SOLEDAD — Members of Journey to Change asked Soledad City Council for space to host their meetings to raise awareness about local violence on Nov. 1.
Journey to Change is a youth-led organization in which teenagers raise awareness of local violence by empowering community members to increase advocacy. The group meets every Friday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Currently, members meet at the transition center across from Soledad High School.
Journey to Change is in its third year of funding from the California Department of Health, according to members. The group learns about the roots of violence, sexual violence, healthy relationship skills, up-standard guidance and leadership skills.
Members have had the opportunity to travel to Sacramento to meet with other sites throughout the state. The trip to Sacramento gave the group the chance to share some of its challenges. During the past year, the group sent out an online survey to the community about relationships. The result of the survey was that Journey to Change received 150 surveys back with 39 percent of the participants 19 years or younger.
Most recently Journey to Change was the organization behind the purple ribbons that could be seen on Front Street for the first time.
Those purple ribbons were to honor October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The group is trying to become sustainable because the California Department of Public Health funding will end in June, and is looking at ways to continue funding the organization.
Journey to Change in Soledad consists of about 14 members that are overseen by the YWCA.
“I think we can make arrangements to find some space at the City for you to meet,” said Mayor Fred Ledesma.
