Voices Revisited with Gennessa – Human Kindness Through Our Stories

This month on Youth Voice Amplified, Gennessa takes the mic for a special episode highlighting one of her favorite themes—human kindness. She revisits some of the most moving moments from past youth storytellers and the adult allies who walked alongside them, weaving together a powerful compilation of real-life experiences where kindness changed the course of someone’s day… or even their life. 

From neighbors who stepped in to protect a child to mentors who believed in someone before they believed in themselves, these moments—shared by youth and the allies who stood by them—show how even the smallest acts of kindness can shine brightly in the darkest times. 

If you need a reminder of the good in the world—or inspiration to pass that kindness on—this episode will leave you ready to notice it, share it, and be part of it. 

Links to featured episodes

• Jordynn’s Story: Parenting With Purpose
• Joy for All: Helping Foster Youth in Need This Holiday Season
• Project I Am From - Playing My Own Game Now
• The Power of Transformative Thinking: Rico's Journey (Part 2)
• Don’t Give Up Hope: Manuel’s Journey to a Life of Purpose & Service

Find helpful resources mentioned in this podcast episode.

Connect with Youth Voice Amplified

• Youth Voice Amplified Podcast
• Instagram – @youthvoiceamplifiedpodcast
• Youth Voice Amplified on Facebook 

If you would like to ask us a question, recommend a topic, or suggest a guest, please email us at youthvoiceamplified@gmail.com.

Credits:

Producers: Brian Johnson, Gennessa Fisher, Kim Silva and Allyson Baptiste
Production Partners: Liam Silva and Kern Education Television Network, the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office
Theme Song: “Beatitude” by Mountaineer 

Transcript

Audio file

YVA Compilation.mp3

Transcript

00:00:01 Speaker 1

The view starts and opinions expressed on youth voice amplify it are those of the host and the guests and do not necessarily represent the official policy or position of the current county Superintendent Schools Office. Any content provided by our guests are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion. Ethnic group, school organization.

00:00:12

Hi.

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Company, individual or anyone or anything.

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Youth voice amplifier covers a wide range of topics that could be upsetting to some listeners. Content warnings for each episode, and links to resources can be found in this episode show.

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For the purposes of maintaining confidentiality, names and some identifiable characteristics of our storytellers have been changed, but their voices and their stories are real.

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When young people share their stories, they can change the world. But some youth voices still go unheard. Join me, janessa Fisher.

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And me, Brian Johnson, for this youth LED monthly interview series as Young people tell their untold stories of experiences with homelessness, foster care disabilities, teen parenting and more.

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Each conversation will uncover stories of hope strength from our youth storytellers who want to share the best ways that we can all support youth in similar situations as their.

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If you want to know how to do better for youth or simply just be inspired this.

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Is your show.

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Every youth has a story to tell.

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Are you? Hey, everyone and welcome back to your voice, amplified the podcast wherever you just heard and every voice matters. I'm your host, janessa. Today's episode is a little different from our usual.

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Ready to listen?

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Format over the past two years, Brian and I have had the privilege of sitting down with some incredible guests, youth and advocates who share powerful.

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Words with us, their words, have inspired change and challenge perspectives and reminded us of the strength we found in community for this special episode. I wanted to reflect on the theme that stands out in so many of our conversations. Human kindness in a world that can feel sometimes overwhelming. These moments of kindness and support and compassion make all the difference.

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Especially for youth who are facing challenges all on their own. So I've gone back through our past episodes and pulled some of our most impactful moments that highlight what it means to show up for others.

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In just a moment, you'll hear from youth storytellers, Jordan, Cynthia, Rico, Manuel and some youth advocates. Brianna Wood from the Dream Center and Christy Torres from the Kern County Department of Human Services, each sharing powerful stories of kindness in action. Whether it's a helping hand or a word of encouragement, or simply just showing up for someone.

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These clips highlight the impact we can have on one another. Human kindness isn't about big gestures, it's in everyday moments that shape our lives. It's in the support we offer, the words we choose, and the space we create to make others feel seen and.

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I hope these stories inspire you as much as they have inspired me.

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2/1.

