City Heights youth leaders from Youth Voice met with women leaders from eight countries who visited the San Diego Diplomacy Council on their tour of the United States to learn about and promote citizen safety, economic opportunity, social justice and environmental sustainability.
The members of the European delegation came from Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
Jessica and Lizette, Youth Voice leaders, shared their expertise on the science of adverse childhood experiences and their advocacy work on encouraging organizations, such as schools, and communities, to integrate trauma-informed and resilience building practices. This included:
-- Asking the San Diego Commission on Gang Prevention & Intervention to stay the course on human trafficking, and the Commission responded by including updates about human trafficking at their bi-monthly meetings.
-- Doing an ACEs science presentation to San Diego State University seniors in Dr. Joey Estrada’s class on Community Trauma - Community Healing in March.
-- Participating in a panel after the screening of Resilience, a documentary about ACEs science and practice, attended by 200 people at Cherokee Point Elementary School in June.
The delegation and Youth Voice members talked about human trafficking locally and globally, and youth leadership development in their respective countries.
Jessica, age 17, and Lizette, age 18, reflected on their personal transformation and acknowledged Sgt. Adrian Lee and Officer Lindsay Barajas of the Mid-City Police Division’s Juvenile Services Team. Jessica reflected on law enforcement’s challenging roles in the community with the myriad cultures and diversity in City Heights and how its residents live with community trauma, community violence, poverty, domestic violence, gang violence and hopelessness. Jessica says she encourages her family and friends to have empathy for the traumatic experiences law enforcement also have on a regular basis.
Lizette reflected, “I feel powerful being a youth leader and a young woman doing this.”
Talitha Thompson, Co-Facilitator - Youth Voice, shared of the experience, “What a beautiful opportunity it was to see two youth leaders from our community fully capture the hearts and souls of European women leaders through their bravery to open up and share their stories. Their love and dedication to their community shown through in their humbling willingness to go deep and share incredibly raw moments. It is without a doubt that every person in that room walked away touched from the experience."
I gave the delegation members information about ACEs surveys that had been done in some European countries, and encouraged them to join ACEsConnection.com.
The Institute of International Education in Washington D.C. facilitated the visit of the delegation through the U.S. State Department. The delegation members included:
Croatia - Maja Rezek, senior advisor for NATO, Ministry of Defense
Macedonia - Ana Blazheska, state secretary, Secretariat for European
Affairs
Moldova - Cristina Lesnic, head, General Department for International
Relations and EU Integration, Ministry of Interior
Sweden - Klara Grenhagen, desk officer, Folke Bernadotteakademien
Switzerland - Helene Aecherli, editor and reporter, Tamedia and
Annabelle
Turkey - Gunes Engin, advisor to Filiz Kerestecioglu, Member of
Parliament
Ceren Suntekin, administrator, Tarlabasi Community
Support Center
Ukraine - Olena Rozvadovska, Civil Society activist and volunteer
United Kingdom - Sarah Mathers, inspector, Royalty and Specialist Protection,
Metropolitan Police Service
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