​⚡️DATELINE 2046: The Future of Youth Third Spaces

​Overview

​This event invites San Francisco high schoolers to reflect on and design the future of youth third spaces — the places outside home and school where young people gather, create, and belong. With support from three local nonprofits (JOINERS, Good Neighbor Lab, and Youth Art Exchange), participants become architects of San Francisco's future.

​When they arrive, students pick up artifacts from 2046 — fragments from two possible futures: one where youth spaces for storytelling and civic life flourished, and one where they collapsed. Acting as detectives and authors, youth piece together what happened, then design what they'd build instead. Together they produce a large-format map of where these spaces exist and are missing across SF today, and a set of youth-designed prototypes for the spaces that could exist tomorrow.

​What to Expect

​Come ready to investigate, imagine, and build.

• ​Artifacts from 2046 — Walk in to fragments of a future that already happened.

• ​The Detective Work — Piece together two possible futures for youth civic space in San Francisco: one that flourished, one that collapsed.

• ​The Map — Help fill a 7×7 ft map of San Francisco with the youth spaces that exist.

• ​The Prototypes — Design the space you wish existed: what it looks like, who it's for, and the story it would let you tell.

• ​The Showcase — Present your vision, vote on the best ideas, and see your proposals published as real civic artifacts.

​Details

​Youth Participants

• ​Attend 4:00–6:30 PM for the building session.

• ​Registration is free — contact the host if you need a code.

• ​Snacks, refreshments, and a $50 stipend are provided for participation.

​Community Members

• ​Join the reception, 6:30–8:00 PM.

• ​Contact the host if you'd like to visit during the building session.

​Parking & Transportation

​Public Transit

• ​BART: A 6-minute walk (~0.3 mi) from 16th St Mission Station; 9 minutes from 24th St Mission Station.

• ​MUNI: Near the 14 Mission, 14R Mission Rapid, 49 Van Ness/Mission, 22 Fillmore, and 33 Ashbury lines.

​Parking

• ​Street parking on Valencia is metered and limited.

​About the Future of Us Festival

​Launching on America's 250th anniversary, the inaugural Future of Us festival is a 10-day celebration of civic imagination and possibility. We're turning community-sourced, expert-crafted visions of the future into art, storytelling, and participatory experiences. With 100+ events spanning every corner of the city (floral labyrinths, speculative future worlds, dance parties with a purpose, and neighborhood meet-ups), it's a living exploration of what a more creative and generative civic culture could feel like. Organized around four themes (Green Futures, Social Futures, Science & Tech Futures, and Media Futures), Future of Us is breaking down the barriers between art, ideas, and each other, and everyone is invited to co-imagine what comes next.

​⚡ Learn more: future-of-us.com

​⚡ Follow us:
https://www.instagram.com/futures.us

​About the Future Culture Fellows Program

​The Future Culture Fellowship is a yearlong program that resources the people best positioned to shape the future of civic life in San Francisco: the community builders, artists, and grassroots visionaries already rooted in neighborhoods and traditions across the Bay. Fellows design and host original, science- and arts-centered experiences that reflect their unique perspectives on what's possible, and become part of a growing Future Culture Collective dedicated to making civic life in SF more vibrant, connected, and imaginative. The event you're signing up for was dreamed up by one of the 2026 Fellows.

​⚡ Meet your host: https://www.future-of-us.com/2026-fellows/jared-joiner

​⚡ Learn more about the Fellows Program: future-of-us.com/collective

​About JOINERS

​JOINERS is an Oakland-based civic connection studio reimagining how people find belonging in their city. We believe community isn’t something you inherit—it’s something you join, build, and grow together. Our work includes Revival Rounds (rotating happy hours that support local bars and shift the narrative about safety), the Oakland Activity Fair (a citywide showcase of clubs and organizations), and Rejoinder (a new digital sidekick to help teens discover community and purpose)

​⚡ Learn more: beajoiner.com

​About Good Neighbor Lab

​Good Neighbor Lab is a San Francisco-based nonprofit whose mission is to help San Franciscans become more connected to our neighbors, more informed about our communities, and more engaged in shaping our city. Our programs strengthen neighbor-to-neighbor relationships, build resident-to-civic-institution connections, and encourage hyperlocal innovation. Our flagship event is San Francisco Good Neighbor Week.

​⚡ Learn more: goodneighborlab.org

​About Youth Art Exchange

​Youth Art Exchange (YAX) is a San Francisco–based community arts organization and creative hub with two locations serving youth, artists, and neighbors across the city. For more than 20 years, YAX has centered free, high-quality arts programming for public high school students, supporting youth as artists, leaders, and thinkers

​⚡ Learn more: youthartexchange.org