How a Bronx Nonprofit Is Replacing Punishment With Belonging

[0:16]  Welcome back to another episode here on the Heart and Hustle podcast. We have Miss Belinda in the house. Miss Belinda, where are you virtually visiting from?

[0:22]  Bronx New York, baby, boogie down.

[0:24]  Bronx, New York. Listen, anybody that's from New York, you know they from New York. Okay. The way that y'all just speak about

[0:31]  Ha ha

[0:31]  New York is like like y'all the only thing that exists in America. You born and raised there, Belinda?

[0:37]  No, I wasn't born and raised here. I'm adopted by the Bronx in the sense that I've been here over twenty years, but I grew up in Newburgh, which is like about an hour and a half away. It has its own legacy. So I can't I can't, you know,

[0:50]  Yeah, yeah.

[0:51]  I always have to rep the fact that I'm from New Newburgh originally, but my love for the Bronx runs really deep.

[0:57]  Love it. I love that you say I'm adopted by New York because it's very similar when someone says, Where were you born or where you from? I am Floridian. I've been here now almost 30 years, but I'm born in Bar Boston. So it's like I got to say Boston, even though I spent barely any time there. So I get it. I definitely get it. we'll keep you in the Bronx.

[1:18]  I mean, do are is it are is this a baseball thing too? Like are you a socks and you know, because I'm a Yankees fan, you know, there's that adversity.

[1:25]  Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure. Exactly. You already know.

[1:28]  I had to ask. I had to ask.

[1:34]  What we'll keep you in the Bronx, Belinda.

[1:35]  So my work really, you know, I moved here, you know, I think it was in 2005. And I had other plans, but I landed in the Bronx. And once I got here, you know, trying to move to Brooklyn to getting a place out there, and I ended up coming here and I just felt completely like connected. I think it was from my experiences in Uber. So since I moved here, I've always been serving the Bronx in some capacity. You know, I think they're very beautiful people here. It has a reputation held by media. but it's not, you know, the most accurate representation. You know, it's always bringing forth the worst aspects of what can go down here, but never highlighting the really awesome and beautiful, rich, organic things that are happening in the Bronx, you know. known now as the only authentic borough at this point and I'll fight anybody on that. So, you know, I think it's it holds me here. I've been, you know, at the organization, Community Connections for Youth for the last twelve years, eleven years. And you know, it's been very special work addressing, you know, some of the needs that are to me somewhat exclusive to the Bronx, somewhat exclusive to the South Bronx specifically.

[2:54]  Love it. You mentioned it, community connections for youth. What is your role that you're with with them?

[2:59]  So I'm the executive director. I didn't start off as the executive director. I was a training coordinator. I started, you know, training like our partners out there. I'm working with young people impacted by the justice system. So that is our work. we're trying to disrupt the pipeline into the youth justice system, which is really into the adult system eventually, which is what happens. Like this is the start and You know, so we really started to look at like really early disruption and what it takes to do that and who should be doing that. So my role I moved into the executive director position in 2023 when our founder, Ruben Rever Ruben Austria, stepped back and I'd been, you know, kind of his right hand for a while. We were helping New York City you know, stand up programs that were like community rooted. That had to do with, you know, building up the communities that have been like dismantled by, you know, policies that have imp impacted communities like the Bronx, you know, black and brown communities, laws and and and perceptions. So the city was making moves. He's but he was advocating for years for the closure of youth prisons in New York State. They successfully did that in the Bronx. So the work just gain the momentum and it was really about like raising up the community, the gems, the beautiful things that are there that are really effective. So I have continued that work because, you know, I'm a firm believer, right? That like the thing that's kind of biblical, right? Like this whole idea of like you know, the in the Bible it talks about like Jesus Christ being the the stone that the builders rejected now becomes the cornerstone, right? And it's like the the least are first. you know, it's an upside down kingdom, you know, so it's like the thing that you discredit is actually beautiful, not only in my eyes, but mostly in the in the eyes of God, you know. So it I I felt very rooted in that in that picture, in that metaphor, so to speak, of you know, of the community who that is often overlooked, taking front and center in helping its own. So we've been pushing that work forward for the last the organization has been around for seventeen years. Yeah.

