RAMA Blueprints

"They Didn't Know We Were Seeds" is a powerful episode from the RAMA Blueprints Live podcast, "Tres Generaciones/Three Voices." Recorded on February 27th, 2025 at Brava Women for the Arts in San Francisco, this discussion delves into resilience and nonprofit sustainability in challenging times. Host Socorro Gamboa leads a conversation with executive directors Mario Paz (Good Samaritan), Lariza Dugan Cuadra (CARECEN SF), and Celina Lucero (Horizons Unlimited).

The episode explores the saying "They tried to bury us, but they did not know we were seeds," symbolizing the enduring spirit of community organizations. Panelists share personal stories, leadership insights, and the crucial role of nonprofits in San Francisco. They address issues like budget cuts, political upheaval, and the importance of community-driven solutions. This episode highlights the value of nonprofit workers, their impact on the city, and the ongoing fight for equity and representation.

This episode was produced and edited by Darren J. de Leon and Socorro Gamboa.

Consider donating to the RAMA Blueprints podcast through the CARECEN SF website.

Founded in 2021, RAMA Blueprints is the 1st podcast documenting the history of the Real Alternatives Program (RAP) within the City and County of San Francisco between 1967 - 2003 along with its current impact on community empowerment in San Francisco and the country.

Discover the impactful journey of Gene Royale in this eXtra Bio episode of the RAMA Blueprints podcast. Gene Royale, a pivotal figure in San Francisco's Mission District community activism, shares his rich experiences from co-founding the Centro de Cambio, working at the Mission Coalition Organization (MCO), and consulting for RAP. As an educator at San Francisco State University and a dedicated community organizer, Gene wore many hats, working closely with influential leaders and organizations. Tune in to hear powerful anecdotes and insights from his groundbreaking work in the Mission District and beyond. This episode is a tribute to his enduring legacy and contributions to social justice and community empowerment. Gene Royale passed away in Hanford, CA in 2024. Don't miss this enlightening conversation. Listen now and be inspired!

Please consider donating to RAMA Blueprints at CARECENSF.org . We truly appreciate any donation. You can listen to past episodes of RAMA Blueprints here.

This episode is dedicated to La Familia Royale. This episode was written, produced and edited by Darren J. de Leon and Socorro Gamboa.

In this episode of the Rama Blueprints Podcast, we delve into the history and impact of the Real Alternatives Program (RAP) from the mid-1980s until its closure in 1999. The episode highlights the tenure of Mitchell Salazar, who became Executive Director at age 24 and led the development of over 20 programs aimed at youth advocacy and violence reduction. The discussions weave through personal stories from former RAP staff and community leaders, examining RAP's dedication to providing alternatives to incarceration, educational support, and community services despite financial struggles and institutional challenges. RAP's legacy and contributions to youth empowerment and social justice are celebrated, while underscoring the business missteps that led to its downfall.

Thank you for listening to the Rama Blueprints podcast. We dedicate this episode to the RAP family. We also want to thank our sister organizations for their sponsorship and support CARECEN San Francisco, Instituto Familiar de La Raza, Horizons Unlimited, SALT/Vasa Community, United Playaz, Brava Women for the Arts. And special thanks to the San Francisco Foundation, Change Elemental, H.O.M.E.Y., CARECEN San Francisco'S marketing team of Juan Rivera and Kevin Rios, Orlando Torriente and Lolo for our theme song, and all of our dedicated community listeners and individual donors for their ongoing support.

This episode was produced and edited by Darren J. de Leon and Socorro Gamboa for the Five Sisters Audio Garden.

Please consider donating to the RAMA Blueprints podcast at the CARECENSF.org website. Please subscribe to our podcast and share it with two people.

This episode features interviews with Mitchell Salazar, Esperanza Echevarria, Jim Queen, Orlando Torriente, Valerie Tulier, Sadie Villapando Williams, Holly Calica, Chico Moreno, Carlos "Cookie" Gonzalez, Alfredo Bojorquez, Gene Royale, Ray Balberan, Anthony Ceja, Roban San Miguel, Dr. Concha Saucedo, John Nauer, Joanne Uribe, Sam Ruiz, Jesus Yañez, and Carla Dartis.

RAMA Blueprints Podcast presents their Tres Generacíones/Three Voices live podcast series at BRAVA Cabaret in San Francisco. The panel addresses the intersectionalities of insider/outsider, invisibility, homophobia, resilience, migration, ethnicity, race, class, and gender, the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the history of social and political organization of LGBTQIA Latinos in the SF Mission District and Citywide.

This engaging live podcast includes a lively intergenerational conversation between Dr. Eduardo Morales (Founder and Executive Director, AGUILAS), Claudia Cabrera (Program Director, Si a La Vida, Instituto Familiar de La Raza), and Luka Fernandez (Participant, Promesas, Instituto Familiar de La Raza).

The Tres Generaciones/Three Voices live podcast series at Brava Cabaret features three guests representing three generations of expertise regarding the topic at hand. The intergenerational panelist consists of an elder in the field, a seasoned community worker, and an emerging young leader in the field. All have experience working towards building alliances through activism, art, organizing and empowerment.

