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Series Description
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), youth previously involved with the juvenile justice system had up to 23 times the firearm mortality rate of the general population. Black children accounted for 46 percent of gun deaths in 2021, even though they are only 14 percent of the U.S. under-18 population. Put more simply: Black children are five times as likely to die from gunfire as their White peers. This series will focus on how grass-roots care systems can wrap around youth and families impacted by gang and gun violence. So often, we blame gangs, and we forget that systemic racism is the root cause. Participants will hear from first responders who are not traditionally funded by systems of care and are doing the most vital work, including faith-based, mental health, substance use treatment, peer support, research, and street outreach perspectives.
What is a Heart Work Series?
A Heart Work Series is an intimate, guided, conversation around the important and sometimes misunderstood impact of systemic racism the mental health, wellness, and safety of a community. Each panel will feature four unique perspectives from front line mental health and young adult professionals working directly with gang-impacted communities. We are also asking each facilitator to return for a one hour ‘heart session’ that allows for more in depth conversations with the field
Series Disclaimer: Although we acknowledge the harm and importance of school shootings, this series will not dive into this critical topic. This series is to honor young people who have lost their lives to gang and gun violence due to stigma and biases from systems of care, and how systems of care can take action to serve youth who are impacted by gang and gun violence and to address the root causes of gun violence.
FACILITATOR:
Evelyn Clark, CPC, is a Mexican-Native American woman specializing in Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI), youth leadership development, and peer support. She is a change consultant and JEDI trainer for Change Matrix and partners with NTTAC. She has nearly 15 years of experience serving young people and their families within systems of care impacted by gang and gun violence. Evelyn has served on several initiatives on gang and violence prevention and intervention. She represented lived experience and mental health care to support youth and families. Evelyn is a justice-impacted professional and has dedicated her career to dismantling racism within systems of care to serve BIPOC youth and families better.
AUGUST 3 PANELIST:
Andre Clark is a proud Black American from Lakewood, Washington. He graduated from Washington State University (Go Cougs) with a B.A. in Criminal Justice (Public Administration). After college Andre moved back to Peirce County, WA where he worked through AmeriCorps for 2 years for a diversion program working with at-risk youth. After AmeriCorps, Andre was hired on to the same program as an Intervention Specialist. Then going on to Juvenile Rehabilitation where he was trained in Anger Regression Training (ART) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
Andre has worked as a coordinator and served on many councils, committees, and boards, including the Tacoma Gang Reduction Project, Tacoma Gun Safe T, Wheels Up Guns Down, Health Care Authority’s Statewide Youth Network Steering Committee, Washington State Partnership Council on Juvenile Justice Youth Committee, WISe Symposium Youth Committee, Gang Intervention Committee, Project 253, Tuff Love Intervention, and the Professional Community Intervention Training Institute.
Andre currently works for Thurston County Pretrial Services as a Lead Diversion Officer, assisting individuals in alternatives to incarceration. In his previous role as a Juvenile Rehabilitation Counselor, Supervisor, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy Specialist at Green Hill School, a maximum-security facility for young men ages 16 to 25; where he supported young people with skills groups, treatment planning, and release planning.
Andre’s mission is to eliminate the school-to-prison pipeline and is passionate about ensuring services are culturally responsive for those who are overrepresented in the system. He strives to break the stigma on men of color as he models success to the justice-involved individuals he works with.
Alex Davis is a passionate leader with vision, entrepreneurship, and compassion for those who seek more from life but lack direction on how to obtain it.
A husband to Tralayne Davis, and father to 3 lovely children, Alex believes in the value of family. Raised by his father and mother, Alfred and Mary Davis, Alex learned at an early age the responsibility and power in unity. Alex has been involved with the city of Tacoma and other non-profit organizations whose focus and efforts produce change in the lives of those in need. Alex pastors the Eastside Assembly of Believers Church in Tacoma Washington, A church founded by his father in 1964 whose mission is geared towards messages of love, hope and faith while providing life skill tools to assist individuals in succeeding in life. He is the Executive Director of the K.I.T. Program (Kings in Training), Mentoring boys ages 5-16. He is also the founder of the iChallenge Life Group, a self-development company with a social purpose towards youth mentorship. He is the Author of the self-published book “40 Days of Focus”. He is the co-founder of James Matthew Commission SPC. Providing emergency placement and visitation for those in the foster care system. Alex is also a fellow Rotarian and serves on several community and county boards that impact the lives and economics of all people. Alex continues to work and support initiatives, businesses, and partnerships to bring about unity and opportunity to homes, communities, cities, and the world.
Marlin Henderson is a passionate advocate for violence prevention, youth empowerment, and community mobilization. With 20 years of experience in life coaching, mentorship, public speaking, workshops, and trainings, Marlin has dedicated his career to creating safer and more inclusive communities for youth and young adults. As a violence prevention specialist, Marlin has worked with individuals, families, and communities to address the root causes of violence and provide support for those most affected. He possesses strong leadership abilities, collaborating with diverse stakeholders, including community organizations, law enforcement agencies, and government entities, to achieve common goals of promoting safety and reducing violence. Marlin represents lived experience having been impacted by the juvenile and adult justice systems and is committed to supporting youth and young adults who are affected by these same broken systems.
Tyus Reed, CPC is a Black and Asian male who was born in Tacoma, WA, 30 min south of Seattle. As a teen, Tyus was sentenced to juvenile life and a year in DOC after. Upon release, Tyus dedicated his life to juvenile justice reform and youth advocacy. He has been on multiple statewide and nationwide panels and also got to work with inmates in the very facilities he did time at. He is now the Violence Prevention Specialist at the REACH enter in Tacoma, WA serving two of the very same school districts he attended as a youth.
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