Hello and welcome to Listen.Up.People., a podcast
of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social
Work. I'm Dr. Holly Priebe Sotelo, Associate
Teaching Professor of Practicum Education. In
today's episode, We're discussing advocating
for youth justice and how to interrupt the cycle
of community trauma and violence that disproportionately
impacts marginalized youth populations. Studies
show that youth who become involved with the
juvenile justice system often begin their lives
with adverse childhood experiences, also referred
to as ACEs. For many of those youth and their
families, they may also have been involved with
the Child Protective Services. My guest today,
are both youth justice advocates seeking to elevate
awareness of the challenges within the system
and to humanize the children and youth trying
to find their way out of it. Dr. Robert Hernandez,
assistant teaching professor and my social work
colleague, and also Angela Montijo, a USC MSW
alumna whose work with Girls Empowerment Network
in Austin, Texas. first as juvenile justice program
facilitator and now as training and curriculum
manager. I'm pleased to welcome you both here.
Great to have you. Thank you for having us. Wonderful.
Yes, thank you. I really like to start off with
asking a more personal question, more about how
you became involved in this topic. So I'd like
to start with you, Robert. If you could please
share with our listeners a little bit of how
you became interested in this work with advocacy
for youth impacted by the juvenile justice system.
Yeah, so it actually started in undergrad when
I had the privilege and honor to pursue higher
education. Friends I grew up with didn't go on
to hire it or even let alone graduate from high
school. And it was there when I saw the alarming
research being presented to me in one of my social
problems class where it emphasized that we do
have a racial justice issue that are negatively
targeting our youth of color. And it was at that
point where I felt so moved, like I haven't ever
felt before that something needed to be done.
When you saw the high rates of substance abuse,
teen pregnancy, youth homicide, youth incarceration,
the list goes on. And it was like so alarming
that you could kind of describe what areas it
was impacting. In large part, it was impacting
a lot of our communities of color. And It was
at that point where I had this rude awakening
where it all made sense at that moment in time.
Why was it that so -and -so that I went to elementary
school and middle school was no longer there.
There were slang and dope on the street corner.
Why was it that so -and -so at the age of 14
was murdered? Why was it that so many of the
folks I know and grew up with somehow were connected
to the carceral system, whether having a family
member. aunt, uncle, dad, father. Why was it
that so many of girls I grew up with were, you
know, plagued with teen pregnancy? It was just
alarming. And at that moment, it just hit me
like, wow, I wasn't imagining things. It wasn't
until I saw the theoretical frameworks that there
were social structures working against certain
communities and large in part impacting our youth.
And it's interesting, Holly, that I didn't realize
that growing up, I had my own bouts with the
juvenile, as my youngsters say, injustice system.
But it didn't register to me because it was so
normalized that I found myself even engaged with
what they had put me on informal probation, an
oxymoron if you ever hear one, right? Because
you still have to check in with a probation officer.
But if you do not catch a infraction, then hopefully,
you know, you won't catch the infraction because
then it will make it formalize probation. So
even myself in my upbringing, I came to realize
that I was even touched by the system. And it's
just alarming to see how there's this entrapment
that presents itself and how youth continually
just cycle in so easily. And it becomes more
of a control mechanism to keep Certain communities
feeling safe while targeting other communities
and keeping them bound to this carceral system
So it was there that I really was passionate.
I came to know populations in East Oakland, East
San Jose that I started working with youth. And
that's where I really became passionate, lit
a fire under me. And I was like, we need to take
this to the communities. We need to take this
to the streets. And that brought me back to LA
to really work in my own hometown. Right on,
Robert. Wow. And I know the students also have
that same fire when they're in your class. I
hear it every day. So thank you so much. Angela,
and so I know you started your career as a school
social worker. How did you come to transition
to focus specifically on juvenile justice? I
appreciate the question. I would say that my
work with youth impacted by the juvenile justice
system came at the intersection of a couple of
things. As a school social worker, I'd continually
get referrals for what were considered the quote
unquote problem students, right? And it was important
to me to maintain my therapeutic relationships
with them. So I would still meet with them at
their respective disciplinary alternative education
programs or DAPs is what they're called here.
They're often referred to these places these
campuses within the school district that they're
at. These are mandatory off campus settings that
students who violate school codes of conduct
are sent to. It said that DAPs are intended to
be places for behavioral rehabilitation, counseling,
and academic progress in a restrictive environment
so that students can have a successful return
to their campus, but it didn't always work out
that way because these campuses were often just
another stop along the school to prison pipeline.
