At Because Justice Matters, we believe in a bright future where hope transforms communities, wherejustice restores dignity, where families thrive, and where every woman and girl knows they are deeply valued. This fuels everything we do-and it's a vision we are building together.
This year, we witnessed an incredible transformation in our community:
• We hosted our first BJM-Wide Creative Arts Production, highlighting the creativity and healing power of the arts from our youngestdancers to our new, young-adult Azul Leadership Cohort.
• We took a group of student leaders on our first Fall Retreat, teaching them the importance of abiding in Christ and e9uipping them with tools to stay connected to God in day-to-day life.
• We launched oursecondAzul Leadership Cohort, e9uipping the next generation of leaders with tangiblejob skills and workforce developmentwhile investing in theirspirituallives, identity formation andunlocking creativity.
• We supported women in the adult entertainment industry in our EdenMade ministry through prayer, relationship, and tangible resources as they takethe next steps in pursuing health and wholeness in their lives.
• We onboarded our first cohort of SHINE Mentorship volunteers, expanding this ministry and supporting system-affected girls in theirjourney of discovery and hope.
• We started Sunday night bilingual Bible studies, building our leaders from the community as their hunger for God continues to grow and setting a foundation for a new ministry to come.
As we look to the future, we are filled with hope. Together, we're creating spaces where women and families find safety, belonging, and the strength to rebuild. Together, we're laying the groundwork for a movement that not only changes individual lives but also transforms communities with the light of God'sjustice and love.
Dear BJM Community,
This next year marks a pivotal moment for Because Justice Matters.
We are entering a season of transition and anticipation, aligning with our community's values. As we chart this new course, we're building a foundation that ensures long-term sustainability and impact. We aim to tailor our strategies, expand our reach, and deepen the programs and ministries that have become an anchor in faith for those we serve. We anticipate new partnerships and opportunities, enabling us to respond to the evolving needs and identified assets of our community with agility and vision
As you read through these pages, full of stories and impact, know that this transition comes from the dreams of the families and students in our community. Together, we are building something new with bright futures in mind.
This is the beginning of a new chapter where Because Justice Matters operates with an even sharper focus on Jesus, justice, and transformation. We are excited about what lies ahead, and we are grateful to walk this path with the community of supporters, volunteers, and partners who believe in this work as much as we do. I'm profoundly grateful for the community of supporters, friends, and partners who walk alongside us. Your prayers, encouragement, and generosity inspire us to keep pressing forward. Because of you, the future is bright with possibility.
Together, we are laying the groundwork for a future filled with purpose and possibility. Now is the time to continue to invest more deeply in this community and build a solid foundation as we move into the future together.
Thank you for believing in this vision and for being part of this story. The best is yet to come.
Gabrielle Alzate Executive Director
Because Justice Matters (BJM) is currently an extension of Youth with a Mission (YWAM) Bay Area. YWAM is a global movement to know God and make Him known. Here in the Bay Area, the ministry is centered on people, passions and places. At BJM, our people are women and girls. Our passion is a Christ-centered, creative community focused on restoration. Our place is in the Tenderloin and surrounding neighborhoods of San Francisco. YWAM Bay Area is our fiscal sponsor (ElN 94-3218675).
Because Justice Matters builds pathways to brighter futures for women, girls, and families in urban communities. Pathways are built when women and girls are empowered in their creative and prophetic voices, when they experience holistic healing and freedom, and when their leadership is cultivated. Over 17 years, BJM has identified multiple strategies to reach women, girls, and families in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco.
This report showcases the consistency of BJM by highlighting the impact of the Families Ministry.
Upon examining the extensive and profound nature of our work with families, our influence has not only expanded but has also created a ripple effect that significantly changes lives within the community.
We aim to create a vibrant, multi-generational, bilingual, and Christcentered community where everyone can thrive and experience the abundant life Jesus promises. Through our citywide networks, we connect families to resources year-round. Each week, we hosted a Parents Breakfast, and provided pastoral care and strategic coaching to family members. We held a bi-weekly Family Bible Study for the whole family, including children of all ages. We refer to these regular programs as "Brave Spaces". We also celebrated seasonal events like Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Thanksgiving, with a special Christmas party where we bless each family with a gift basket.
