Today’s youth face many new and ever-evolving challenges. Ronnie’s House for Hope is a local nonprofit providing free peer support grief services to children, teens, their families and adults in the valley. Through group activities, participants are able to share their experiences and create a sense of community. The organization’s goals are to help clients develop an understanding of grief and its complexities, to garner healthy coping skills and build resiliency.

As part of their community outreach, Ronnie’s House is hosting Focus on the Hope, a roundtable discussion for local professionals directly working with youth in our community. Their goal is to offer support in six areas: grief, addiction, LGBTQ+, immigration, mental health and Fentanyl awareness. The event will be held May 17 at The Classic Club from 1 to 4 p.m.

“This event is an opportunity for those ‘boots on the ground’ working with community youth to not only garner support and resources, but to share their experiences and insights as well,” says Ronnie’s House for Hope founder Jennifer Loza.

Presenters include Tori St. Johns, consultant for Desert Sands Unified School District (DSUSD), whose 34 years of experience will offer a great deal of insight into how we can best serve our LGBTQ+ youth; and Shannon Brigham, a Student Assist Program therapist conducting the Insight programs in DSUSD which focuses on substance abuse and conflict resolution, who will
discuss addiction.

TODEC, a program that has been offering legal services and assistance for immigrant families for over 40 years, will speak on immigration, specifically how to support immigrant youth and understand the fears many of them face today.

Executive Clinical Director of 417 Recovery Monica Patino-Ayala, LMFT, has over a decade of experience in the mental health field and her passion lies in working with adolescents and their families, guiding them on healthy journeys. She will share new ideas for mental health support of our youth.

Loza will share information on Fentanyl, how our conversations with our youth on the subject have changed, and how to help someone who has overdosed. All participants will receive Narcan training and leave with Narcan in hand.

Ronnie’s House for Hope believes anyone who works with children can benefit from sharing knowledge with others in this ever-changing environment. Loza adds, “Working together to share ideas, and what we see that is and isn’t working, can help us collectively strengthen our youth to face today’s many challenges.”

Focus on the Hope Roundtable takes place May 17 at The Classic Club, 75200 Classic Club Blvd. in Palm Desert, from 1 to 4 p.m. For tickets and information, visit www.ronnieshouseforhope.org/events.