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In just a moment, you'll hear from youth storytellers, Jordan, Cynthia, Rico, Manuel and some youth advocates. Brianna Wood from the Dream Center and Christy Torres from the current County Department of Human Services, each sharing powerful stories of kindness in action. Whether it's a helping hand or a word of encouragement, or simply just showing up for.

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Someone these clips highlight the impact we can have on one another. Our very first clip is of Jordan.

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If my kids are going to be worse than I was, the relationship starts now because I need a good relationship with my kids.

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Uh.

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They need to tell me everything.

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Yeah, my kids going to jail.

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Jordan is from episode 29. She came on the podcast to share how she balances some of the challenges of parenting, school and work, all while using her story to support and uplift young parents in the community.

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In this next clip, Jordan expresses how she thinks our community should pull together and help others. Not only that, but giving extra to those who need it and highlighting the importance of how you treat children in daycare. And here's Jordan.

00:03:53 Speaker 4

I always one thing that comes to mind is that like I always think at the end of the day, when daycares have extra food.

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I don't think that they're allowed to, like, give it out community wise, but it would always be cool if they ask the families around the center because it's like they're.

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There's always that one family that doesn't want anybody to know they're struggling, but they're, like, still struggling.

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UM.

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Because we have parents that are like on community connections. So like obviously.

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They're not doing it perfectly in life. They need help with some stuff, so I just feel like offering food to people if they have. I mean, like the families, if there's extra.

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Keeping the families involved.

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Because important you.

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I like how you said like giving the food to the families who might need it. So do they just kind of sort or?

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They throw it away, or do you just, like, throw it away? They I don't know. I think like it's a California thing, though I don't think it's necessarily then looking back on the experiences you went through, what advice do you have for daycare day, for daycares and community providers? I would just say be mindful of.

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You taught me.

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Situations that you may not be aware of.

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Of.

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And like, if you think something's off, if the kids old enough like speak to them or like, if you think a family may be experiencing homelessness, talk to the parent. Let them know of resources you may have.

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I think I chose this clip because I remember sitting there and listening to her and thinking how something so small.

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Like sharing extra food could go such a long way in in, in our community and in the households that we see and how someone maybe doesn't always want to say they're struggling, but they love the offer of do you want something extra. Can we help with something? Can we just be there to support?

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That you because that can open a door to other avenues of just being kind. Just a simple way that kindness can spread. I don't want to share this with you, but you left the door open. So now I feel comfortable to share this with you.

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And I feel like it really invokes the whole theme of this episode, which is empathy and connecting with humans as humans and not as numbers or people we work with, or acquaintances, or just, I know that face. I know that.

00:06:04 Speaker 1

It's connecting as humans. She did a wonderful job, love Jordan. Empathy leads us to our next episode that I've chose. We have also had youth allies on our podcast over the last two years. In December of 2024, Episode 26 focused on helping Foster youth during the holidays. We welcomed Christie Torres from the Kern County Department of Human Services.

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And Brianna Wood from the Kern County dry.

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Center to learn how their programs create safe spaces, provide essential resources and help our youth feel seen and cared for.

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You think as a service provider in general, if if you're offering something that is not being received, then maybe it's a time to refocus. Do we need to offer it a different way? Do we need to give it a perception of it?

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In this upcoming clip, our guests really focus on the challenges of the holidays and how they help create safe spaces. They also touch on the importance of justice showing up and ways to engage with youth during these times.

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What are some challenges that you've faced during the holidays?

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So at the Dream Center, we facilitate services for youth up until the age of 25, we don't really have a starting age, but I would say that our typical is 16.

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25 so challenges look different per use, keeping in mind that like things need to be individualized. But a lot of the things that they face are just like not having safe spaces to go to. Our youth are in foster care, they experience foster care at some point in their lives. So.

00:07:25 Speaker 6

They might not have a place to go for the holidays. They might not have strong family relationships or healthy relationships that they can build off of. So sometimes during the holidays, it's that challenge of healthy versus feeling alone, right. We're making those decisions and we're, you know, those youth are put in those places where like, hey, am I going to be alone or maybe I'm going to go stay with my aunt.

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Is maybe like not the best option because that's the only family that I have and that's a hard choice. That's a difficult challenge that they have to face.

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During this time.

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Yeah, I think a lot of times during the holidays, it's especially hard.

