History:
Emmaus of Santa Barbara is a non-profit, educational organization that was founded in 1996 by John Ramos (see Team Emmaus) as a response to the alarming increase in the number of youth in crisis in our community and in our country. Youth in crisis refers to those individuals seeking a way to put their life in order. This is where Emmaus comes in. "When someone takes ownership of their true self, they naturally drop the things, people, places, thoughts, and actions that no longer serve them well." The Emmaus experience is about self-discovery. It is based upon the belief that every individual is magnificent, unique, and has a unique purpose to fulfill. Yet most of us never get to know this self because it is buried under a facade - under layers of identities based on shame, fear, ego-based desires, false appetites, addictions, and the ideas of others.

At Emmaus, we create a conscious community in which it is safe for the authentic self to emerge. Through a series of experiences and exercises, participants discover that it is OK not only to reveal themselves, but to heal themselves - and to live consciously from that moment forward. In fact, there is no other way to be fully alive.

John Ramos, our founder, saw these youth in crisis and responded by creating the mission, philosophy, principles and goals that were to become Emmaus of Santa Barbara. He responded by creating a transformational, results-oriented curriculum as a foundation for Emmaus' programs. A curriculum designed to empower our youth by providing the technology, skills, tools and guidance necessary for them to realize their self-worth, fulfill their potential and learn responsibility to self and others. The programs of Emmaus of Santa Barbara are designed to help our youth help themselves. They succeed through their own hard work and efforts and, as a result, are able to achieve permanent transformation and growth.

Philosophy and Goals:
The fundamental beliefs behind our curriculum and programs are:

• In every individual there is the potential for change.
• A long-term solution to abuse, violence and self-destructive behavior is the realization of self-worth.
• Learning to love and accept ourselves is fundamental to our ability and capacity to love others.
• In all our words and deeds, we have a choice. Our choices define our lives and determine who we are.

The specific goals of our curriculum and programs are:

• To empower individuals to make effective and lasting behavioral changes in their lives.
• To provide participants with the tools and skills that will help them release past hurts, facilitate inner healing, and develop a life-sustaining inner dialogue with themselves.
• To offer every individual that comes to Emmaus the opportunity for a more integrated and balanced life, peace with themselves and a re-invigorated enthusiasm for the ongoing journey of life.
• To create, sustain and nurture an environment where every individual comes to know the "Emmaus experience" - a defining moment in their lives when everything finally makes sense and joy returns to their lives.

Today:

Since our inception in 1996, Emmaus of Santa Barbara has helped empower and transform the lives of over 2,000 teens and young adults.
We are proud to be able to claim an 85% success rate with participants. We define a success as a participant who has been empowered to eradicate at least one of the personal issues in their lives that they identified at the beginning of the year-long Operation: Break the Cycle! program. Previously we have been able to service up to 100 students per year, but beginning with the 2001 school year, we are excited to announce that we will be able to serve 1,000 teens and young adults, this year alone, through the programs offered by Emmaus of Santa Barbara (see Programs). This extraordinary expansion of our outreach is due to the following:

• The recognition of our undeniable success with program participants by school counselors, administrators, teachers and parents.
• The continued and generous support of our volunteers and donors.
• The unwavering commitment of our Staff.
• And most importantly, the courage and dedication of the youth in crisis in our community to break the cycle of abuse, violence, intolerance and self-destructive behaviors and transform their lives.

Emmaus programs are currently available to all students in our city schools:

• La Cuesta Continuation High School (all four sites)
• San Marcos High School
• Dos Pueblos High School
• Santa Barbara High School
• Carpinteria High School

Emmaus programs are currently available to all students in our local colleges:

• Santa Barbara City College
• University of California, Santa Barbara
• Westmont College

The Future:

Emmaus remains dedicated to providing sustained and long-term solutions for transformation to the youth of Santa Barbara county and beyond. As the word of our tremendous success in Santa Barbara County has spread to other communities, these communities have expressed their strong desire to see our programs implemented in their schools. Communities like San Diego, North County, Lompoc, Carpinteria, and many others see their youth in crisis and want to help. It is our goal to proactively bring the Emmaus experience, programs and curriculum to every community in this country that is empowered to help their youth break the cycle of abuse, violence, intolerance and self-destructive behaviors by providing the technology, skills, tools and guidance necessary for them to realize their self-worth, fulfill their potential and learn responsibility to self and others implemented in their schools.