Omar Malik
Assistant Camp Director for Programs
Camp Mendocino, Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco
Supporting youth from underserved and under resourced communities has been Omar’s passion for the past eight years. Omar began working with youth in 2012 while living abroad in Saudi Arabia where he was given the opportunity to coach the middle school basketball team at the school he attended as a child. Although not completely sure of exactly how it was going to go, he jumped on the chance and quickly realized that working with youth was his calling in life.
After moving to the Bay Area and dabbling in teaching, Omar realized that teaching was not something he could see himself doing long term. He quickly transitioned out of the teaching world and joined the Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley (BGCSV) as a youth development coordinator in 2015. It was with BGCSV that Omar fell in love with youth development. He was able to see the impact he was having on youth, not matter how small or how big. He was hooked.
After eight months with BGCSV, Omar left and took a job as the Education Director at the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco – Mission Clubhouse. In this role, Omar was responsible for all things education. His reach started to become wider than it had ever been; he would work with the elementary-aged youth in the early part of his day, before working with high school youth in the later part of his day, helping them discover a path for themselves post high school, all through the lens of education. As part of his role of Education Director, Omar was also responsible for being an advocate for the youth in the community to ensure they were receiving the best possible education from the schools. He continued this work for three years before craving a new challenge.
In November of 2018, Omar was hired as the Assistant Camp Director for Programs for Camp Mendocino, a 2000 acre residential summer camp owned and operated by Boys & Girls of San Francisco. In this role, Omar is responsible for all things programs. Every year, he is responsible for hiring sixty camp counselors and activity specialists who are responsible for giving 1,200 youth the best experience possible. Hiring, training and mentoring these staff is something he takes very seriously; many of the staff working at Camp Mendocino will venture out into the world and continue to work with youth. It is Omar’s (and Camp’s) responsibility to ensure that these staff have the foundational tools they need to be successful youth development professionals moving forward. As a Camp Director for a residential summer camp, Omar recognizes that programs like his have catered to mostly white, upper-middle class youth and families. Being in the position he is in, he has the opportunity to offer ten days in the Redwoods to any youth who is able to attend, regardless of socioeconomic status.