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I mean, in general, you're, you know, everywhere you go, there are family oriented activities or things like that. And when we're talking about youth who may have been in foster care, they don't always have that family support. And so I think the holidays are just especially hard because it can bring up either memories that may be positive but may not be positive and so.

00:08:19 Speaker 5

Really, I think it's at the holidays, can be a hard time and not just for you. I think for anybody, but specifically for youth, you know who have may be going through a hardship or through, you know, different stages of their life can definitely be a difficult.

00:08:33 Speaker 5

Fine. And so, yeah, I think it's the holidays are not, you know what everybody thinks are some people. And so we just have to kind.

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Of be aware.

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Of that. So how do you engage with to understand their needs and preferences during this time?

00:08:46 Speaker 5

For me, I'm working with the Department Human Services. A lot of our engagement comes from the social workers that are working with the youth directly. You know, we they have more interaction with youth than maybe I would in my current role. And so really having workers talk to their youth and get to know youth and build those strong relations.

00:09:04 Speaker 5

Chips as well as you know, places like the Dream Center that really interact with youth ongoing all the time. That's really our source of getting to know you and getting more information and effort to do things for them, whether it be the holidays or any other time during the year. But really finding who are you connects with and being that you know communicating with that person.

00:09:25 Speaker 5

And to who youth is comfortable with is really our main focus on how to connect better with youth and and hear from them.

00:09:31 Speaker 6

Exactly. Yeah. Like you mentioned we we talked to youth on like a daily basis, the foundation of what we do is to build those different kinds of relationships and really emphasize on that rapport. And I would say during the holidays and something that service providers or youth service providers should be doing in general, I mean really anyone is consistency in patience.

00:09:51 Speaker 6

But especially during the holidays, really emphasizing that just being super consistent for them and saying like hey, even if this is like a hard time for you, we're still going to be here, we're still going to show up, we're going to allow you to show up and allow you this space.

00:10:03 Speaker 6

And then remembering that during this time you know that allowing that safe space might look like allowing you to be in a bad mood, or like maybe be angry. And that's OK because everyone has hard days and even if you're mad today and you're struggling today, like we're going to be here tomorrow and I'm still going to show up and be like, hey, happy to see you. Like, no matter what happens.

00:10:23 Speaker 2

Yeah, I'm just glad you guys put an emphasis on relationships with the youth and that consistency because like previously, they may not have had that consistency and you guys giving them that space to be themselves or you know, maybe not had a, a great day.

00:10:36 Speaker 2

You know you'll always be there no matter what, so we appreciate that.

00:10:40 Speaker 1

I think it proves kind of what unconditional love is saying, where it's like conditional love is if you don't do certain things or you don't act a certain way. And I feel like that's a lot of what you get a lot of the time. So when they do do these things like act up or have a bad day, they have like the the.

00:10:56 Speaker 4

The.

00:10:58 Speaker 1

Assumption that you're not going to be here tomorrow and then.

00:11:00 Speaker 1

When you are, it's kind of like look at that.

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I think this is the one one of my favorite episodes and one of my favorite clips because it really just shows the importance of just showing up and being there and and being able to put past.

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Something that happened to you and being able to move forward, I know that maybe you had it by day and that you came and you said something mean to me, but now I can show up tomorrow and say I still care about you. And I still think you're amazing. And just because you had a bad day doesn't mean anything.

00:11:31 Speaker 1

It's that continuous kindness, and then it's that unconditional love that we often don't see in this world.

00:11:37 Speaker 1

During the last two years, youth Wise Amplified has served as a platform to raise awareness of how communities can come together and help youth experiencing homelessness and foster care. Each new member is homeless Youth Awareness Month, and in 2024 YOUTHLESS amplified launched project. I am from a poetry exercise with youth who have experienced adversities in their life.

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Cynthia, a youth advocate with lived experience of youth homelessness, shares a raw and moving piece reflecting on her roots, resilience and growth. In this next clip, Cynthia talks about how giving Grace to others and how they've hurt you can help heal some of those complex traumas and build empathy for those we don't know and don't have experience in their show.

00:12:17 Speaker 7

So I'm going to go ahead and start. I am from dirt roads, from train tracks and brick walls. I'm from the house and the cut with stick thorns, large dogs and bags of cans.

