-breeding with plants and the instructors encouraged me to experiment with the plants that we have in the garden. It’s really cool! I tried cross-pollinating pumpkin and watermelon flowers to see if I could create a hybrid fruit. It didn’t work out, but it was still really fun to try because I got to take the plants home and observe them and take care of them. I want to try crossing different peppers soon.”  -Salahadin (Age 13)

Restorative Practices & Youth Leadership Development

Restorative practices are a great way to continue building community and strengthening bonds between staff and students. It builds trust and care as well as acts as a great tool for conflict resolution and improves communication skills. The students enjoy taking part in Restorative Circle as it is a safe environment to discuss issues and events that are on their mind.

This program offers youth a safe space to explore community and address issues they face through teambuilding, artistic expression, and action. Mentors serve as a partner for the students and empower students to become autonomous learners and agents of their own change. They are there to express understanding of students’ aspirations and fears, and support their success by serving as an advocate for the students’ best interests.

Meal & Diaper Distribution

La Maestra has partnered with UCSD CREATE to take part in the CREATE STEM Success Initiative (CSSI) where students receive STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) Education. Science education gives students an in-depth understanding of the world around us and helps them to become better at research and critical thinking, analyzing information, eliminate errors, and make conscious decisions when designing solutions. STEM education links these disciplines into a cohesive system and fosters creativity in a field that is not always accessible to all students Generations is partnered with Feeding San Diego to combat food insecurity in our communities as a hot food distribution site. As a feeding site we can ensure that students have daily access to healthy and nutritious meals. Additionally, the organization has been working in collaboration with the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank to distribute diapers as part of their Diaper Bank Program. At our site, families are able to pick up diapers in their child’s size weekly.

Athletics

La Maestra has partnered with UCSD CREATE to take part in the CREATE STEM Success Initiative (CSSI) Athletics comes in the form of yoga, outdoor play, including activities like skating, basketball, soccer, and wall ball. In addition to improving your physical fitness, the practice of exercising has been found to boost immunity, reduce the risk of heart disease, and help conquer stress.

Adult Services

Microcredit Program for Women

The Microcredit Program for Women seeks to empower low-income, immigrant and refugee women by improving access to resources such as small loans, access to small-business resources, banking, and financial literacy workshops. Resources are offered to the women of the group in hopes that it will assist them in search for employment/self-employment by continuing to grow and enhance the program; by doing so the participants would have more opportunities to integrate into their communities and network, learn skills that will assist them in their business venture, become competent in financial literacy, and ultimately, become self-sufficient.

Sewing, Knitting, & Jewerly

Sewing, knitting and jewelry classes are designed to give students an opportunity to focus on individual projects with the guidance of an instructor. The instructor teaches the students different knitting techniques that will assist them as they decide on style, shapes, sizes, and patterns of their pieces. These classes allow participants to have a creative outlet that can also be turned into a profitable skill.

Sewing, Knitting, & Jewerly

Sewing, knitting and jewelry classes are designed to give students an opportunity to focus on individual projects with the guidance of an instructor. The instructor teaches the students different knitting techniques that will assist them as they decide on style, shapes, sizes, and patterns of their pieces. These classes allow participants to have a creative outlet that can also be turned into a profitable skill.

Blossoms

Blossoms is a social-enterprise project that offers top quality floral design while cultivating economic empowerment and wellbeing among San Diego women and families. Purchases from Blossoms provide a chance for florists to build a new life through training and employment opportunities in a healing environment. Blossoms offers floral design classes where students learn the art of using plant materials and flowers to create eye-catching arrangements.

Computer Classes

Generations offers computer classes to help learners achieve the tech-fluency they need to feel more comfortable using computers. This free course covers the basics of computer use in a friendly, easy-to-understand format.

Contact Information

Norman Paraiso, Program Director

Email: nparaiso@lamaestra.org

Phone:

Office: (619) 798-3979

Karla Martinez, Program Manager

Email: kmartinez@lamaestra.org Office: (619) 798-3979

Register

To register or for additional information,  please call: (619) 798-3979

or email Karla Martinez at kmartinez@lamaestra.org

Staff

Norman Paraiso – Program Director

Karla Martinez – Program Manager

TBH – Art Coordinator

TBH – Art Instructor

Inocente Galicia – Art Instructor

Omar Bernal – Music Instructor

Juan Armengol Mayoral – Instructor Assistant

Kimberly Zazueta – Instructor Assistant

Nyamach Chuol – Instructor Assistant