We’re looking forward to introducing you to Dr. Robin Petering. Check out our conversation below.
Robin, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Learning a new skill. I have spent the past year finding night or weekend classes and courses to take. I completed 50 hours of sewing at LA Community College, which gave me a useful new skill set albeit still very mediocre one. I’m currently enrolled in audio engineering, which is so so fun. Sometimes I wish I could have started that from the beginning, but hey, nothing’s ever too late.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Dr. Robin Petering. I am a social worker, researcher, and executive director. I run Young People to the Front, a research and policy lab focused on youth homelessness in Los Angeles. Our goal is to make youth homelessness as rare and brief as possible. We achieve this by amplifying research, making it more accessible and impactful, and by teaching communication and amplification skills to young people who have exited homelessness and to youth leaders. We also believe in empowering youth with lived experience of homelessness to be the next generation of professionals in this sector by providing sustainable career pathways.
We also recently launched our non-profit arm, which is our headquarters or YP2F HQ—as we call it. It is a space to connect with room to grow. Our mission is to support young people and young adults in their pathways to stability and we do that by providing physical space and creative resources while supporting mission-driven, community-driven, and creative groups to host events, workshops, and activities. Through intentional relationship-building and diverse programming, we foster community connection, creative experimentation, and the social networks that lead to multi-dimensional stability.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
I am very much a daughter of my parents. My dad is a former marine who worked years in the federal government and as a labor attorney. He is logical, inquisitive, and very focused, with a moral compass of justice. My mother, on the other hand, is a people person; she loves people more than anything and loves building relationships, being in the community, and connecting with people. I spent my childhood tagging along with her in her various social‑good activities. I have so much of both of them in me. I’m incredibly inquisitive and logical like my father, but I also value personal relationships, connections, and social networks and believe in how important it is for people to be connected and communicate with each other. Both of those parts really drive my work.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering isn’t the right word, but I truly believe the most I’ve ever learned comes from doing things wrong and failing. It hurts when you go through it, and it can feel like you might not make it out the other side. Yet, being older gives you the privilege of knowing those lessons are often the most important in the long run.
Over the last two years, we’ve been in a legal battle with one of our former organizational partners, and it’s been so challenging. Not only emotionally and professionally, but also financially. This is coupled with the precariousness of the world and the unpredictability of my sector. There have been many, many, many times over the last two years when I’ve questioned whether I made the wrong decision somewhere along the path and if I could have prevented us from being in such a hard and seemingly unending position. There have also been several times when I’ve wondered when the time is to call it. However, on the hardest days…I know that at the end of this storm I’ll emerge with lessons and insights no one else can provide, and I’m incredibly grateful for that. I’m committed to sharing what I’ve learned.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
This is a hard one sometimes, especially in the current climate, but it’s that the cream eventually rises to the top. It’s an overused metaphor but I haven’t found a better one. I truly believe that if you stick to your values, hold to your word, and never go against them, it will work out in the long run. And the reverse is true, the scum eventually sinks to the bottom. You have to trust that those who don’t do the same will eventually face consequences.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I don’t think about this often, or even ever, and maybe I should, but I do trust that whatever story people tell about me when I’m gone will be a really, really good one.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yp2f.org
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/youngpeopletothefront
Image Credits
Christina Russo, Daniel Ramirez
