OUR HISTORY
“Trauma is the experience of severe psychological distress following any terrible or life-threatening event .” Those who have suffered from trauma are often overtaken by a sudden onset of emotions and unfamiliar stress levels. When said victims are left isolated from the viable resources necessary to develop healthy coping mechanisms, it increases the probability of violent expressions.
The City of Newark is in the bottom 15 percentile of the safest cities in the United States, despite its steady decline in violent crimes over the last decade. While the offenses are being tamed, the insurmountable damage continues to linger among those who suffer due to senseless violence, whether directly or indirectly. Studies show that prolonged exposure to violence in any capacity can have effects on one’s physical, mental, and even behavioral development and expression . Unfortunately, the effects of a single violent event can matriculate down through multiple generations if left untreated.
Offering continuous community service for more than a decade, the FP YouthOutCry Foundation has become a beacon of light in the city of Newark, displaying a full commitment to its residents through diverse and effective programming. In 2013, FP YouthOutCry (FPYOC) launched The H.U.B.B. (Help Us Become Better) Arts & Trauma Center, expanding its campaign and three-pronged approach in brick and mortar space that has been intentionally designed:
Entertain, Educate and Empower, to combat the traumatic impact of violence that continue to plague our communities.
The HUBB Arts & Trauma Center’s unique approach provides wrap-around services and interactive programming that address the wholeness of a person, using a plethora of proven vehicles including art therapy as a paradigm shift to address social and psychological disorders including:
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Entertainment (Art Therapy) – Recording and radio/podcast broadcasting studios, photography, video production, graphic design, culinary arts, etc.
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Education – Financial Literacy, Career Preparedness, Health and Wellness, Grooming and Self-Effacing, etc.
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Empowerment – Trauma Recovery, Grief Counseling, Substance Abuse Counseling, Re-Entry and Restorative Justice, Mentoring, Victim and Offender Services, etc*.
Most recently, FPYOC launched construction for The HUBB HELP (Healing and Empowering Life Purpose) Youth-Focused TRC as the first Trauma Recovery Center model on the Eastern Coastline of the United States. Functioning as a Trauma Recovery Center (TRC), The HUBB HELP YF TRC will aid victims and offenders of traumatic events who still battle with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Air Group has been committed to the fulfillment of this vision, donating a plethora of resources including financial support and also managing the architects and builders of the physical building that will house and serve victims and offenders of Newark and eventually communities abroad. Additional sources of funding include Healthcare Foundation of NJ and NJ Department of Law and Public Safety, Division of Criminal Justice as well as a host of in-kind donations.
If not us, then who?
If not now, then when?
Maya Angelou
The painful truth is that there is a need to address mental health in the inner-city, a reality that is avoided and even viewed as taboo, among minorities in particular.
“Multicultural and other minority beneficiaries on average reported worse mental health functioning and more symptoms of depression when compared to white people, according to the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of Minority Health. Puerto Ricans reported the highest rate of depression at 40% (other Hispanic groups ranged from 30.8 to 34.5. Black beneficiaries had a 27.1 percent rate of depression nationwide. Lack of culturally competent care has the potential to result in worse outcomes than those who do not seek help in the first place .”
The U.S. Census Bureau has documented the trend over the past decade, highlighting that the results of a study in 2005 that shows the lack of services, service providers and financial resources available to the city; this still persists nearly 15 years later. NJ.Gov reports that Acting Governor Sheila Oliver signed a package of gun violence intervention bills on August 5, 2019 that underscore New Jersey’s commitment to combating gun violence. The bills, which are part of the Gun Safety Package 2.0, follow a series of comprehensive gun safety laws signed by Governor Phil Murphy in July 2019.
Bill S3323 Requires the Victims of Crime Compensation Office victim counseling service to partner with trauma centers to refer certain victims to violence and intervention programs.
Imagine attending the vigil of a young teenager whose life was cut short because someone’s anger and depression issues were disregarded and left unattended. While it’s easy to mourn for the family of the bystander, who is mourning the life of the now perpetrator who was the first victim, suffering from a series of traumatic events that led to poor decisions and irrevocable life-altering consequences? Unfortunately, these stories are all too familiar, one might even argue common, in areas that are riddled with violence. The FPYOC’s HUBB HELP TRC seeks to change the narrative by being proactive and restoring the ideals of faith, courage, and hope into the lives of the faithless, the discouraged, and the hopeless. The HUBB HELP TRC is more than place of healing—it is also social and anthropic calling.
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Safe structured programs, services and events.
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We seek to build upstanding citizens,
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Nearly 21,000 at-risk students and families served.
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Provide a program of leadership, and prepare today’s youth to be tomorrow’s leaders.
In addition, FP offers annual community initiatives including:
A Day of Healing which is designed to spread love and give closure to those in need of comfort, healing and grief counseling due to the violence and death in our communities.
City-Wide Healthy Olympics is a fun-filled, athletic event to promote the benefits of physical activity and nutrition in all five wards of the city to assist in the war against childhood obesity.
Our Halloween Trunk or Treat provides a safe place for youth to enjoy the spirit of Halloween. Thanksgiving “Break Bread with You” Ceremony is our annual event where over 400 community citizens gather for Thanksgiving dinner.
And, the Christmas Holiday Give Back which is an annual party designed to put smiles on the faces of many youth by providing a healthy environment of fun, joy, entertainment and holiday spirit.