[5:26]  Wow. Belinda, you out here giving us a word early this morning, huh?

[5:29]  I'm not trying to preach. I'm no preacher.

[5:31]  I love it. No. I love it. I love it. how how do you feel? I mean, being the executive director in this role, knowing that it's not about you, it is about the youth, right? It's about fertilizing the future, making a difference, building up, as you mentioned. How how do you feel being in that role?

[5:52]  It's a big responsibility. I can't even think about it too much because it's it's the mountain is big and I'm just a blip in time when it comes to generations, right? Like hundreds of years of issues around how

[6:07]  Mm-hmm.

[6:07]  of issues around classism, around how classism rests on race. and so I'm coming in at a at a moment in time to do work in my corner. my what I call I I look at as like my side of the sheet that I'm trying to pull. So it's a tall order. and it's a tall order to run a nonprofit in a time where there's not a lot of investment, you know, at the you know at the national federal level. you know there's so much divestment, you know, around that. And so you got you want punitive measures. you know, that that's being pushed forward. So it's a t it's a tall order. And I think that when I stepped in, it was more like it was like the belief in the people that like the staff we work with, they most of them have been former participants. So they have people we're people with lived experience. I'm a person with lived experience.

[7:11]  Yep, yep.

[7:12]  So I wanted to get behind them and what they could do. So I focus on that. And as a person who was like on the staff side of things, you know, when our founders stepped back, it's very difficult, you know, those types of transitions, sometimes things will make it. The new executive director leaves cause it's hard work to fundraise and to follow up on a person who was like a nationally recognized thought leader and here comes me, that like it's not seen that way.

[7:44]  yeah, you had big shoes to fill.

[7:46]  Yeah. So it it's scary but I try not to think about it too much. I really just try to focus on my my own why. And that that's that's anchors me a lot. Yeah.

[7:55]  Which is what's the why? When you could be doing anything else, you could be making the money, right? Elsewhere, you're in this space where there is a struggle right now, right? At the f at the government level. it's really having to tap into your why, remembering why you even signed up for this, because sometimes it could be challenging, as you mentioned. What is the why, Belinda?

[8:14]  My why is I think I I shared some of that, right? It's it's a it's multifold. one is my anchoring beliefs. the lens that I see, the my worldview that has been you know, I say this loosely because there's a lot of connotation to what that means, but for me it has been like based on who Christ is, like who Jesus is and the prophet that he was to the times, the teacher that he was, that he was like the way, the truth, and the life. And, you know, when I look at that, I'm like, he was trying to teach us the way of life. And the way of life, he talked a lot about how he viewed, you know, the poor in spirit, you know, when you look at the Beatitudes. So that really spoke to me because I was an orphan. You know, both my parents passed away, you know, when I was young. So I found a home in seeing like, wow, In a world that values things that are whole, things that have money, the the best, the slickest, the flyest, you know, God cast his eyes on something he himself became, which was poor, helpless, vulnerable, and died a criminal's death. So to me though those

[9:30]  Mm-hmm.

[9:31]  that thing is so fly, like you know what I mean? I'm not a very religious person. But I really like I'm like that really anchors how I see the world. So that's one. Second of all, you know, when my mother died, my brother was in the juvenile system, in the juvenile, the criminal justice system, right? He was foster care, he was removed from our home. That ultimately brought down my mother who had like very compromised health. It really affected her mentally. She was very depressed, she was institutionalized for a while. She died when I was nine, going on ten. The day she died was the last day I saw my brother for a long time. you know, he was fi fifteen, I was nine, we were at a morgue, I see him, they brought him from the group home. This is, you know, to to deal with the fact that our mother had just passed away. They took him away and I never saw him again. So the system at that time did nothing to hold this together. Three years later, my father's death. my father dies. So my only living relative from the my nuclear family is now I don't know where he is, you know. I was too young to really be in the conversation about like why this connection even mattered. It was irrelevant. So he got pushed along. I lost track of him. I found him fifteen

[10:55]  Yeah.