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I am from a little flower bed with yellow sunflowers and pink begonias. I am from Christmas trees being thrown every year and drunk madness. I am from broken ribs and gang members.

00:12:38 Speaker 7

I am from Hilda and Jennifer. I'm from brokenness and insecurities from physical and sexual abuse, from killing to you should have never been that close to him. I don't believe you. I am from believers of Christ, but somehow I never felt like it. I'm from LA, but raised in Bakersfield, where as long as we have those teas and filles, we were going to eat.

00:12:58 Speaker 7

From the single immigrant mother who struggled as she tried her best.

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The eight kids whose lives constantly changed with little to no family pictures, doing their best to survive.

00:13:07 Speaker 2

Awesome message. I wanted to ask you as well, what was your favorite piece of your poem or your spoken piece? Sorry, your favorite line.

00:13:14 Speaker 1

Like your favorite line?

00:13:17 Speaker 7

From from the single immigrant mother who struggled as she tried her best for a very long time, I spent my life being resentful towards my mom. I spent a lot of my, my teenage years resenting my mom for everything that we went through, and a few years ago I had a.

00:13:37 Speaker 7

The case manager.

00:13:39 Speaker 7

But I actually got to see for the first time today, right before I came over here. And she once told me she pulled me to the side and she said, maybe your mom did the best she could. And ever since I have started looking at life through that perspective and and just tell myself, maybe my mom did the best she could. That was all she knew and and she was an immigrant.

00:13:59 Speaker 7

Mother, I am a mother of three kids and I was I'm a U.S. citizen. I have access to resources. My mom was an.

00:14:05 Speaker 7

Immigrant mother who?

00:14:06 Speaker 7

Had spoke no English, had no resources, had no support, and a single mother of eight. If I struggle with three, I can only imagine what she felt. So yeah, I talked about the ugly history and the ugly background. But for someone who was a single immigrant mother, she she tried her best.

00:14:23 Speaker 2

I like how you have that, that empathy. Uh, you know, some people, when they get a little older, they kind of resent their parents for what they gone through. But you actually took into consideration her situation and what she's been through and understood how hard it.

00:14:35 Speaker 7

Was. Yeah, she.

00:14:37 Speaker 7

Everybody has their own story. You know when when my kids get older, I'm going to have to explain a lot to them, you know, because I I, I am one of those moms that believes that I have to apologize to my children and through the complex trauma that I face, my kids have gone through some things as well. And all I can say to them is I'm trying my best. So I'm pretty sure my mom did her.

00:14:58 Speaker 1

And I like that you carry like that. A lot of people, they get older, like Brian said, they want their parents or they blame their parents. Like I'm in this situation because of you because you didn't do what you're supposed to do and you give her grace. And I like that. I love that for.

00:15:10 Speaker 1

I picked this clip because it was near and dear to my heart. I have a mother too, who has also done some unsavory things, if you will, and I think that when she said that I didn't realize what she said until I I went back and listened to and I was like, that is such a.

00:15:27 Speaker 1

Such a large.

00:15:29 Speaker 1

Part of me that I didn't realize it's being kind to others, but also being kind to those who haven't been kind to you.

00:15:37 Speaker 1

And I think that that was something that that day when we recorded, I took some time out of my day and I just.

00:15:43 Speaker 1

I thought about what my mother went through when everything was happening and I and I only could imagine what she was going through.

00:15:50 Speaker 1

12 kids, so many different challenges, and I gave her grace, which is something I haven't done in a very long time.

00:15:58 Speaker 1

And I think in myself, it healed a peace that.

00:16:02 Speaker 1

Has been holding on to something for so long, so it's it's having the empathy for others and yourself, but also for those who have hurt you and even further how it helps heal different complex traumas and family trauma.

00:16:17 Speaker 1

Change your mindset. Change your life. This was the mantra of one of our guests, Rico, who opened up in a two-part series on the podcast about his challenging early life where survival was the only goal. In episode 18, he shared vivid stories of his childhood struggles from navigating difficult circumstances like homelessness and gang violence to making tough choices just to get by.

00:16:38 Speaker 1

In this next clip, Rico talks about investing in others and helping others, and why it's so important to just believe in others and how to follow your passions and why it.

