Episode 2
Compassion in Action with Lisa Gonzalez
Joining us today is Lisa Gonzalez, who is part of the team at City on a Hill. She shares her journey from a software background to youth work, the importance of checking biases, and creating opportunities for success. Lisa eloquently emphasizes that when volunteering in a new environment, preparation, and self-work are essential for success. One of the key takeaways is the concept of impact versus intent and how it's crucial to being successful in making a positive impact in communities.
Lisa shares her personal experiences of helping young people navigate through challenging situations such as the death of a family member, supporting families whose breadwinners have been incarcerated, and caring for students affected by gun violence and reckless behavior. She passionately talks about the importance of trust-building, consistency, and openness to correction when engaging with parents and young people in a community.
Tune in to learn about City on a Hill's Youth and Family Resilience Program that helps parents be more compassionate towards themselves and others. Listen to Lisa as she shares her excitement of bringing the community's voices and knowledge into her new role as Family Mobility Director at City on a Hill.
Episode Highlights
13:35 - We all have heard people say trust is earned. It's something that's earned. It's not automatic. It's definitely not automatic in this community. For me, I've had to figure out, what are some of the deposits that I can make into those bank accounts? And I think one of the biggest ones has been just consistency. I'm going to show up and I hope that's the reputation and legacy that I leave.
18:59 - I love that we are doing trainings here, not just on race and poverty. We're doing trainings on communication, building relationships. I oversee our Compassion Resilience Cohort, where we are teaching parents and caregivers to be more compassionate toward themselves so that they can be compassionate toward others. I think our volunteers need that, too. What are you doing on your personal self-care journey so that you can come and enter into another space and to care for other people?
21:42 - I'm excited to build something from the ground up. City on a Hill is such a great foundation in the neighborhood. We are known by the people who are here. We are loved by the people we interact with but taking the approach of whole family is necessary. The environment that our students are living in doesn't always balance the number of hours they can spend at City on a Hill surrounded by positive adults. I'm excited for all the partnerships, all of the talent that we are connecting with.
Contact Art Serna Jr
Lisa Gonzalez
