Emmaus Program Participants Story: Javier
Emmaus Team Leader, BTC 2001

"Teens are at a pivotal point in their lives. In the process of discovering their identities, they are trying to sort through their input and experiences to establish their own personal beliefs, values, life goals, and so on. This process makes them vulnerable to both positive and negative influences.

"Where I grew up in East Los Angeles, outside of my house the majority of all experiences were bad influences. My success in life, school, and career are evidence that the bond I have with my family and the support they gave me were the best anyone could have. Although I experienced constant peer pressure to join some of the most violent gangs in the nation, I was one of only a handful of my friends who did something positive with his future. I have witnessed shootings, lost friends to violence, death, and drugs—and all of these were influences since I was in grade school. Although as a young kid, my family protected me from these influences, as a young adult, it was difficult for them to protect me because I wanted to be cool around my friends. I did not want to be a "Mama's Boy," I wanted to date girls, hang out, go to the mall, do all the things my friends were doing. It was this curiosity for new experiences that put me in a situation where I was shot at.

"While that was certainly not the greatest feeling in the world, it did have one very positive effect: It motivated me to get out of the neighborhood, either by moving or going to college. As a child my parents instilled in me that education was the key to success, so that is the path I chose. Today I am working on my master's degree in education and applying to Ph.D. programs.

"You may ask why didn't I join a gang, do drugs, become a teen parent, or become a burden to society, and I will answer that, although in the outside world I was surrounded by some of life's greatest evils, at the end of the day I had a safe and comfortable environment to go to—my home. I felt needed, wanted, loved, and, I didn't ever want to miss dinner because that was a place where we all laughed, made fun of each other, and for a few moments forgot about the challenges that awaited us every time we walked out the door.

"Emmaus' home town, Santa Barbara, is a small city, but it has some big city problems. A drive around Santa Barbara will show the extreme wealth that many live in, and also the poverty that others live in. Working-class families with children suffer and struggle the most, trying to stay afloat in this high-priced city. The parents of these families, out of responsibility for their survival, acquire two or more jobs to make ends meet. Yet the demands of working this long and this hard shakes the family structure and, most importantly, too often leaves pre-teens, teens, and young adults without the most important role models they will ever have, their parents.

"For many participants, Emmaus' Break the Cycle! provides the safe and comfortable environment (like home did for me), where they can let down their guard, evaluate their lives, morals, beliefs, friendships, and life goals—safe from being judged by anyone other than themselves.

"This is what I watched kids do while I was a Team Leader for Emmaus. I wasn't a teacher trying to dictate what participants should do with their lives. Rather I acted as a guide and offered different points of view to whatever questions or doubts the participants presented.

"As a Team Leader I also learned that participants might seem to ignore all of Emmaus' beliefs about character, responsibility, choices, and the foundation for happiness. But in the School of Life, which is often the harshest school anyone may attend, I have seen Emmaus graduates suddenly apply the lessons they learned through their participation in Break the Cycle!

My life experiences and educational career have exposed me to many successful programs, but none as successful as Emmaus. What separates Emmaus from other programs has nothing to do with standardized test or mandated guidelines. The measure of Emmaus' success is human beings who have made positive changes in their lives. This type of success cannot easily be measured by any type of instrument, but can only be witnessed in the eyes of participants who come back and say, "Thank You. I'm in a much better place today because of you."

- Jessica's Story

- Erik's Story