Learning from San Diego Leaders: A Peek at the Youth Justice Work Group

Mauricio Torre

As you probably know, the Youth Transition Funders Group meets as a full group and in work groups during our meetings. First, we always want to make sure members know each other and have opportunities to talk, as having relationships is the first step toward philanthropic collaboration. Second, by having common learning experiences, we strengthen our knowledge and create a mechanism to share our insights and different perspectives.

Here is a quick peek at the Youth Justice Work Group (formerly known as the Juvenile Justice Work Group) agenda this week:

• Discussion on San Diego County Comprehensive Strategy (see their recent evaluation) including Stephanie Gioia, Office of the Honorable Ron Roberts, County Board of Supervisors; Brook Smith, Associate Director, Children's Initiative; Mauricio Torre, Youth and Family Development Director, South Bay Community Services; and Kelly Vales, Director of Youth Family and Community Services, Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) San Diego.


• Conversation with Fathers from the SAY (San Diego Dads Corps), which helps fathers restore bonds with their children and build healthy parenting relationships. Dads Corps engages fathers, including young fathers who have been separated from their children due to justice system involvement, with a range of needs and experiences. The panel will be moderated by Laura Soto, LCSW, Program Manager, SAY San Diego.


• Discussion with Nancy Gannon Hornberger, SAY San Diego’s Chief Executive Officer and former Executive Director of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (the membership association of the juvenile justice state advisory groups), about theNational Academy of Sciences’ recommendations to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention on adoption of a youth development framework and the role philanthropy can play to actively promote and partner withOJJDP to advance this platform. (You can find a summary of the NAS report here – look in left column under presentations.)