[10:55]  years later. So you know, in my life I felt like you know, this this injustice that didn't allow me to heal. Like I really had to stuff a lot of this stuff. I didn't have to. It's how I managed it, right? Like I didn't know what to do with everything I felt with this amount of loss. And I I didn't think about like, like the sis this the system is at fault. In hindsight, I look at it and I'm like, this definitely broke apart my life. But I looked at it more through the lens of like always saying I used to always say, man, my brother got the shorter end of the stick in this situation we're in. At least I went with an aunt. He ended up I don't know where he went, but he ended up going to prison later on. And that's how I found him.

[11:36]  Yeah.

[11:36]  So and then the last thing I want to say is like I, you know, I went on to school, I got my master's degree in psych, and I thought to myself, like, you know, I'm learning all this stuff about mental health, and it really expanded, like just given my experiences and what I was like reading and doing, and I'm like, wellness is a spectrum and like who can contribute to it, and like a therapist plays a part, but they're not the full picture. I felt like the things that held me together were like the ladies from my church who believed in me, the kid the teachers in my school who thought highly of me, friends who supported me. So I was like, you know, if you don't have that, a therapist can't hold all that stuff for you. Like you could talk about it all you want. You still need connection. So I was like, you know, the question was

[12:20]  Mm-hmm.

[12:20]  like, who gets to be the clinician? Everybody. So those three things really brought me to a place of like my why as to This is like the jump off of like why I'm doing what I'm doing. It anchors me, it informs me, and it also helps me to school others on what the assets are out there, what the problems are out there, and like a paradigm for spiritual belief. And it doesn't even need to be mine. But, you know, there is a bigger picture here. So I think all those things like come together into like like the the power ranger of my heart. You know what I mean? The all the forces coming together. So yeah.

[12:59]  real quick before I get into the serious stuff, I actually met the Yellow Ranger, Karen. I think her real name is Karen. And I met the Red Ranger this past weekend. And

[13:09]  No way.

[13:09]  so it was pretty cool that she was mentioned the Power Rangers. I just got to share that. yeah, I was I was covering an event and you know, when think nostalgic, I thought about Saturday mornings, watching cartoons, Power Rangers was this thing. So meeting them, and then you mentioned that. I don't know what's going on here, but no, I love it. I also wanted to give you your flowers because as people watching know and you know is I am one that was adopted very similar to you by my aunt. very similar to you having to see success on on one side, but also know that your family still struggles to not see that same success. you know it it it is bothersome. And we think like, man, why me? You know I think I felt I I fought that for a long time is I felt almost guilt. You know, I don't know if you felt like that, Belinda, but it was like there's definitely this guilt that I had. It's like, damn, like I I just I want to see my brother and sister win as well. and that's really why I kind continue to do the work is is to inspire, right? Not just continue to inspire myself and the work that I'm doing, inspire those kids that I come across, but even the family family that is seeing us do this work from the outside, that they too can have that hope. That they too can realize that there's light at the end of it. So I praise you because you know that there's a half a million kids in the foster kid system. You've experienced some of this yourself. And not a lot of us get to see the other side. So I, as a woman, I I just thank you for never giving up. As someone that's, you know, kind of experienced some of the things I've experienced for never giving up. because it it matters so much. Like when I always think about representation, it's not even that we're Latinos, right? Latinas, it's that. We went through something in our lives and we were all we were able to overcome because of the good people in our lives. Someone asked me that, yo, Efraine, you are one of 17. What makes you different? Like, and I say, God gave me good people and surrounded me with those leaders that believed in me before I believed in myself. Like I didn't know I was a leader. Someone gave me an opportunity, right? Those teachers that said, Yo, I know you're a good kid. Like, what is going on with you? Right. Right now my partner, you know, even as I got older and realized like, you know, I was doing certain things that really were not good for me and my partner calling those things out. And to me, they were normal, right? Cause of this some of the sexual abuse and things that I dealt with. So kudos to you. This is not easy work. I love that you say, listen, man, I'm I'm not even thinking about like the role itself. I'm just doing what I love, right? Because if I get too caught up in this role and this title, it becomes a bit more just like imposter syndrome starts. Yelling at you, like, what the hell? Are you am I really doing this? So,

[15:53]  Seriously. Yes.

[15:54]  shouts out to you, man. when you think about community connections for youth, you've been doing this for a long time. What are some of the stories for those that are listening that allow us to remember that we're all in this, that we're not in this alone? Like, we all go through some of these stories and how some of these young kids got to see the other side because of you and because of other volunteers and people. You have those stories, Belinda?

