One of our highly skilled case managers, Chris Perry, met a young man for a court assessment. The YouthZone client was required to meet with Chris over a possession charge, during which, it came out the client had suicidal thoughts and threats. After digging in, bullying has been a huge part of his story, he’s changed schools twice because of it.
YouthZone helped him make plans to connect him with the community, get in to counseling, and write a safety plan. Chris checked in regularly, which his client was hesitant to, but ended up trusting in YouthZone.
Since then, his demeanor has drastically changed. He continues to volunteer with kids, despite finishing his court requirements, he would like to be a part of a bullying task force, if YouthZone were to establish programming.
Up until his time with YouthZone, he's never felt heard – by his parents, schools, or anybody – until he was in YouthZone and switched schools.