00:16:46 Speaker 3

Matters and I'm on my way, working towards my bachelors, and I ultimately want to become a paramedic.

00:16:53 Speaker 3

But that's kind of just that's like on the side type of thing. I'm going to school like on the side and right now I'm working as a peer support specialist for the Dream Center.

00:17:04 Speaker 3

And that's like a that's like a huge, like a huge thing for me because I I always I pride myself on it now because I went from being a foster kid who was like, super rebellious and didn't really care about his future to. Now I'm invested in the future of all of the current and former foster kids that I deal with right now.

00:17:25 Speaker 3

You know, cause I realize how much and how important it is to have those, those people that are invested in your life to be there like even when.

00:17:35 Speaker 3

You don't see.

00:17:36 Speaker 3

Even when you don't believe in yourself to have somebody there that believes in you is really.

00:17:40 Speaker 3

Something that kind of really doesn't. It's something that's irreplaceable. It's a feeling that you can't. You can't get rid of this. It's like a really good feeling to know that there's going to be somebody there that's always going to believe in you, even when you can't believe in yourself, you're able to turn into somebody, right? Thing man, having a rough week. And I really want to give up. And then you have that one person there. Other came in.

00:18:01 Speaker 3

You can't give up, you know, like you're doing great. You're doing good things, you know, just cause you're feeling a little bit down right now.

00:18:07 Speaker 3

And you're going to be right back up.

00:18:09 Speaker 3

To where you.

00:18:10 Speaker 3

Where you know you were at and where you know you need to be sooner than later because we all have to go through those those phases in life and not not all the time is going to be easy. And I realize that just kind of coming through these past five years. I graduated high school kind of aimlessly. And I was like, you know what? I'm go to college and I'm.

00:18:29 Speaker 3

I started. I started going to BC in my major was business administration and I thought I was going to be CEO of some company, you know.

00:18:38 Speaker 3

And I slowly realized I was like, that's not what I want to do. That's not what I'm passionate about. I I enjoy helping people. I enjoy making people feel better. I enjoy making people feel good.

00:18:49 Speaker 3

And I started I I was, I was cutting here in high school already. But I started, like cutting here like a lot more. And I wouldn't charge people. I would just cut their hair for free because.

00:19:00 Speaker 3

I always said when people look good, they feel good and when they feel good they do good. So I was always trying to get my my friends and my homies free haircuts like man like you're looking real rough and cut your hair.

00:19:11 Speaker 3

Hook you up to.

00:19:12 Speaker 3

Be straight and then I started getting back into drawing a lot.

00:19:16 Speaker 3

And then I started. I invested in some tattoo machines and I started doing tattoos and I do tattoos for my friends now and and I just kind of I started to learn so many different skills. I got into construction for a little bit and then I learned a lot about construction.

00:19:35 Speaker 3

And then I started taking some of my EMT classes, and I realized, like being a first responder was kind of my calling. I really love being a first.

00:19:44 Speaker 3

Wonder. I love the idea of being able to get in your uniform, be in the patrol vehicle. You know what I mean? Whether it's firefighter, ambulance or being being a police officer because being somebody that's able to be active in the community, that was something that I really aspire to be. And I got the opportunity to work here at the Dream Center and I kind of.

00:20:05 Speaker 3

I loved it. It was something that I would have never planned on or I would have never been able to set myself up for. But whatever I did in my past life or whatever I was doing up to this point, it led me right to the.

00:20:16 Speaker 3

This moment, and I knew I couldn't let the opportunity pass because those aren't opportunities that people get every day. I'm glad I got to take that opportunity to really prove to myself, but then also prove to the the people around me that no matter where you come from or what you go through, you're able to accomplish whatever it is you set your mind to. And that's just kind of.

00:20:37 Speaker 3

As good as the gravy hits, cause I never thought that I would be in this position to.

00:20:41 Speaker 3

Where I'm at right now.

00:20:43 Speaker 3

But I also never thought that I'd be in a in a mindset to where I would want to continue to grow from this position, because a lot of people that I met, they reach a limit and they stop.

00:20:56 Speaker 3

And they're like, OK, I got my dream job. Now I don't need to.

