This week was an exciting one at AHO. On Wednesday the Youth Leadership Team (YLT) got together to discuss future projects for getting AHO youth services to more at-risk youth from juvenile services and probation. The YLT is comprised of new youth at AHO, and other OG youth who are now in their 30’s and 40’s who are still volunteering with the organization to spread the word. These OG AHO youth are ‘giving back’ for the help AHO provided when they had no one.
Through a lively discussion the Team explored ideas of where and how AHO could go about reaching a greater audience. It was so wonderful putting faces to the names I’ve heard so much about, and hearing everyone tell their stories of how they found AHO, and the multitude of ways the organization has helped them transform their lives. I was struck by how similar the YLT stories were to my own. There were stories of youth slipping through the cracks of governmental care systems, and the lack of options available for those specific youth. In addition, there were many others who were not foster youth, or any system, and therefore had no public funding streams to help them. Those stories were so like my own. Meeting these youth was deeply affirming in my choice of field placement, and my own desires to help youth in situations similar to mine.
I even finally got to meet the famous Jimmy Hayes, who was Zara’s original inspiration for AHO’s creation 20 years ago. Jimmy is working on behalf of AHO and the YLT with his contacts in the juvenile justice and probation systems to eventually secure an AHO contract to be a bridge for at-risk youths’ re-entry into the community. Accomplishing this goal, would be critical to supporting more young people in need of AHO mentors with lived experiences who at-risk youth can trust.
It was really easy for me to feel connected to everyone at the YLT meeting, and I am excited to see what additional projects we can come up with now that introductions have been established. We will be meeting weekly so I’m looking forward to our next gathering at Aroma Cafe this coming Wednesday the 18th!
To next steps,
Kayla