[16:18]  do, you know, I and and it's there's so many and I you know I wanna say like you know a few a f a few years ago like I think it was like last year I don't know my timeline in my head things had come at us fast you know what mean but I remember you know like I have to I wanna just

[16:30]  I get it, no worries. I get it. We don't even know if it's Monday, Tuesday.

[16:37]  bring forth like the parents because you know I want and I wanna share like a parent story because I'll I'll I'm on a long line of people that And I'm I know yourself included, right? Like you do and you stand up a little bit for a young person, you're gonna see brightness. Like I think about what you were saying, and I'm like, you know, that you had people that were, you know, were asking you what made you special. And there are kids that never get asked that question. They never nobody tells them what what it is that makes them great, you know. So it's like you know that a little can go a long way. What often happens is Also, is parents are dismissed or blamed and they are central piece. Like, think about yourself as a teenager, and while you may not be talking to your mom all the time, or even if like under the best relationships, that's usually like the highest level of like independence while you're still an a dependent, right? Under 18. But you know, you don't wanna be hanging out with your mom, you with your friends, but deep down, right? Like there is this Need the c that connection is actually the most important one for a foundational piece. So, like justice system involvement, it is a cis symptom of so much going on. It is not the actual problem. It's a thing called gonna cause you a lot more problems, but it's sitting on top of a lot of things. And so a lot of that is how is your parent doing with you and in life? I'm a mother. I, my parenting is commensurate with how I'm doing as an individual. So we do a lot with parents. And last year, I think it was, I remember talking to a mother, and you know, she's happy. We just did a like a step-up ceremony. Her son had come completed one of our programs, and you know, we make a big deal because it is a big deal. Accomplishment is a big deal. So we're at the park where we do this, and she knows I'm talking to her, and she's like, I just have to say, like she's in tears. She was like, I was so depressed with what was going on with my son. You know, when you when you're in court, you can come and if you got a good judge, they may be asking you like, Where's mom? And you know what I mean? And having a dialogue about what you want to see. But at the end of the day, it got nothing to do with you. Your hands are not, you know, you don't parent in the moment when it comes to something legal, criminal, you got caught up, right? Like you don't. So that's a huge level of in disempowerment. There's so much stigma. You are maybe labeled in the family as like the part of the family that, you know, this the son is going to prison, you know. So already there's like this black sheep idea. So this mother was like, she was like, I was so depressed. I didn't know, you know, what to do. She's flying blind through the whole thing. She was like, ever since my son joined the program, but also having the other parents that work in the program that you know, supported her. She was like just watching him up here. She was like, I feel so much better. Like she was basically like suicidal, she was telling me, without saying it, right? And she was like, this has turned things around for me. I feel so much better. The relationship with my son and watching him be on the other side with the help that you gave him has made me well. And so I'm like, you know, again, going back to the whole idea, I don't know if she was involved with the therapist or not. But I do know that a therapist couldn't have done what she actually needed was to see her son doing better. Right. And she had a community that was, again, part of the continuum of things, part of like all these concentrations circles, concentric circles that you need to be able to push forward, you know? So that to me is such a high point. And honestly, lately, I think that's the thing I've been most in love with is just watching Joy with full. Full family support and like a community that you can come to that feels like home base. Everybody needs a third space. You know, you got your job, you have your home. Well, what the third space is the space where you can get what you need, right? Like for some people, that's the gym. For some people, you know, that's hiking. For some people, that's their church. When you got a lot going on and you don't have a lot of money and you have all this stuff, there's not a lot of space for third space. And so being able to provide that for a parents that need it and for their young people that we're doing things to bring them together in a very unthreatening situation is really, really powerful. So, you know, there's a Rolodex of that kind of experiences that, you know, we see. You know, we just graduated also, we started an alumni program last year and watching those young people, 13 of them finished it. Them volunteering, them building community events, you know, doing their thing. It's like more than just like, we diverted them from the system. We got them involved in their world.

[17:10]  Yeah.

[17:10]  So, you know, that is that is like a thrill to watch and really like my joy, because, you know, I like the young people. It helps me that I actually like a lot of people don't like teenagers. That's the first problem we have on the planet. People don't like teenagers. They don't like young adults.

