Jessica Valencia
Prevention & Community Engagement Specialist at the Center for Community Solutions
"My YNPN San Diego membership has allowed me to access different resources and learn from experts in the nonprofit sector through monthly events and ListServ. It also gave me an opportunity to serve in a committee and advisory board, where I got hands on experience of what it takes to run and operate YNPN San Diego."
What made you decide to join YNPN San Diego?
I joined YNPN San Diego during my AmeriCorps service year to learn more about the nonprofit sector and be connected to nonprofit professionals in the area.
How has your YNPN San Diego membership impacted your career and/or your professional development?
What is one of your top values? How does it play a role in your personal and/or professional life?
One of my top values is love and it plays into everything I do. The decisions I make are guided by how I can communicate that love to others. One of the ways I express love to people in my life are through acts of services (no wonder I ended up in the nonprofit sector!). It's no easy feat to truly live into one's values, and for me, defining what love means and how I express it, has made it easier to do so and to navigate making decisions.
What is a personal strategy or self-care practice you’ve used to cope with the impacts of COVID-19?
I followed a journaling prompt project for 30 days to take time to process what I was experiencing through this pandemic. Journaling has always been a grounding self-care strategy but using prompts helped me cope with the impacts of COVID-19 and take it one day at a day.
What advice do you have for someone who is just getting started in their non-profit career?
I may sound like a broken-record (because many people say this) but I would tell them to volunteer outside of the nonprofit organization they're working at. Nonprofits look so different and one can gain valuable experience by serving on committees, boards or even volunteering at events.
What are you currently working on either in your work or outside of it?
Currently in my role at Center for Community Solutions, I am working with a group of adults on a community mobilization project (Close to Home) in City Heights on finding strategies to increase safety by preventing sexual violence in the community. Our weekly in-person meetings changed to phone conference call and the sense of community and trust that has been fostered among the adult members I work with has been truly amazing to witness and work alongside.
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