Dawn Stueckle
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Dawn has worked with young people in San Francisco for more than two decades, starting campus-based girls’ support groups at Lincoln High School and A.P. Giannini Middle School in the early 1990s and co-founding in 1992 the organization that would later become Sunset Youth Services. In addition to providing leadership for the nonprofit, managing staff, connecting with donors, and building relationships with young people served by Sunset Youth Services, Dawn partners with numerous community coalitions and city agencies as an advisor, change agent, and voice for the disenfranchised youth of the city.
In 2018 Dawn was elected to co-chair the Juvenile Justice Providers Association (JJPA)–– a consortium of community-based organizations that she helped establish in 2004 and which plays an important role in local policy-making, youth advocacy and has a strong voice in how funds are used to meet the needs of vulnerable youth.
UpStar Records Celebrates 10th
Anniversary Album Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2019
Upstar Records, a project of Sunset Youth Services, celebrates ten years of youth album recordings with the release of its 2019 compilation album––‘Sco Stories: This Ain’t the End. Youth artists perform songs from the album at the release party on June 22.
San Francisco (June 25, 2019) – On Saturday, June 22, 2019, Upstar Records, a youth-run record label and project of Sunset Youth Services, released its ninth compilation album––’Sco Stories: This Ain’t the End––ten years after producing its first (Hard to Ignore) in 2009. The new album, with 40 original songs created by 30 young artists, represents hundreds of hours of youth collaboration and studio work over the course of a year. The release party took place at The Make Out Room, a club and music venue in the Mission, and was attended by over 125 city youth and audience members, including featured artists who performed on stage.
According to Pedro Reyes, a Creative Arts Specialist who mentors the youth and DJed for the event, “Twenty-five youth musicians performed over the course of the 4-hour live show. Lots of youth from different program areas participated, providing childcare, food, and security for the event. It was a peaceful event, packed venue, and youth were professional. It was amazing to see how youth have been able to take to the stage and perform for themselves, family members, and the community.”
Rymo Cortado, a Creative Lead who works closely with the youth artists, added, “It’s important [for youth] to document their life struggles because of the ever-changing nature of the city as the cost of living rises. What better way to express themselves? They represent the overlooked and the under-privileged. I felt honored to be part of their process.”
Educated by industry professionals, Upstar Records youth interns receive hands-on experience recording, mixing, mastering, releasing, distributing, and promoting their music and then train peers while collaborating on writing, recording, and producing original songs for an annual culminating album.
They also work together with other young artists in the Sunset Youth Services youth community to produce a Monthly Showcase, featuring ongoing musical collaborations and original work. They manage the event, which takes place at the Sunset Youth Services youth center: performing live, streaming to Twitch TV, shooting video for Upstar TV, and conducting artist interviews.
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LISTEN to ‘Sco Stories: This Ain’t the End:
Bandcamp: http://upstar.bandcamp.com/album/sco-stories-this-aint-the-end
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/upstarrecords/sets/sco-stories-this-aint-the-end
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/UpStarRecords [SUBSCRIBE]