[21:47]  Ha ha ha.

[21:56]  So let's just start there. It's nothing to always do

[21:57]  Yeah.

[21:58]  with just be black or brown. So when you enjoy them, they feel that and you watch them thrive. So that kind of thing is like every day, every day we're having big wins with at a relational level. Yeah.

[22:10]  And you're so right. when it comes to the parent, like as a young kid, we don't get it at times because we're kind of in that stage of being a young kid going into adulthood a bit. I became a parent at 30 years old and I think that's where a lot of a lot of like my eyes were just kind of open to so much more. And going to my mom and and just being more just grateful for what she was able to do with the little that she had. Right. And that's one of the things she mentioned to me. It's like I'm s I I did the best I could with what I I had and knew. And I go to organizations like you guys. It's like, I love that you said that third space. Right. It is sometimes because of the communities we grew up in that we do not have the money to go to YMCA and pay that membership. Right. We do not have the money to go to a boys and girls club, whatever that may look like. But when you talk about an organization that has programs and meets people at where they're at, right? Like There's something in that. Like, of course, people have to want it, you know, and got to go get it. I guess my question to you would be how do people find out about you guys? Like, is this they're already at the legal system and then you got they they find you guys? Are you guys at the school? Like, how are you guys telling your communities about these programs, the parents and the students, the kids?

[23:29]  Yeah, we we are posted up at the court. So we have an office in the Bronx Courthouse. So that's like the first space that we're in automatically that creates a connection. We have a contract with the city right now. So with the Department of Probation. So it makes it easy to make an instant connection. So the city is invested in connecting parents to the program that they're upholding, which we hold the contract for, and we were also part of like the original inception or even the creation of it through some of the advocates that have worked

[24:02]  Wow.

[24:02]  with us and things like that. So that's one, we get referrals directly from probation. But as we've been doing our work, other agencies have also, you know, they look to us like in New York City, the prosecutor's office for f at the f the the at the family level is corporation council. Even they make referrals to us and they're the ops, you know what I mean? So, you know, But so it's like when they they're working with families, like, you know, when there's family domestic violence, you know, with parent and child, you know, people be knocking each other out. You know what I'm saying? So, like, you know, they're looking

[24:36]  Mm-hmm.

[24:37]  to us to to intervene before it escalates and it lands before a judge. So already they lean on us in that way. We take community referrals. We also have the young people bring their friends or they'll make their own referral. Sometimes the young person that was referred to us that brought a friend takes a hike and the person that they brought stays with us. That happens all the time. So so we, you know, we and then we have re we get referrals from the schools as well. you know, and outside of that, we also do a lot of training and capacity building for other organizations. So we kind of have been a known organization for supporting other organizations that have like credible messengers. And folks with lived experience do the work. So that's kind of been also like has made us known, you know, in the Bronx.

[25:29]  No, that's cool. Now I you also mentioned programs. Like how many students are you guys serving, I would say, on a year or monthly, whatever you want to let us know. And then

[25:39]  Yeah.

[25:39]  like how do you meet these people where they're at? You know, is it that like if someone is is really needing and maybe it's after hours, how do we communicate that? I think a lot of the times it is after hours when we're sitting in our in our rooms quietly. Belinda, growing up, I was always in my room. quite. This is back before we had, you know, phones and the access to internet. So I'm in my room, right? Thinking a lot. thinking that I'm not loved, thinking that I'm not cared for, all these different things. How do we meet those individuals? How what kind of programs do we have for that?

