Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Vasquez.
Hi Eric, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was a young teen who made a series of poor choices which caused much suffering to occur in my life. I was angry and I had a massive father wound, and these things caused me to be unhappy and without hope.
At the age of 16, I was blessed to experience a life change and heal from my own trauma. When my life took a turn for the good, I was motivated to help other teens like me in the communities where I was serving. My passion for young people grew year to year and I devoted my life to helping others to reach their full potential. After going to college, I decided to begin my non-profit work in the City of Pomona, California. When moving to Pomona, which is in an urban inner-city context, I realized that there were many service gaps and slim mentoring opportunities for youth. Around the same time, I was introduced to restorative justice by a mentor of mine which revolutionized my approach to working with at-promise teens. This is when Just Us 4 Youth was birthed. When combining my passion for restorative justice and mentoring, it solidified my philosophy and methodology to youth development. I began to volunteer on school campuses, supporting students who were deemed “frequent flyers,” tier 3, at-risk students. I piloted a series of programs and curriculum. These programs began to yield amazing transformation and the data began to show major improvements in students’ education, social and emotional health, and attendance.
After years of volunteerism, we were able to more formally partner with our local school district (Pomona Unified) and that started a roller coaster of a journey for the expansion of the organization. We now serve thousands of students in various school districts and counties. I am humbled to lead an amazing team of diverse and talented employees and mentors that love and serve those who are most vulnerable. We have a BIG vision to replicate our services across the globe, ensuring that youth are provided with access, opportunities, and quality mentoring services.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The journey hasn’t always been smooth. There were many struggles along the way. My family struggled through poverty as I made big sacrifices to pursue my personal vision. My family endured much during this time, but I will forever be indebted to them for believing in me and riding with me through it all. There was also tragedy suffered. We’ve lost many young people who were very special to us. Their lives were lost to gang violence, substance abuse, and even long-term incarceration. We have struggled through the growing pains of the organization as well. At each juncture, we learned lessons, sometimes the hard way, but we are better for it now.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I lead the nonprofit Just Us 4 Youth, an organization that focuses on restorative justice and mentoring. We ensure youth in urban inner cities are provided opportunities to heal through mentoring. Throughout the mentoring process, we assist to cultivate character, leadership and vocational skills so that young people can flourish and pursue their goals and dreams. We specialize in innovative mentoring. We stay relevant with the youth culture and the ever-changing youth trends. We are creatives and leverage the arts to reach youth and provide them a means of expression. We specialize in restorative justice. We seek for opportunities to reconcile offenders and victims, especially with youth who are system impacted. We provide restorative responses for youth and families in the city by way of partnerships with the local school districts, The department of Probation, the District Attorney’s office, and much more. We are known for our tenacity to support those who are most vulnerable in our inner cities. We go to great lengths to assure equity and access.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love that our city is a close-knit community that cares for one another. I appreciate the culture represented and the strength and resilience of the community. I dislike that our community is stricken by gang violence, prostitution and sex trafficking, homelessness and substance abuse.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: ju4y.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justus4youth/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justus4youth/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Just_Us_4_Youth
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JustUs4Youth