2024 was the fourth full year of Brave Spaces. Participants are encouraged to share dreams and hopes, struggles or moments of grief, resources, holiday celebrations, recipes, and laughter. Families grow in faith, supported by the community, while taking steps toward their goals.
As many as 45 participants were engaged with the Families Department in class and worship in the years prior to the launch of the Brave Spaces group.
Brave Spaces invite moments of openness and vulnerability leading to healing and restoration. Forty-five families regularly participated in Brave Spaces, more than doubling 2021 engagement.
The chart above shows the impact of our program since 2019. We achieved a 71 percent increase in annual impact this year compared to 2022.
Thank you so much for your support and help, I really appreciate you, I am grateful for your prayers, and for always checking in on me.
-a mother connected with our Families Ministry
Participants attend and actively engage in a Brave Space Group
Participants achieve some of their dreams, assist with groups, welcome others, regularly meet with a coach
32 PARTICIPANTS
8 PARTICIPANTS
Recruit other cohort members, lead group meetings, take ownership of group curriculum
5 PARTICIPANTS
Nicole, a mother of two toddlers, contacted us at the beginning of the fall, seeking pastoral care. Despite previous attempts to reconnect with her, we finally established a weekly meeting schedule. Nicole shared her feelings of isolation and her desire for community connection. In response, she prayed for a friend who could support her in her current circumstances, as leaving the house with her young children had proven challenging.
Our weekly visits have provided Nicole emotional and spiritual support, fostering a strong bond through prayer and open communication. These meetings have served as a lifeline for her, positively impacting her mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
In-Person Bible Studies
• Summer Series 7 week mini Bible study for parents.
• Fall launch of bi-weekly, intergenerational Bible study on Sunday evenings with youth and families with worship, teaching, and fellowship over dinner.
ffi, Doubled engagement for Operation Santa Claus, giving each family 2 gift baskets, one to keep and one to bless an additional family with.
For Operation Santa Claus this year we decided to give each family an additional Christmas gift basket so that they could bless another family. We invited them to pray and think who they would like to give the basket to. During the Christmas party one of the moms after receiving the baskets said,
Thank you so much for the gift; I already know a family I want to bless with this bag.
-a mother connected with our Families Ministry
GfJMoms and daughters experienced spiritual curiosity and growth as they asked questions about Jesus and participated in impromptu Bible studies and prayer, witnessing a miraculous healing for one mom's niece.
-K-
V Parents' Appreciation Breakfast held weekly with community partner City Academy, spending time in prayer, encouragement, and teachings.
One mom, Cristina, who has been part of our Appreciation Breakfast for the last two years decided through prayer and encouragement to pursue cosmetology classes while she stays at home, as a possible way to provide income for her family. She said, ''
I want to start my own business one day and also go back to school again one day for further education. I feel encouraged and know I am not alone.
Through prayer and support at the end of the year she completed her education and started her small business.
�� Strategic, individualized coaching and mentorship were provided for 33 people, with the goal of providing guidance, identifying their strengths, and discovering new perspectives and ways of thinking.
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Invested 90 hours visiting 5 different homes to provide intentional one-on-one pastoral care, prayer, and connections to resources through our city-wide networks.
Elisa contacted us for support in learning English as she aspires to pursue higher education. Throughout herjourney, we have been providing encouragement and assistance. Her daughter acknowledged our efforts, saying, "Miss Sylvia is helping my mom with her studies,just like we talked about:• Our regular pastoral check-ins have allowed Elisa to feel supported and motivated, and she expresses gratitude for the help she has received.
6'd6
Addition of a new, male part-time staff which r-,,--.,--.. increased engagements with fathers and brothers. This strengthens our connection to the whole family, along with two other full time male staff whojoined our team in 2022 and 2023.
As we continue to pray and develop our vision, we look forward with hope and anticipation to what God will do in the coming year.
