Auto news on Youtube Jun 30 2018

>>> THE IMPACT YOUTH ACCESS CENTER IN SPRINGFIELD IS FOR

YOUNG PEOPLE AGES 16 TO 21 WHO HAVE MENTAL HEALTH OR SUBSTANCE

ABUSE CONCERNS, HELPING THEM CONNECT TO RESOURCES FOR JOBS,

HOUSING, EDUCATION AND MORE.

"CONNECTING POINT"'S VERONICA GARCIA SAT DOWN WITH THE IMPACT

CENTER'S CHRISTINE RODRIGUEZ AND RECOVERY NAVIGATOR AMANDA ALICEA

TO LEARN MORE.

>> OUR GRAND OPENING WAS A MONTH AGO, SO OUR PROGRAM IS A PROGRAM

SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS, 16 THROUGH 21 IN

SPRINGFIELD.

SOME OF THE THINGS WE DO IS WE LINK THEM TO RESOURCES OUT IN

THE COMMUNITY.

SO THEY COME IN, NO INSURANCE NEEDED, THEY JUST WALK IN

THROUGH OUR DOORS, AND WE FIGURE OUT WHAT THEIR GOAL IS AS A

YOUNG ADULT.

WHAT RESOURCES ARE IN THE COMMUNITY AND WE LINK THEM TO

THOSE RESOURCES.

>> HOW DID THE IMPACT CENTER START?

>> IT STARTED A COUPLE YEARS AGO WITH A YOUTH VOICE GROUP.

>> WE HAD A YOUTH VOICE GROUP THAT WAS RAN ONCE, ACTUALLY

TWICE A MONTH IN OUR PROGRAM.

AND THERE WAS YOUTH COMING IN, THEY WOULD HELP THE PROGRAM

ESTABLISH FORMS AND KIND OF, THEY WOULD ADVISE HOW THE

PROGRAM IS WORKING.

AND IT WAS, THEY SAW THE POTENTIAL OF IT GROWING AND

BEING A BIGGER DEAL.

SO THEN THEY WROTE A PROPOSAL AND WE GOT THE PROPOSAL AND NOW

WE HAVE OUR CENTER.

SO IT CAME FROM A GROUP OF 10 YOUNG ADULTS TO NOW HAVING A

CENTER TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR YOUTH OUT EVERYWHERE IN THE

COMMUNITY.

>> SO WHAT KIND OF SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE?

>> WE OFFER ANYTHING FROM INTERVIEWING SKILLS TO RESUME

BUILDING.

WE OFFER SOMETHING THAT'S NEW TO THIS AREA IS WE HAVE A RECOVERY

NAVIGATOR, WHICH IS MY ROLE, SO WE HELP ANY YOUTH OR YOUNG ADULT

WHO IS STRUGGLING WITH SUBSTANCE MISUSE AND WE CAN LINK THEM TO

THE PROCESS OF RECOVERY.

>> WHY DO YOU THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO

HAVE A MENTOR IN THEIR LIFE?

>> SO I BELIEVE, I MEAN, WE'RE NOT ONLY MENTORS, THEY'RE THEIR

PEERS.

WE'RE YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS, MAYBE A LITTLE OLDER, BUT THAT

HAVE BEEN THROUGH SIMILAR SITUATIONS.

EITHER SOME OF US HAVE BEEN HOMELESS, WE'VE STRUGGLED

THROUGH THE SYSTEM, SO WHEN THEY COME THROUGH OUR DOORS WE KNOW

WHAT THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH.

AND WE CAN KIND OF SUPPORT THEM BY THE RESOURCES WE HAVE, BUT

ALSO THAT ONE ON ONE, LIKE I KNOW AND I UNDERSTAND, DIFFERENT

FROM OTHER AGENCIES AND PROVIDERS THAT HAVE THE

KNOWLEDGE BUT NOT THE EXPERIENCE.

WE HAVE THAT KIND OF LIVED EXPERIENCE THAT HELPS AND

SUPPORTS THE YOUTH IN A MORE TOUCH, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY

IT -- PERSONAL WAY.

WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

WE CAN SEE THAT SUCCESS, LIKE THEIR TRANSITION BEING MORE

SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE NOW THEY HAVE SOMEONE THAT HAS BEEN THERE,

DONE THAT, JUST LIKE THEY HAVE.

>> AND IT'S A JUDGMENT-FREE ENVIRONMENT.

THEY ARE WALKING IN THERE, SOMETIMES ASHAMED OR EMBARRASSED

OF WHAT THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH WITH THEIR LIFE AND WHEN SOMEONE

SAYS I'VE BEEN THERE, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE GOING

THROUGH AND I'M JUST HERE TO SUPPORT YOU THROUGH THAT

PROCESS, YOUR GUARDS KIND OF COME DOWN AND THEY'RE ABLE TO

ACCEPT THE HELP QUICKER KNOWING THAT SOMEBODY UNDERSTANDS AND IS

NOT JUST COMING FROM A PLACE OF JUDGMENT OR A CLINICAL ASPECT.

