Families and agencies discuss youth safety in RR

RIO RANCHO — Threats to kids safety are numerous, but advocacy for the youth can be hard to accomplish without resources.

Cynthia Arellano, a Fuerzas Unidas Caucus representative, organized a community listening session Feb. 19 at the Unitarian Church to cover youth safety issues and parent concerns in Rio Rancho.

"I have a niece who goes to Rio Rancho High School, and she has seen a lot of, felt a lot of bullying. I've seen all the trauma in other kids, and there's no organization here in Rio Rancho that goes into the school, which I know is difficult," Arellano said.

She invited law enforcement, hotlines and shelters to speak to concerned residents. Of those she invited were the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office, the 988 Suicide Crisis line, Haven House and the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault programs. The session also included Teresa Garcia, an advocate for domestic violence and sexual assault survivors who ran for city council in Albuquerque.

The event was lightly attended, but families asked for information about advocating for kids and how to teach them to advocate for themselves. Each of the entities present provided resources for parents and kids.

The question of funding for the resources also came up. All entities that rely on federal funding indicated that they are "playing catch-up" with funding while also losing some of it.

BCSO

Desire Castell, BCSO's victim liaison, shared that she is involved with teenage drivers, domestic violence programs and has many other "hats" with the department. She and Detective Taylor Feist's goal is to get into schools to present not only on bullying but gun violence, domestic violence and other forms of teen violence they have seen an uptick in.

"In our presentations that we are going to, one, we want them to understand that they're deserving and worthy of having a happy and healthy relationship, and what a healthy relationship looks like. We go over the warning signs and we kind of focus on the emotional/psychological abuse because I don't think, especially as kids, they realize that it’s abusive because it's not always celebrated," Feist said.

She said they also cover gaslighting and more violent tendencies.

"We also want them also to know what it looks like during excitement," she said.

Part of their goal is to make sure youth know what resources are available. "'I want you guys to be a success story, you know. I don't want your case to come across my desk," Feist added.

Castell said they have had success with the school presentations.

988

988 representatives stated they have been around since 2013, but switched to the current crisis number in 2022. 

According to them, people who are feeling overwhelmed or stressed can call 988. Licensed counselors assess the level of the call and match it to the appropriate need.

"You don't have to be in a place of harming yourself or wanting to end your life," the representative said.

People can also call for someone else, they said. "You can call for a friend or family member, and you can also call for a referral."

The hotline is available 24/7 via text, phone, online chat and video call. There is also a peer support line so people can talk to someone who relates to the situation.

The line can also help in instances of substance abuse, trauma and physical abuse.

For more information, visit 988nm.org.

New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs/ Children's Advocacy

The coalition provides education, support and advocacy to address all aspects of preventing and responding to sexual violence, according to a representative from the organization.

The coalition supports other crisis centers and shelters in the state as well.

"Really it's about how do we talk about social determinants of health, protective factors, and all of the intersecting issues that influence sexual violence," they said.

The coalition recently launched a 24/7 confidential helpline which can be reached by chat, text or phone at 1-844-667-2457.

"I know a lot of students that I've worked with in high school would rather do almost anything but call a number," they joked.

The hotline is also available to people who are impacted by sexual violence by association. The representative reminded the group that secondary and tertiary trauma resulting from sexual violence does occur. 

"I hope that you remember we have to take care of ourselves to take care of our community," they added.

A call or text with the hotline, they explained, is more for the person to have a sounding board. "They approach it a very specific way, starting almost any call with, 'I'm here to listen,' and also it really lets survivors leave those conversations. We don't need to start like investigative language. We don't need to take away any more autonomy that survivors have had taken away. We really will let folks lead," they said.

For more information, visit nmcsap.org.

Haven House

Haven House's Theresa Garcia, a children's family therapist, spoke about the resources available at the shelter, especially for domestic violence survivors’ kids.

Generally, Haven House accepts people 18 years old and up, but people do bring their children with them. Garcia said they do accept emancipated minors, however.

"I myself was born and raised here in Rio Rancho, went to Rio Rancho High, so I know a lot of the issues that our community faces, especially ever directly to children. So we see a lot of violence against children that they either walk are directly who are exposed to, or they experience themselves," she said.

She added that they also see a cycle of violence in families and continual issues. 

"The other thing I should say is that children and teenagers tell their peers more than they tell you. So, educating your children, even if nothing's happening to your child can really have a really big impact on the children so that they end up speaking to advocating for themselves," she said.

DVSAC

Garcia sits on the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Commission for the city of Albuquerque.

"It's this really amazing commission, and I again sit on that commission. I've lived experience. I am a survivor of domestic violence. I think it's just for me, I have the honor of getting to know a lot of people, and thank you for reaching out and just trying to get people in the space to support community. But just to put it in perspective, in my survivor lens is that it takes a survivor seven to nine times before they decided that they are experiencing domestic violence," she said.

Garcia's main point was how organizations coming together can help a community with violence. Part of that was creating a comprehensive resource packet that is user-friendly, according to Garcia.

"The packet is something that the DVSA commission just renewed and did work on in the city of Albuquerque, so a lot of these organizations came together, revamped the whole restraining order packet, so it's accessible," she said.

There are packets for various judicial districts, including the 13th in Sandoval County.

"We really tried to make it super comprehensive because the other packet that was in existence... No shade, but it was just really tiny letters. The information was outdated, and so we really came into a thoughtful process that was intentional for survivors, and then it also has information on there where there's a separate process for survivors to obtain their belongings," Garcia explained.

The coalition also looked into assessing the lethality of situations and how victims can communicate with 9-1-1 and officers who respond to their call. It also helps officers look for red flags in a situation.

Through Garcia's "advocacy lens," she said, programs always need support.

"Programs are not funded. They need to fight for funding every year," she said.

The funding ultimately supports the program and the people using the program, she added.

For more information, visit cabq.com.