00:20:58 Speaker 3

Do nothing else.

00:20:59 Speaker 3

It's like, well, now that you got that dream job like, what's the top position in that job? Like what? Where where's the limit you could get to there like, why do you want to limit yourself? Like, what can what can you do to Max out and then still keep going?

00:21:11 Speaker 1

Beyond that point in this clip, I really hear Rico talking about how.

00:21:15 Speaker 1

It's so important for others to pay it forward and how what it did for him was really sparked that passion of helping others and trying to uplift others and how it is important to do that, whether it's a job or your friends or your family or or just your coworkers, just how it so important to be there for people when they're down and not only that, but just.

00:21:33 Speaker 1

Giving them small encouragement and making sure that they they are heard and seen as people like you don't know what everybody's going through. So those small encouragements may mean so much more than what you think they mean. And also through the importance of how looking your best and feeling your best are also on the table. And I think that's genuinely true sometimes when we're not feeling our best we aren't looking our best.

00:21:56 Speaker 1

And vice versa. So I also love that.

00:21:58 Speaker 1

He.

00:21:59 Speaker 1

He wanted to cut his friend's hair to make sure that they felt good about themselves. It just shows how uplifting he can be through actions our guest, storyteller Manuel, lived a lot of life in his 20 years. He joined us on episode 6 to share his deeply personal story, tracing his journey from running with the wrong crowd and incarceration as a teen.

00:22:19 Speaker 1

To a college student and a community advocate with a heart for service. In this next clip, Manuel talks about his true heart for working with you.

00:22:27 Speaker 1

And what it means to give back to his community and the negative effects of labeling? What does it mean to you to give back to the community?

00:22:35 Speaker 8

I'm gonna have to say.

00:22:37 Speaker 8

It's just a blessing, you know, they cause, you know, I'm not from Bakersfield and everything that Bakersfield is giving me, you know, like all the people in Bakersfield, all the opportunities that they've given me the chance to change my life, you know, even back where I where I was at back at home, I probably wouldn't.

00:22:52 Speaker 8

Have had these opportunities so it just.

00:22:55 Speaker 8

It it really? I really see it as a blessing because I get to give back to the community who who helped me be who I am. You know, they they help me out. When I was down, you know, they gave me opportunities when nobody else did. So it just.

00:23:07 Speaker 8

Gives me a.

00:23:09 Speaker 8

A different perspective in life and I really enjoy it. I really want to do it and.

00:23:13 Speaker 8

You know I.

00:23:13 Speaker 9

Hope I could so the serving your community.

00:23:16 Speaker 1

Really changed the perspective for you and what you wanted to do.

00:23:18 Speaker 8

Just, yeah, and and not even just professionally. But personally too. You know, like, I remember thinking.

00:23:24 Speaker 8

Like man, they're not.

00:23:24 Speaker 8

Nothing to you know, make things better, but once you start involving yourself in the community and stuff like that, you start to see like there is people that want to make a change. There is people that want.

00:23:34 Speaker 8

To do this and I.

00:23:35 Speaker 8

Want to be one of those?

00:23:35 Speaker 9

People as well, you sound like you have a real passion for.

00:23:38 Speaker 8

It I do. And I really do because it's like I.

00:23:40 Speaker 8

Say we we need. We need people who really want to do this.

00:23:44 Speaker 8

You know.

00:23:46 Speaker 8

A lot of times people just do it for money and I'm going to do it because I get paid good and it's like I said, I mean, of course I do it for money too. I want to make a good living and you know, I want to have a nice house or whatever, provide for my family. But, you know, at the end of.

00:23:57 Speaker 8

The day I.

00:23:58 Speaker 9

Just want to help people and I if I can make a living doing it, even better. I am glad that I got all of that because.

00:24:06 Speaker 1

I feel like you encompassed a lot of.

00:24:08 Speaker 1

Things that in such a short time he encompassed a lot of things that matter. And I think one of them, the ones that stand out to me is how sometimes we don't see the people behind our community and sometimes how we feel like our communities failing us. But then once we we enter what it looks like to be in this community and to know the struggles that we face, how there are people behind them.

00:24:28 Speaker 1

And how there are people who do care and do this work with heart behind them. The nonprofit work, the work that has to do with the homeless, the hard.