[26:15]  So, you know, for us, once there's like an initial, you know, referral, like the parents the parents that work with us that are that are on staff, you know, they build build they reach out to the parent, they build connections, invite them, and then we also will look to meet the young person and connect with them. So somebody, you know, one of our own credible messenger staff, a mentor. you know, reaches out to them. Once that relationship is established, that's when the a availability is established. So, you know, we have our cell phones on young people weekends at night. So they're building the the the the the exchange is the relationship. Like what we're doing is building relationships with young people. The crisis is the opportunity for us, right? Like The system wants to see something, we do too. But at the end of the day, like what we're trying to do is build relationships with young people. So that's that's pr like the prime thing. so when I think of a young man sitting in his room, lost in his thoughts, and those thoughts leading to escalating thoughts, right? Who who can they turn to? They can call one of our staff. Like, and normally it would be their mentor. And they'll call them. And you know, it's not uncommon to be, you know, for one of them to talk them off a ledge, you know what I mean, metaphorically speaking. you know, redirect them, talk them through, catch it early, you know, emotions at that age is not something that has been the the casings of that, the management of that is not well developed, you know what I mean? And that's normal. So a lot of times it's just kind of working through those things. con reconnecting them, chasing after them when they go, MIA for a minute. You know what I mean? And and then, you know, if they don't want to come back, they we're there, which happens all the time. We got people we like, we haven't heard from so and so all of a sudden they're back, they're recommitted, no problem. You know, come back into the fold. So availability is important, but it's not we're not like a hotline for everybody. You know, it's really with the kids that we engage, But sometimes we'll get a referral that's really important. You know, there are people that we partner with that are like, you know, more cr on the crisis management, other organizations. you know, because a lot of this work is we gotta do it being friends with other organizations as well.

[28:41]  Hundred percent. And and how many p youth are you guys serving on a yearly?

[28:46]  So we last year in 2025, we served like four hundred and fifty youth, but that have committed to programming roughly about a hundred young people. So we have multiple cohort cohorts a year. we do about five cohorts of our initial program. It's about fifteen, sixteen, seventeen kids. We have our alumni program, which is about fifteen kids. So those are like the ones that are like more deeply going through our programming and then interfacing, connecting, 'cause we do things in the community, we host events, you know, we rif you know, outreach. you know, so it's about the nine hundred families, about four hundred half of those being young people.

[29:29]  Love it. And you being in the executive role right now as the executive director, you've been doing this for a little bit now. but you've also, as you mentioned, the right hand woman to your past executive director. I can imagine you have goals because you've seen both sides of it and now you're sitting at the head of the table. What are some of the goals that you're you're wanting to accomplish before you you decide to hang up the boots? Whatever that may be, by the way.

[29:54]  That's a great question because yeah, yeah, no, that's a great question. I think for one thing, you know, post our founder is really stabilizing the organization. Like we have to exist. That's one. We have to exist. If you know anything about the Bronx, we're on 149th and third. That's the hub. That is that is a hot spot. And it's central to what's going on. What you see, if you you know, you don't have to wonder, like, yes, there's a lot of justice impacted youth, and there are other programs and opportunities there. But like for the size of the issues, we all gotta exist and I know we play a very important part. So that's one. So in a time where there was a lot of, you know, divestment and funding being cut and things like that, I'm very focused on honestly getting our money up. Because I know I can bring more and more and more people that wanna help these young people, but having the resources to do it is often the challenge. So I got dreams, right? I'm like, I'm looking at ways that we can strengthen families. You know, I I wanna be able to have places where we could do lock-ins with families. Like you're ch this is going on. Like let's c all come around you. Let's deal with the with the underlying issues. I don't have the money to do that. So I'm looking for the resources. I want us to do more and more. I imagine doing more and more programming that's more youth-led. To me, the ultimate protective factor, you know, there is this idea of protective factors, right? Like, and that's the idea of like what are the positive things in life that prevent, like are preventative to justice involvement, let's say, right? So obviously having To us, it's like relationship to your community is like one of the most valuable assets to breaking free from the cycle of incarceration, right? To add to that, it's like, okay, you have community connection. What if you are also part of the solution, right? Like, how can we be anchoring you

[31:59]  Mm-hmm.

[31:59]  to the work so that like you're creating, you're you're part of solving the problem you faced. I think that's the part that really gets you going, really moves you away because you're looking at the mouth in the mouth of the lion. You start to see, like, wait a minute. Yeah, I could have made some decisions different that got me like this, but there's also some real like societal and environmental issues happening here, policy issues here that I just happen to be born into. And there's hope in knowing like I'm really attacking a problem that's outside of me. So when I see young people doing that, like everything we do, we do with a positive youth development model, which means youth leadership. So I imagine, you know, us being much more youth led than we are. And we're already building that, you know, like I said, if we started this alumni program last year, already the bricks are being laid towards that. And we'll be by the time I leave, like I wanna see that in full bloom. so

[33:02]  Yeah.

