California Families in Focus

CFF provides a myriad of programs, projects, and events but what we do best is youth empowerment, so let me tell you about our I Matter 2 youth program.

Youth participants are assessed through an application and interview process to seek out their strengths and focus on skills they need to improve, we also measure their knowledge of community services and resources prior to participating in the trainings, workshops and field trips and we reassess at the end of the year to measure what they have learned and what skills they picked up or mastered.

The youth participants attend weekly educational workshops, trainings and field trips focusing on developing and balancing the Mind, Body and Spirit, ethical leadership, planning for a successful career, Anti-Bullying and Suicide Prevention, and healing generational trauma using Art, Music, Poetry, and Dance as tools. The weekly workshops and trainings focus on the holistic wellness approach, they are led by three coordinators, interns, and different instructors. All youth participants receive a pre-test and posttest before and after each one of the workshops, training, or field trips to measure increased knowledge as well as an evaluation so CFF can quickly identify what is working and what needs to be updated.

Youth participants are offered after school tutoring and homework assistance, and they receive backpacks, art supplies, and school supplies as needed.

Youth participants also have an opportunity to highlight special activities and celebrate special milestones as part of our weekly meetings. Dynamic speakers and presenters are invited to participate at any of our activities, so we expose our youth to successful people who make things happen like our elected officials, business owners, community leaders and community service providers.

Group mentors who participate as instructors are encouraged to help youth participants who are high school seniors to start exploring potential universities, career colleges or trade schools that interest them and assist with the application process. I Matter 2 youth program provides workshops on filling out the FAFSA application, scholarship research, and other funding. Our goal is to guide and support the mentees to navigate the educational pipeline and increase their GPA. Youth Participants provide a copy of their report cards at the beginning of the program and then quarterly so we can monitor the progress and assign additional tutoring assistance if necessary.

Group Mentors, I Matter 2 youth program staff, Youth Participants, and their mothers help plan and organize the Spirit of Christmas benefiting women and children escaping domestic violence and the I Matter 2 Anti-Bullying & Suicide Awareness activities. The I Matter 2 youth program staff identify the talents of the Youth participants throughout the year and challenge them to go out of their comfort zone and gain a diverse and useful skill set that will help them in the future.

Your contributions will enable California Families in Focus to keep educating, inspiring, and empowering our youth and to guide them through the educational pipeline and assist them in setting career goals and ensure that they have the tools and resources necessary to achieve those goals.

Testimonials

Candace Meehan: Angel Macias and California Families in Focus gave me an opportunity to join their program and be mentored by a kind and caring individual. I was a teen parent and thought I knew it all and had it all figured out, but through the training's, workshops and presentations from people who had "been there and done that" I found out that I had so much to learn and that there were resources that could help me not only be a good student and human being but a good mother to my son. It was a yearlong program, but I stayed involved and followed Angel around religiously and asked a million questions because I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. It seemed the more I attended the events and participated in the activities, the greater my self-esteem and self-worth got and in one year, I was ready to be an ethical and socially conscious leader!

Today, my son is an adult and I have raised him to also be an ethical and socially conscious leader. I have been a program supervisor for LBUSD for 15 years. I started 23 seeds of greatness, I run two successful after-school programs at Jordan High School. I am an Adjunct Counselor/Instructor at LBCC, and I am an Instructor for the Upward Bound Program at LBCC. I Have an AA Degree in Human Services, a BA in Sociology, and a MS in Counseling with a PPS credential. I love Angel and CFF more than words could ever express because they changed my life. They made sure I was good no matter what, and they NEVER GAVE UP ON ME! Candace Meehan

Diana Norman: Familia y Fortaleza coordinator in the spirit part, "I was invited to join CFF as a volunteer for the Spirit of Christmas and I did not want to go because I was an immigrant who did not speak English...