BUT THAT IS SOMEBODY THAT'S LIVED THAT ALSO AND HAS SURVIVED

IT, OVERCOME IT AND MADE THEIR LIFE SOMETHING SUCCESSFUL.

>> SO IF THE PROBLEM OF THE SITUATION THAT THEY ARE HAVING

NOW IS LIKE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, HOW CAN YOU HELP THEM?

>> WE DON'T HAVE ALL THE RESOURCES BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN

OPEN FOR SO SHORT A TIME.

BUT IF WE, WE DO RESEARCH AND WE LINK THEM TO THOSE CENTERS, YOU

KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS, ONE OF THE THINGS

THAT WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOUTH IS TO HAVE HEALTHY

RELATIONSHIPS.

NOT ONLY WITH A PARTNER, BUT IN GENERAL.

SO THAT'S KIND OF ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE BUILDING IN

OUR CURRICULUM.

AND MAYBE INVITING GETIONS TO SPEAK ABOUT HEALTHY

RELATIONSHIPS AND ALL KIND OF ASPECTS OF A YOUNG ADULT'S LIFE.

>> AND WE'RE LINKING WITH A LOT OF RESOURCES IN OUR COMMUNITY,

THERE'S LOTS OF PLACES THAT HAVE PARTNERED UP WITH US AND SAID WE

BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU'RE DOING, SO IN CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE SOMEONE

WOULD COME IN WITH A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE BACKGROUND, WE HAVE

PARTNERSHIPS WITH DIFFERENT AGENCIES WHERE WE CAN BE LIKE,

HEY, WE KNOW WHERE WE CAN SEND YOU AND WHERE WE CAN SUPPORT

YOU, BUT OUR DOOR IS OPEN FOR YOU EVERY DAY TO COME BACK AND

RECEIVE A LITTLE EXTRA SUPPORT WITH US.

>> WHY THE AGINGS, WHAT ARE THE AGES?

>> 16 THROUGH 21.

UP TO THEIR 22nd BIRTHDAY THEY CAN COME.

WE'VE HAD YOUTH THAT HAVE COME IN THERE A LITTLE OLDER AND WE

STILL PROVIDE THE RESOURCES.

AND WE LINK THEM.

HOWEVER, WE KIND OF ARE LIMITED TO WORK WITH THOSE YOUTH.

SO WE WANT TO LINK THEM TO OTHER

RESOURCES THAT CAN HELP THEM BETTER THAN WHAT WE CAN, BECAUSE

WE ONLY GO UP TO THAT 22nd BIRTHDAY.

>> AND YOU ALSO SUPPORT FAMILIES OR JUST YOUTH?

>> SO OUR CENTER IS OPEN MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, AND WE HAVE A

FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP HAPPENING EVERY OTHER FRIDAY.

SO THE FIRST AND THIRD FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH WE HAVE PARENT

SUPPORT GROUPS, SPECIFICALLY FOR PARENTS, AND AN EXPERT COMES TO

TALK TO PARENTS ABOUT SITUATIONS.

NAY -- ONE OF THE CLASSES THEY'RE DOING

NOW IS HOW TO NAVIGATE THE INTERNET AND THEO WHAT THEIR

YOUNG ADULT IS WATCHING AND SEEING.

THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S COMING UP, AND I THINK IT'S VERY

HELPFUL FOR PARENTS WHO ARE NOT NECESSARILY LINKED TO THE

GENERATION OF NOW, THE GENERATION WHO IS GROWING AND

DEVELOPING.

>> VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE SERVICES THAT YOU PROVIDE IS

COMPLETELY FREE.

>> IT IS FREE.

SO THE YOUNG ADULT DOESN'T NEED MASS HEALTH.

IF THEY DON'T HAVE INSURANCE, WE ENCOURAGE THEM TO HAVE

INSURANCE, SO WE HELP THEM WITH THE PROCESS, THAT'S ANOTHER

THING THAT WE DO.

SO IF THEY AGED OUT OF THEIR PARENTS INSURANCE, WE KIND OF

HELP THEM DO THAT.

IT'S NOT AN EASY THING, FOR A LOT OF YOUNG ADULTS IT IS

INTIMIDATING, JUST LIKE FINANCIAL AID.

>> IT'S VERY INTIMIDATING THING TO DO.

SO WE DEFINITELY HELP THEM IN THOSE AREAS.

>> I THINK I WOULD LOVE ANY YOUTH OR YOUNG ADULT TO COME AND

EXPERIENCE IT.

IT'S DIFFERENT FOR US TELLING THEM WHAT WE OFFER THAN TO SEE

OUR LOCATION AND TO MEET THE PASSIONATE PEOPLE THAT WORK

THERE AND HOW OPEN AND WILLING WE ARE TO HELP.

>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.