TRANSITIONING FROM YOUNG ADULT TO A FULL FLEDGED ADULT ISN'T EASY BUT A LOCAL
NONPROFIT IS TRYING TO HELP
YOUTH WILL PROVIDES RESOURCES
TO HELP TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS
AND ALSO OFFERS WORKSHOPS ON
IMPORTANT TOPICS LIKE HEALTH
CARE AND HOUSING AND WORKSHOPS.
NAMARA OFFERS INFORMATION ABOUT
IMMIGRATION, EDUCATION, YOUTH
JUSTICE AND CRIME PREVENTION
PROGRAMS. WE'RE HAPPY TO
WELCOME SOFIA HEIDARI WHO HELPS
WITH YOUTH ORGANIZING AND
OPERATIONS AT YOUTH. WELL THANK
YOU FOR JOINING SO MUCH TODAY.
FIRST OFF, CAN YOU TELL US
ABOUT YOUTH WILL? WHAT KIND
OF RESOURCES ARE YOU OFFERING
FOR THOSE LATE TEENS, YOUNG
ADULTS? YEAH, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR HAVING ME. SO THE IDEA WITH
YOUTH WELL IS THAT WE WANT TO
CREATE A REGION WHERE EVERY
YOUNG PERSON UNDER THE AGE
OF TWENTY FIVE THAT'S HOW YOU
DEFINE YOUTH EXACTLY WHERE THEY
NEED TO BE HAPPY, HEALTHY AND
PREPARED TO REACH THEIR
POTENTIAL. AND WE NOTICE THAT
WITH EVEN PRIOR COVID WE
NOTICED THAT A LOT OF REALLY
ESSENTIAL SERVICES LIKE ACCESS
TO FOOD SECURITY AND HOUSING
AND HEALTH CARE THEY WERE NOT
REACHING THE DEMOGRAPHICS
OF YOUNG PEOPLE THAT WERE MOST
IN NEED AND A LOT OF THAT IS
JUST BECAUSE OF HAVING TO
NAVIGATE THROUGH THESE
DIFFERENT SYSTEMS IN THE
BUREAUCRACY AND ALL OF THESE
DIFFERENT KEY PLAYERS THAT PLAY
A ROLE IN YOUNG PEOPLE'S LIVES
GOVERNMENTS, SCHOOLS,
NONPROFITS IT'S LIKE WHO DOES
ONE TURN TO? AND SO THAT WAS
THE IDEA FOR THIS PROGRAM. AND
THEN LAST YEAR AT THE START
OF THE PANDEMIC WITH THE
LOCKDOWN'S HAPPENING WITH
HOUSING SECURITY AT AN ALL TIME
HIGH WITH A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE
LOSING JOB OPPORTUNITIES AND
NOT KNOWING WHERE TO TURN TO.
THAT WAS ESSENTIALLY WHEN WE
FIRST KICKED OFF THE FIRST
ITERATION OF OUR PROGRAM WE GOT
A GRANT FROM THE COUNTY TO DO
THIS WORK SO WE ENDED UP USING
A REALLY ROBUST TEXTING PROGRAM
AS WELL AS LIKE A REALLY ROBUST
SOCIAL MEDIA OUTREACH PROGRAM
TO REACH YOUNG PEOPLE IN HARD
TO COUNT LOWER INCOME
COMMUNITIES AND WE ENDED UP
TEXTING ABOUT TWENTY SIX
THOUSAND YOUTH ACROSS THE
COUNTY TWENTY SIX THOUSAND.
YEAH. SO YOU'RE FILLING IN A
ROLE HERE. YOU'RE ON PROFIT.
YOU'RE FILLING IN THE BLANKS
WHERE GOVERNMENT YOU THINK
COULD BE HELPING PEOPLE OUT BUT
YOU'RE ALSO NOW ADVOCATING IT
AND ALMOST LOBBYING UNDERSTAND
YOU'RE PUSHING FOR THE CREATION
OF AN OFFICE OF CHILD AND YOUTH
SUCCESS WITHIN THE CITY OF SAN
DIEGO COULD KIND OF LIFT PEOPLE
UP THE WAY YOU'RE TRYING TO DO
.WHAT'S THAT EFFORT ABOUT?
YEAH, EXACTLY. AND THIS OFFICE
IS ESSENTIALLY GOING TO KIND
OF STREAMLINE A LOT OF WHAT I
WAS MENTIONING EARLIER WITH
THERE BEING AGAIN LIKE AS A
YOUNG PERSON NAVIGATING THESE
THINGS WHEN YOU'RE IN SUCH AND
WHEN YOU'RE IN SO MUCH NEED CAN
BE REALLY STRESSFUL. I KNOW
FROM FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE SO
YEAH, THAT'S WHY WE'RE
ADVOCATING FOR THIS OFFICE AND
IT WOULD BE KIND OF UNDER THE
MAYOR'S OFFICE AND IT ALSO
WOULD BE A PLACE THAT
PRIORITIZES YOUTH RATHER THAN
PRIORITIZES YOUTH AND TAKES
INTO ACCOUNT THEIR UNIQUE
EXPERIENCES AND I THINK ALSO
HELPED STREAMLINE FUNDING
SERVICES AND PROGRAMING
THROUGHOUT OUR CITY JUST
INITIALLY AND I WANT TO GET WE
ONLY HAVE A LITTLE MORE TIME
LEFT UNFORTUNATELY ONLY ABOUT
30 SECONDS. I THINK IT'S
IMPORTANT YOU'RE LAYING OUT
WHAT YOUR BIG ROLE IS AND WHAT
YOU'RE TRYING TO GET OTHERS TO
DO. BUT YOU HAVE THESE
WORKSHOPS LIKE I SAID, ABOUT 30
SECONDS LEFT. COULD YOU TELL
WHAT YOU'RE DOING? I UNDERSTAND
IT'S THE LAST THIRD FRIDAY
EVERY MONTH. SO THAT'S
TOMORROW. YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT.
SO WITH THESE WORKSHOPS WE HAVE
A NUMBER OF YOUNG AMBASSADORS
THAT KIND OF GO THROUGH THE
DIFFERENT RESOURCES THAT WE
SPOTLIGHT EACH MONTH AND THEY
ESSENTIALLY KIND OF JUST WALK
THROUGH HOW TO ACCESS THEM AND
I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S
REALLY POWERFUL JUST SITTING
LIKE ANOTHER YOUNG PERSON IN
YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES TELLING YOU
THIS IS I'VE DONE MY RESEARCH,
THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT AND YOU
KNOW THESE SERVICES ARE HERE
FOR YOU. THEY'RE YOURS AND YOU
SHOULD BE USING THEM HEIDARI
IT'S WITH YOUTH WILL WE COULD
TALK FOR A LONG TIME I DIDN'T
EVEN GO INTO YOUR STORY ABOUT
WHY THIS IS SO IMPORTANT TO
YOU. HOPEFULLY WE CAN TALK