So there's that. And then on the personal level,
I was diagnosed with a number of autoimmune disorders
and this happened in I think it was 2022. something
like that. And my rheumatologist basically had
a come to Jesus conversation with me where I
had to reassess the sources of stress in my life
and working out of school became a big one. So
I was fortunate to find Girls Empowerment Network,
which offers more of a hybrid model that meets
both my health needs while also giving me the
opportunities to uplift my own lived experiences
as someone who grew up in what I lovingly call
pre -Starbucks Inglewood, California, and was
touched by a number of carceral systems along
the way, me and my family. So it's sort of that
intersection that came into play there. Excellent.
Thank you, Angela. And thank you, Robert, for
sharing. that vulnerable part in your life and
the unfortunate chain of events that sometimes
lead us down this path. And many social workers
usually have that kind of aha moment, right?
That that rude awakening. So I'm just so grateful
to to share this platform with you both. So,
Robert, something that you do exceptionally well,
I mean, there's no secret about this. You are,
you know, one of our finest professors at the
school and is really integrating local community.
organizations working in youth justice and gang
prevention spaces into classes that you teach
and taking it from theory into practice right
here in Los Angeles County. Can you share something
about that and the advantages that this approach
that you have offers to our students and to our
community organizations? Yeah, well, I do have
to give credence to those who educated me and
really taking more of an experiential approach
to this so You know, me, myself coming up in
the Masters in Social Work program here at USC,
I was surrounded by phenomenal professors that
really embedded in me the importance of community
centered approaches, right? So I think of my
colleagues, Dr. Annalisa Enrile, Ralph Fertig,
John Seeger. I mean, the list goes on. I mean,
I could keep on going on and on and on. Esther
Gillies, just phenomenal teaching and curricula
that we had when I was right here. Just a phenomenal
program. So it was that training that really
was embedded that we need to always center community
voice. Community who are most wedded to the issues
often have the solution and the resolve. They
just need the platform to be heard and seen.
And that's something that, you know, my work
with certain agencies like Homeboy Industries,
Anti -Resident Coalition, The List Goes On, Champions
in Service, Homing in Needles, and Youth Justice
Coalition. It's about being able to really engage
and partner with community members and having
them drive and lead the process. And at the same
time, I really feel that our students are hungry
for that. They want to be in the real time scenario.
They want to really see how these frameworks
come to life. And it's that where I would say
back in 2000, I'm going to date myself here,
going way back 2008. 17 years ago, 18 years ago,
when I was given the opportunity to co -create
the Social Work 350 Adolescent Gang Intervention
Class, which is in our Social Work Minor in Juvenile
Justice, where I really, before I started that
development and design of that course, I got
community blessings. It was a time where there
was an uptick in community violence, and I had
key community elders and people, those who are
working as community violence reduction specialists,
who actually authorize and influence that curricula
so fine that the students who take the course,
they see how current practice modalities are
done with community because it was built with
community. And that whole course, I would say
still is on the books and probably is the most
well attended because they're seeing community
each session come to life. in the classroom and
in outside the classroom. So we have them in
the classroom, outside the classroom. We have
community members come in, educate them because...
you know, they're going to get stuff that you're
not going to get in page 38, you know, it's like
right on. So it's that type of building with
community that has always been the spirit of
these courses. And that's what we have in our
social work, minor and juvenile justice, which
has been well received in our campus community
overall. And I'm just thankful for the leadership
at USC to allow me to continue to flourish in
that area with these courses. Excellent. Robert,
you have been paving the way for a long time,
my brother. And I see you as an honorary practicum
faculty as well, because you are in the streets.
You're on the ground. It's not just about the
textbook. And I just really love how you inspire
not just the students, but the community. So
they always show up. When they say Dr. Hernandez
is in the house, they always show up. So I just
really want to. Give a shout out to you on that
one. And Angela, you obviously you work in the
community. You work with the Girls Empowerment
Network in Austin. Can you tell us what they
do? How the organization is positively impacting
youth in your community? Absolutely. So I'm going
to do a little bit of a spiel here. So Girls
Empowerment Network offers a self -efficacy building
program to girls in third through 12th grade
at schools, conferences, and at camps. We believe
that all girls and really all youth are inherently
powerful. And through our program, we hope that
they can see it for themselves as well. We've
got our seven C's of self -efficacy, which If
you count with me, they are collaboration, communication,
critical thinking, coping skills, creativity,
confidence, and the last one is change -making.
We format our program as closed groups because
we know the value and the power of peer relationships
and peer -led learning. We have a proprietary
curriculum called Radiant G that centers the
seven Cs as skills that are needed to develop
and strengthen one's self -efficacy, which is
the belief in one's capacity. to accomplish what
they set their mind to. And if this sounds familiar,
it's because it's a concept developed by Albert
Bandura. So that's what we do. And I can tell
you a little bit more about the juvenile justice
program that I was running, but I'll hold that
for a bit. Yeah. Well, thank you, Angela and
Robert. I mean, obviously, if you know more about
this too, please jump in. But Angela, can you
help expand a little bit? How do young people
get referred to this program? Are they voluntary?
