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College Bound 6/22/2024
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Just in Time Launches New Book at U.S. Grant Hotel
Life Changing Choices: The 7 Essential Choices at the Heart of Transformational Change For Foster Youth and Your Community’ is available now on Amazon
More than 170 community partners, long-time supporters, alumni and staff gathered at the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego, Friday, March 24th for the launch of Just in Time’s newly published book, “Life Changing Choices: The 7 Essential Choices at the Heart of Transformational Change For Foster Youth and Your Community.”
The book encapsulates more than 20 years of experience working in service to and in collaboration with transition age foster youth in the San Diego community; and is Co-authored by young adults with lived experience in foster care.
In addition to lunch and a spoken word poem performed by Just in Time alumni Vanessa Davis, lived experience co-authors Irving Chavez, Caitlin Radigan, James Hidds-Monroe, Nathaniel Martinez, and Simone Hidds-Monroe took the stage for a Q&A session with the audience.
“I had this unique perspective where I spent 11 years in foster care from the age of 7 to 18 and experienced the best and worst that, that had to offer. Eventually, I got my master’s in social work. I joined the county as a social worker and now work at Just in Time for Foster Youth. I’m doing my best to try to bring that lived-experience perspective to the work that I do.”
Nathaniel Martinez- JIT Staff
PHOTO: Irving Chavez (left) with brothers Ivan and Omar. All three brothers now work at Just in Time For Foster Youth providing critical resources to their peers impacted by foster care.
Onstage, the authors discussed challenges they’ve encountered as thought leaders and system disruptors within the child welfare system as well as ways in which allies can empower former foster youth to challenge and create positive change within those systems.
Co-author and former foster youth Irving Chavez gave an emotional response to his contribution to a chapter in the book related to youth being seen not as damaged or broken but as Creative, Resourceful, and Whole, “Being in a book… I still can’t believe it. I didn’t know how to write until I was 14 years old, so having the ability to author a book… I always thought I was damaged. And now that’s a chapter in a book that I helped author.”