We've witnessed a new and deeper interconnection between our ministry with parents and our ministry with youth. While manyparentshavechildrenenrolled in ourprograms we are now doing more activitiestogether.As we started anintergenerational Bible study this year and are exploring thestart of a new church, our focus on serving the whole family has become evenclearer. This year we:
VProvided regular mentorship to 19 students across youth 0::::3:::=> programs including Ignite, Dance Classes, and SHINE Mentorship, adding 3 new volunteer mentors.
''I've grown a lot because I've gotten to know God better and also I believe in myself more because of God and Miss Emily and Miss Dylan and Miss Gabby so I can do more.
-a high school student in Ignite and Dance Classes
Ignite Youth Group hadmore than90 hours of youth programmingwith19 youth, practicingcommunity, sharing challenges,studyingthe Bible andcelebratingtogether.
Ignite is my safest space
-a high school student in Ignite
Hosted our annual summer camp where 17 /, 1 \'
middle and high school students get out of the city, experience God's presence, deep moments withJesus, and fun and games with their friends.
Hosted our first fall retreat in Bodega Bay for our high school and college students filled with rest, reflection, and worship.
This is exactly what I needed.
- Youth retreat participant(s) Classes
I want to help younger students to let them know who God is, and how God is with us.
-a high school student in Ignite and Dance Classes
Last summer, God moved powerfully at our youth summer camp, where our staffwashed the feet of each student, prayed for them, and blessed them with words of life and hope. This sparked a deep transformation in every student, leading every single student to make a transformational choice to follow Jesus in a new way.
Following that experience, students grew closer to God, studying the Bible, leading prayers, and interceding for others. Families also felt this shift, with many asking, "When are you starting a church? If you do, we're coming to your church."
For over a year, our team has been praying and discerning where God is leading our community. We surveyed families and students to identify their core needs, assets, and dreams. They expressed a desire for a church that speaks their language, meets at a convenient time, and is close to home. One dad put it best: "Whatyou've done for the youth... we wantthat. Can you do that for us?"
In the fall of 2024, we began meeting weekly on Sundays with families and youth to be in community, worship, and study the Bible together. We are in the early stages of exploring how God is leading our community and what this new church could become.
At BJM, our strategic approach centers on fostering impactful connections to drive collaborative change. We nurture enduring relationships with our volunteers, donors, and community partners, spanning local, national, and international organizations. By emphasizing the depth and scope of these partnerships, we enhance the quality and reach of our work while monitoring our cumulative achievements. This ambitious endeavor is a collective effort fueled by the power of togetherness.
Below is a listing of community resources and partners that BJM works with in support of its programs:
CELEBRATING OURCHURCH PARTNERS
Authentic Church
Canvas
Christ Church
Cornerstone
Epic Church
Eucharist
Experience
First (Baptist) San Francisco
Grace Fellowship
Glad Tidings Church
Hillsong SF
MoragaValley
Presbyterian Church
New Beginnings
Community Church
Radiance
Reality San Francisco
Redeemer Church
Sunset Church
WeAre Church
CELEBRATING OURPARTNERSPROVIDING SUPPORT TOWOMEN,GIRLS & FAMILIES
Boeddeker Park (SF Park & Rec)
Exodus Cry
La Casa De Las Madres
La Cocina
La Voz Latina
Mobilize Love
SHADE (Survivors Healing, Advising and Dedicated to Empowerment)
St. James Infirmary
Tenderloin Family
Housing/Chinatown CDC
Tenderloin Rec Center (SF Park & Rec)
CELEBRATING OURPARTNERSSHARINGRESOURCES ANDCREATINGCOMPLEMENTARYPROGRAMS
Braid Mission
Boys and Girls Club
The Salvation Army Kroc Center Nola Brantley Speaks
San Francisco Court Appointed Special Advocates
SF Collaborative Against Human Trafficking
San Francisco Police Department
Sunset Youth Services
CELEBRATING OURPARTNERSCO-CREATINGNEW MODELSANDEXPANDING OURCOLLECTIVEREACH
SalvationArmy
Ripple Effect 22
San Francisco City Academy
Treasures
BECAUSE JUSTICE MATTERS