Are they mandated clients? How are they referred
to your program? So if it's happening in a public
school, typically they are referred to the program
by the school social worker on campus, by a school
counselor. We call these people to our school
champions because they're really championing
the program at their specific campus. Even if
they are referred to the program, they're not
required to stay. So we've had a number of girls
who are like, this is actually not for me. I'm
not feeling it. And we let them know, Hey, as
much as we love to have you here, you don't have
to stay. And I've actually had experiences where
by letting them know like, hey, you don't have
to stay here. They're like, actually, maybe,
maybe I will. Actually, maybe I'll come back.
Or they see that their friends are having a really
great time. And they're like, maybe I'll give
it another shot. And we're like, absolutely open
door always. So there's that. When I was facilitating
these groups inside correctional facilities,
all of them were referral based, but the same
thing. I also had girls who were like, I'm not
feeling this, this space is not for me. And I
was like, You can totally go back to, well, unfortunately
it was their pods, but it was never like they're
required to stay. I would never force anyone
to do something against their will. Yeah. Excellent.
I'm so happy to hear you say that because obviously
what we know is that when young people feel like
they have the power. They will own it and they
will take it to the whole another level, right?
So we need to empower our young people. Thank
you, Angela. That's so exciting. You know, obviously
there's so much that we can talk about and Robert,
obviously you have lots of experiences with those
community partners that do similar work, right?
So Robert, I know you have spearheaded. the creation
of the social work and juvenile justice undergraduate
minor at USC, which is one of the first such
programs in the nation. So congratulations on
that. Recently, you were awarded a multimillion
dollar grant by the California State Office of
Youth and Community Restoration to spearhead
a workforce development initiative geared towards
undergraduates with the hopes that of creating
maybe a career path. So again, congratulations
on the grant. Can you tell us more about that
grant and what that new initiative will look
like? Yes, once again, I have to give credence
to those who've championed these efforts because
I've come under their shadows. I want to mention
Dr. McCroskey, who has been a champion in her
own right. You know, with the whole child welfare,
she is the child welfare guru. of Alley County
and also our own very own Dr. Wendy Smith who
has before their crimes the book that recently
we hit which is actually being used in one of
our courses in the minor. So with Dr. Smith her
recent book as well as Dr. McCroskey and their
support throughout the years, we were able to
uplift the social minor and juvenile justice.
And I would say in 2019, really briefly, Governor
Newsom motioned to take delinquency out of probation,
put it into health and human services. And in
that move, he was shutting down all the three
youth prisons in the state of California. all
the counties had to prepare through senate bill
823 they developed the office of youth and community
restoration to prepare for that and with that
the office was like we need to create a pathway
of interested students bachelor's level as a
workforce to get into the juvenile justice arena
so they wanted to look at schools of social work
because keep in mind juvenile justice is not
a new topic but it is when it comes to looking
at it from a social work understanding, which
is the way they want to go, right? So they looked
at statewide, all the schools, no one had an
emphasis in juvenile justice. They looked at
all the UCs, no schools had an emphasis in juvenile
justice. The only one that kept them coming up
is ours, our USC Suzanne Dork Pegg School of
Social Work, juvenile justice minor. So we ended
up being able to apply for a grant. we were awarded
and that grant really incentivizes students with
the $40 ,000 stipend to pay for the entire minor,
but it adds a practicum component as well as
extra seminars to really get them into and thinking
about working in the juvenile justice arena.
So we have pre -law students, we have psychology
students, behavioral health sciences, sociology,
social work students, even our own new bachelor's
in social work program that's coming up that
could all qualify but it incentivizes them to
go into this juvenile justice arena and really
start to build advocates and we also position
them to become wellness coaches one or two if
they would like to pursue that down the line
which is actually the route that they're going.
point today where it's less clinical but it's
more social emotional support more about mentorship
and being able to work with these youth that
are susceptible to the carceral system gangs
and whatnot so it's very exciting this is the
first of its kind and we're hoping to really
influence change not just locally but nationwide
Excellent. Wow. Thank you so much, Robert, for
that really innovative work because it has been
on the forefront of our minds about all the different
juvenile justice programs closing down. Also,
so Angela, I really like to just kind of explore
in your work with the Girls Empowerment Network
that you are responsible for bringing self -efficacy
curriculum to girls and gender expansive youth
impacted by incarceration. Can you tell us more
about that program and its impact? Yeah, I'd
love to. So I already gave a spiel about our
radiology programming and curriculum. So I was
bringing that directly to girls impacted by the
juvenile justice system. We received a federal
grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention through the Department
of Justice in 2022. And over the course of the
few years of the pilot, I'm going to brag a whole
lot here. We delivered our program at six different
service sites, including one correctional facility.
otherwise a youth prison, two detention centers,
three DAPs, and one alternative high school.