00:24:36 Speaker 1

The work of having to connect with people and get them in a hard place and help them rise above that hard place. I also like how he touched on the importance of Community and leaving room for those who aren't normally sought after in the community, like our homeless population or our fostering population or the.

00:24:54 Speaker 1

Who are aren't often seen.

00:24:57 Speaker 1

Or often overlooked? Possibly. And how it's important to put.

00:25:02 Speaker 1

When you're doing this work and when you're working with people in general, how it's important to put your heart behind it with action. So when you do something, you know you have your heart behind it and you have action in it because people can feel when you're not being genuine, people can feel when you're just doing it for the paycheck. And he, he says that very clearly. He knew when people weren't being genuine or didn't really care about what he was going through because they would often throw.

00:25:25 Speaker 1

Meaningless solutions like, oh, go to the military and.

00:25:27 Speaker 1

Everything will be fixed.

00:25:30 Speaker 1

Wrong that that's not something I have a passion for. And you could tell that he did. That person didn't have their heart in it. They just were trying to solve a problem and get a paycheck and leave in that last part of the clip, he talked about the advice he would give and how just leaving room for youth to be who they are to come as they are and not expect them to be something more.

00:25:52 Speaker 1

To take them as they come and who they who they are as a person. In that last clip where we asked him about what advice he had, he said to let you shine and to take them as they are. And I I feel like I need to stress the importance of this, because how can we ask somebody who's hurting to come to the table?

00:26:12 Speaker 1

And be.

00:26:13 Speaker 1

Everything we need them to be when they are in such a dark place sometimes and I feel like.

00:26:19 Speaker 1

That really is what I'm talking about. This episode is taking people as they are, the good, the bad, the ugly, and just bringing kindness to the table and saying I know you're doing something hard right now. I know you're going through something.

00:26:30 Speaker 1

Right now, but having I'm here to have kindness for you and I'm here to be that person for you. Whether it's showing up in small ways, whether it's showing up in big ways. Just anyway, having positive words, letting people show up as they are, I really want to just thank our storytellers for being amazing. I know this was a mix of episodes.

00:26:50 Speaker 1

One but.

00:26:51 Speaker 1

It still was such a powerful.

00:26:53 Speaker 1

Well episode for me, I feel like this was such a fun little project that we get to do, but just. Not only that, I feel like it's so needed right now. It's so important with what's going on in the world.

00:27:04 Speaker 1

How important it is to just have a little kindness for yourself, grace, for others, grace, for the people around you, and remembering that we never know what anybody's going through. If you loved some of these clips and you're like, oh, I really wanna listen to that full episode, go check out our show notes in this episode For more information on the guests you heard today as we wrap up today's episode.

00:27:23 Speaker 1

I want to remind you to take a moment for yourself and those around you. These times can be tough, but by nurturing our well-being and supporting each other, we can make a difference. Don't forget to check in on a friend.

00:27:33 Speaker 1

Take a deep breath and prioritize your own health. Together we can navigate through this until next time, stay safe and be kind to yourself and others.

00:27:41

321.

00:27:43 Speaker 1

Well, that's it for this episode of Youth Voice amplified. If you enjoy what you heard and want to support the show, please take a moment and rate us and leave us a positive review on your favorite podcast player. It will help us spread awareness of the podcast and find the listeners. And if you're looking for our show notes or recommended resources for any of our episodes, please visit our website at www.current.org/Y.

00:28:04 Speaker 1

The A's, if you have any questions, comments, concerns or would like to recommend a topic or a guest, you can e-mail us at youthvoiceamplified@gmail.com.

00:28:13 Speaker 1

Join us for our next episode when Brian and I sit down with our next youth storyteller. Thanks for listening and see you next time. And as Brian always says, we added here.

00:28:23 Speaker 10

Youth voice amplified is a youth LED project at the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office. Created, produced and hosted by Janessa Fisher and Brian Johnson with writing, research, and additional production support by Kim Silva, Allison Baptiste and the current educational television network. Major funding for the youth voice amplified.

00:28:42 Speaker 10

Podcast is provided by the student achievement and Support Division of the California Department of Education through the Homeless Innovative program grants.

00:28:51 Speaker 10

Thanks for listening.