“Never believe that you’re greater than somebody else, especially when they need support. You are their peer — you’re there for advocation.”
“I try not to project myself. I just try to be that support, that advocate when they need it.”Since 2019, AJ Perez has worked with Salt Lake County Youth Services on the Youth Action Board.
AJ Perez: It’s difficult sometimes, because these individuals are incredible. I want them to be my friends, but I have to be professional. We’re not here to be friends. We’re here to be mental health professionals. As someone studying social work, what do you think about the current conversation around social media, mental health and misinformation?
Children are sponges. You give them something, they’re going to absorb it. Having those real conversations, like “Are you genuinely feeling this way? Or is it because it’s something that you’ve witnessed somebody else that you relate to going through?” helps differentiate them as an individual. And just seeing the growth. It takes time, especially with this kind of population. It’s a lot of fight and flight for them. Because they’re on edge, you know. They just experienced homelessness. So taking every little victory as it comes, like, “Oh, they showed up for an appointment, let’s go!”
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