We facilitated about 120 sessions totaling around
800 hours of direct service to around 200 girls.
And we also educated and engaged with about 50
staff and facility members. And I'd love to share
a few quotes from the girls who experienced our
program. One girl said, I feel safe in group
because y 'all don't trip about what I have to
say and that's because I practice relational
facilitation and that's really, I believe in
moving at the speed of trust. And when people
are allowed to make their own decisions, trust
is, is a lot easier to come by. And trust is
a huge thing for people who are impacted by the
juvenile justice system. It's really hard to
come by. So I'm well aware of that. And so when
I come into the room, I'm like, you can say whatever
you want. You can sit however you want. You can
sit wherever you want. You can. do whatever you
want. The only sort of line that we draw there
is like respect is a non -negotiable, right?
Like so long as we're using our words in respectful
ways, I really don't care what comes flying out
of there. So that's like already a huge thing
when considering the conditions of correctional
facility. Another participant who's self -identified
as a not a people person ended up volunteering
to lead our weekly opening ritual. And she said
herself that she was coming out of her shell.
And the facility staff were like, this is a girl
who like rarely ever talks to anyone. And yet
we're seeing her open up in groups, which was
like phenomenal. And then another girl said that
this group shows me that I actually can stick
to something that I don't have to be a quitter.
And we know that this program holds long term
effect because at the correctional facility,
we were able to conduct our 1st, long term evaluation
where we saw lasting effects. And improvements
in peer relationships, emotional regulation and
coping skills. But given all the changes that
have happened because of our. current administration.
We lost access to the partnerships that we established,
and we couldn't find a way to sustain the program
beyond the pilot, since grants for this population
have dried up, especially here in Texas. So we
had to sunset the program last fall. Nevertheless,
I feel very, very proud of what we were able
to accomplish. Wow. Thank you, Angela. So sorry
to hear that, but it sounds like you really made
an impact with the young people during the time
that you had them. And I love the quote, moving
at the speed of trust. So, so excellent. That's
from Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Marie Brown.
10 out of 10 do recommend. It's required reading.
Right on. I've got to get on that. Appreciate
it. So as we begin to wrap up, I'd really like
to close by asking you both if there's anything
else that we haven't covered that you really
want our listeners to know about these issues
around juvenile justice. I'll start with Robert
and then I'll ask Angela to bring us home. I
would just say please, I'd urge those who are
listening to be vigilant and stay engaged. Our
youth need us more than ever before. I facilitate
a Tri -County Collaborative Community Safety
Conference. In one of our recent meetings, the
elders who are working with youth who are in
least restrictive programs, they're step -down
programs, reintegrating into society, they feel
really unsafe right now. And they feel very confused.
And they're working with them to attempt to support
them to... find another way to be very engaged
in society but right now our youth feel very
scared and confused with everything that's going
on so please stay focused please stay vigilant
stay informed and just know we need you more
than ever before especially for the forgotten
voices that usually go you know overseen overlooked
So thank you. Thank you for this opportunity
for letting us both share. Thank you. Gosh, thank
you, Robert. Words of wisdom for sure. Our young
people are struggling. Angela, please, any final
thoughts for our listeners? Yes, I'd like to
add that even though our juvenile justice program
has sunsetted, the work hasn't stopped altogether.
The Girls Empowerment Network is up against some
particular challenges here in Texas with the
passing of Senate Bill 12, which is a parents'
bill of rights law that restricts DEI initiatives
in public schools. we are a DEI organization.
So access to youth is becoming more and more
limited as we experience an increasing chilling
effect in public schools. That said, I wanted
to mention that we're working with You Think
Innovation Hub through Children's Hospital of
LA to find a way to offer community -based programming
while centering youth with carceral experiences.
Through this Design Thinking Project, we're trying
to solve the problem of making meaningful programming
as accessible is possible to youth with carceral
experiences because we know that when we center
the most marginalized people, everyone else benefits
from there. What we're learning from the youth
we're working with has been really uplifting.
I have faith that we'll be able to figure this
out and offer our findings to peer organizations.
So I guess look out for that. And then I also
wanted to say shout out to USC alum Alejandra
Cortes, who is at the social changer on Instagram
for sharing the opportunity. because otherwise
I wouldn't have known about it. So I wanted to
say that. Right on. Thank you so much, Angela.
And thank you, Robert, for joining us for a great
discussion today. If you would want to learn
more about our USC School of Social Work and
our juvenile justice programs, please visit dworakpeck.usc.edu.
If you would like to network with
our guests regarding their work, or want to support
our transformative research and programs, please
email us at listenuppeople@usc.edu.