Always framed through the Principles of The Real Alternatives Program (RAP), the discussion will seek solutions and future action steps that will hopefully build upon the findings of previous work to elevate the level of discussion and details for future action steps and conversations.

Founded in 2021, RAMA Blueprints is the first podcast documenting the history of the Real Alternatives Program (RAP) within the City and County of San Francisco between 1967 - 2003 along with its current impact on community empowerment in San Francisco and the country.

This conversation was held on June 27, 2024 at Brava Women for the Arts Cabaret in San Francisco's Mission District. This episode was produced and edited by Darren J. de Leon and Socorro Gamboa for the 5 Sisters Audio Garden.

Please consider donating to the RAMA Blueprints by visiting CARECENSF.org.

On February 8th, 2024 we facilitated a discussion about the current state of Juvenile Justice in San Francisco as part of our Tres Generaciones/Three Voices conversations. In this eXtra Commentary we are joined by two frontline staff of Tia Chucha’s Trauma To Transformation team Elvia Aguirre and Freddie Chavez. They work and serve youth incarcerated in various juvenile detention centers throughout Los Angeles County. They reflect upon the dialogue of the live podcast and comment on some of the similarities and differences between the Trauma To Transformation program and SF’s efforts.

This episode was produced and edited by Darren J. de Leon and Host Socorro Gamboa. Please consider donating to the RAMA Blueprints by visiting the CARECENSF.org website.

In 1969, the Real Alternatives Program called for the closure of SF’s Youth Guidance Center. 50 years later in 2019, the SF Board of Supervisors overwhelmingly approved the closure by the end of 2021. RAMA Blueprints hosts a live discussion with community members and leaders who were active in the Shut YGC down movement over the last 50 years. The discussion includes a lively intergenerational conversation between Alfredo Bojórquez(Court Alternatives Specialist, Office of SF Public Defender), Marlene Sanchez (Executive Director, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights), and Krea Gomez (Senior Program Officer, Rosenberg Foundation)moderated by Host Socorro Gamboa.

The live podcast was recorded at BRAVA For Women in the Arts' Cabaret. SHUT IT DOWN!: The Closure of Youth Guidance Center is part of our Tres Generaciones/Three Voices conversations.

In this extra for the RAMA Blueprints, we hear from three women who worked in the Real Alternatives Program's (RAP) CALLES Street Outreach program. We present this platica or dialogue to demonstrate how these two women, through consistency and relentlessness can lead to effective street outreach support services in response to community violence.

We talked with Donna Saffioti Johnson, the "Condom Lady" who began working at Horizons in March of 1988, and Michelle Alvarez Campos, a San Francisco Native, mother of two, practicing licensed clinical social worker who previously worked as a case manager with the CALLES program at the RAP.

Their story is one of the most underlying truths about this street intervention work, where there isn't a clear cut response plan in face-to-face engagements. They must rely upon their training, gut feelings and personal experience to bring forth the best traits within each human being they encounter. RAP's Calles program originally began as the Barrio Patrol in the late sixties to monitor police activity, provide safe passage for youth and guide youth development.

This episode was produced, written and edited by Darren J. de Leon and host Socorro Gamboa for the 5 Sisters Audio Garden. Please consider donating to RAMA Blueprints by visiting CARECENSF.org. Thank you and please share this show with 2 people.

In this RAMA eXtra, we hear commentary from Roberto Ariel Vargas, the Associate Director, Center for Community Engagement and Senior Staff for the Community Engagement Program and the Research Action Group for Equity of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, of the UCSF. As a lifelong member of RAP's family, he talks about the parallels between his and Mitchel Salazar's life.

You can donate to the RAMA Blueprints by visiting the CARECENSF.org website.

In this eXtra for RAMA Blueprints, we hear from one of the Mission’s beloved sons, Orlando Torriente, who as a young man found his way out of a problematic life filled with drug use and criminal activity. He talks about his life with the Real Alternatives Program and the challenges of healing from trauma.

We thank all the private donors for their support of the RAMA Blueprints. To DONATE please visit CARECENSF.org. Thank you for listening.

In a multi-part episode, we begin to tell the story of Mitchell Salazar, the Real Alternatives Program's executive director from 1984 to 1999. We cover from the blocks of San Francisco's Bernal Heights as a young hustler with a deep entrepreneurial drive, to the legacy in the Mission for his You & I dances, to the young community leader who led RAP at the young age of 24, Mitchell's tenure at RAP, the level of youth services expanded, which also included starting a four year high school and a teen clinic.

Mitchell passed away in 2022. His story is a complex one filled with twist risk and opportunities. We follow a handful of events that not only help shape one of the San Francisco's Mission District's most effective community leaders, but also show what his heart and intentions were for the actions and decisions he made.

We are honored to have called Mitchell Salazar, our mentor, our friend, our brother.

This episode was written and edited by Darren J. de Leon and Host Socorro Gamboa for the 5 Sisters Audio Garden.

You can DONATE here to support the RAMA Blueprints podcast.