[33:03]  I'm trying to make it happen, Kevin.

[33:06]  I love it. No, I mean, just listening to you, you can tell there's a lot of passion behind those words and just the work that you're doing and the foundation that you're you're building. As you mentioned, laying bricks. sometimes it does take sometimes you may not even see it come to life, right? Sometimes you may just plant those seeds, Belinda, and realize that there's actually something else bigger for you on the other side. But knowing that you are a part of this, you know, growth and change and yeah, I I can imagine the Because of your story and listening to you today, you have so much more on the horizon. You

[33:43]  Ha ha ha.

[33:44]  know what I mean? And and I just praise you for being who you are, authentically you. I've now spoken to you twice, and I truly, truly appreciate someone that has lived very similar to what I lived, and know that you're on this other side, being that that voice, right? sometimes it is very, very hard work because we're not all the way fixed. Right. We're not all the way there sometimes. You know, sometimes we get on our own ways because of our past. But it's like, yo, that showing up every single day, even when you're thinking that way, there's there's strength in that. And I can see the strength and I can hear the strength. So thank you so much. How can people get involved more, Belinda? You mentioned how you're wanting to do all these things. I think there's volunteer needs. I think there's donor needs. how can people get involved? Is there socials, websites?

[34:34]  Yes. Well, you know, first I'm always gonna point you right to like our website. you know, we are you know, every every dollar that we get gets put to use. Like everything that we do, we stipend young people, that's a protective factor. Like making sure that there's money in their pocket. I thought I lost you for a second, sorry. making sure that there's y okay.

[34:57]  No, you're good. I'm here, I'm here.

[35:02]  My camera just totally was like, nah, girl, you're not talking about this right now. so yeah, making sure there's money. So having the resources and honestly, you know, at a time where like, you know, I people are strapped. Like groceries are expensive, gas is expensive, you know, so like I think sometimes people think like, you know, I don't have a lot to give, but whatever folks can give, that's huge. And our website, cc-fy dot org. And you can see, you know, on full display, like some of like our work and the beautiful faces, you know, that grace our organization. that's one thing. also, you know, we are right now we are about to start a mentoring program built through like additionally through volunteers that we're looking at mentor matching through a relationship that we have with iMentor. And so we are actively gonna be recruiting right now. for and mentor matching more directly with young people as they're finishing with us, like on

[36:31]  I love it.

[36:31]  their next steps. So like if a young person is like, you know, I don't know, I think I wanna, you know, I think I think I wanna run a business. Right. And it's like, how can I find a mentor that understands this young person and link them right now for like 12 to 16 weeks, touching base, meeting at least once a month. So I'm actively recruiting for that. So you can reach out to us at info at ccfy.org and let us know like, hey, like this is this, what you guys are doing is really resonating with me. I think I can get with it. I understand where you guys are coming from. I think I can maybe be a good match to some of the young people out there. so you know, that is critical. I think I I lost you again. Okay, there we go. Sorry, I don't know what's going on. So, and then lastly.

[36:46]  Nope, nope, I'm you're still there.

[36:47]  Okay, lastly, we have our Instagram, which is CC4Y. And, you know, there you can just follow us. And, you know, we are on TikTok. I just got a social media intern and she's young and she's fly with it. So like we will

[37:02]  Yeah.

[37:03]  emerge at some point. But like for now, you can follow us on Instagram. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Belinda Ramos under Community Connections for Youth. And just stay in the know about what we got going on. We're we're we do events in the community so like folks can stop through as well.

[37:18]  Thank you so much for your time, Belinda, for sharing so much of what you guys are doing at Community Connections for You. Again, the website is cc fy.org. If you want to know more information, I'm on the site actually. So if you go to the website on the top right, you'll see all their socials from their Facebook to their Twitter to their LinkedIn to the Instagram. Thank you so much, Belinda. I look forward to hearing so much more of your success and the success that you continue to bring to the Boogie Down Bronx. I'm Efrain.

[37:45]  Thank you.

[37:46]  This is Belinda. We'll catch you in the next one. Latest

[37:48]  Take care.