Austin O’Campo went from jail to graduating from UC Berkeley, whereas residing in his automobile. Now the 29-year-old San Jose resident is learning for regulation college whereas finishing a fellowship designed to assist younger individuals like him discover careers.
The fellowship is thru a nonprofit known as CURYJ. Pronounced “courage,” the acronym stands for Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice. Amongst different issues, it administers internships and fellowships for younger individuals who have been concerned within the authorized system — both criminally, as a foster child, by way of immigration or due to college self-discipline points, stated George Galvis, its government director.
O’Campo was homeless throughout his childhood and his grandmother took him in when he was 17. By then he’d hung out in juvenile services, abused medication and alcohol — he’s sober now — and later served time in jail for receiving stolen property, parole violations and dissuading a witness, he stated.
He was launched in 2017 and went to varsity however nonetheless struggled, till a pal instructed him about CURYJ, which operates Homies 4 Justice internships for teenagers and Dream Past Bars fellowships for adults beneath 30.
As a yearlong Dream Past Bars fellow, O’Campo is paid $25 an hour and works 20 hours every week, studying group organizing and advocacy. Fellows get expertise in occasion planning, graphic design, public talking, communication and even cybersecurity expertise, Galvis stated, in addition to help from this system’s life coaches and therapeutic circles.
“You can’t just give them a job; that’s not enough,” he stated. “They have to have support for their healing journey. There has to be some stabilization.”
I spoke with O’Campo not too long ago concerning the fellowship, his group service and the way he seems to be at his future after such a difficult previous. His responses have been edited for readability and size.
Q: Why are you concerned with CURYJ? And are you actually going to regulation college?
I’m going right into a joint MBA-JD program, hopefully. So proper now I’m learning for my LSATs, making an attempt to get my rating up, and I’m accumulating work expertise.
CURYJ has instilled quantity of confidence in me, I’d should say, as a result of after I was in jail I by no means actually thought faculty was a possibility. Then I obtained into San Jose Metropolis Faculty … and was type of simply there floating round, and I ended up moving into Berkeley. And I didn’t actually suppose I belonged there. However currently, since CURYJ has been speaking to me and … I obtained actually good grades in faculty, I’ve managed to keep up these actually good grades whereas working two jobs or extra all the time, not residing beneath the very best circumstances. And, truthfully, now I believe I need to be within the prime packages within the nation, and so now I’m making an attempt to come back full bore. I wish to include work expertise, with the scores, with the grades, with the data, and I wish to have my finest foot ahead.
How did you come to be the place you at the moment are, from jail to making an attempt for regulation college?
I imply, damaged households and trauma … for positive. I began going to jail earlier than the jail was even allowed to carry me — for little issues like working away, stealing, preventing. I obtained kicked out of rattling close to each college I went to till I went to jail … Even whereas I used to be going to high school, I didn’t haven’t any function. I didn’t haven’t any sense of group. I didn’t haven’t any actual motive why I used to be doing every thing I used to be doing.
So I really feel like every thing that I’ve proper now, every thing that I’m doing, plenty of that stuff modified due to CURYJ … I used to be the College students for Prop 6 marketing campaign supervisor. I used to be answerable for going to varsity campuses throughout California and simply educating, getting children conscious, seeing in the event that they wished to … begin up their very own types of activism. That was a really, very large factor for me.
Proper now, one among my largest life struggles is I assist handle my grandma and my sister. My sister is disabled. She’s obtained … a uncommon type of paraplegia. And my grandma’s a breast most cancers survivor … (and had a) triple bypass not too way back.
What are you doing within the fellowship now?
I’m truly a member of the (CURYJ) group now, like a member of the household. I present as much as individuals’s courtroom days which can be going by way of it, or, in the event that they was going by way of it, I assist them join college and simply present them … encouraging them to only come and discover group … as a result of that emotional intelligence has lots to do with how we act inside our communities. And if we don’t have that, it severely impacts us in our each day life.
What do you imply by emotional intelligence?
I believe emotional intelligence has lots to do with vulnerability. And folks like me, usually, we don’t enable ourselves to be susceptible, particularly round individuals we don’t know. This might trigger us to lose relationships or not even to start out relationships … which primarily cuts us out of society. And if you’re lower out of society, you’re a lot, more likely to do issues which can be outdoors of society’s scope.
Coming to CURYJ and having these individuals that really care about you and, even should you don’t say one thing, they’re going to do one thing so that you can make it recognized that you simply’re welcome right here … They’ve been paying consideration they usually’re making an attempt to assist. That’s what I’m saying about emotional intelligence. It opens you up and lets you begin that dialog, to develop your self.
Why did you begin group organizing?
Proposition 6 was one factor that affected me after I was in jail. I used to be a kitchen employee and so, as an alternative of with the ability to go to varsity or be capable to go to packages, I used to be instructed I needed to wipe these kitchen tables.
In the event you get an inmate project, and if any of these work occasions contradict class occasions or program occasions … you may’t go to something that contradicts work. The primary precedence of prisons is figure … which is why I most likely got here again to jail a number of occasions after I obtained out of jail, as a result of I used to be by no means allowed to work on myself.
At CURYJ now we have coalitions of different nonprofits which can be making an attempt to satisfy with lawmakers … to show individuals … For six months I did these coalition calls and realized about Prop 6 and what it means to move legal guidelines. We’d go and rally on the state … I’ve been making an attempt to become involved in any capability that I can, as a result of I’ve by no means been uncovered to work like this. It’s one thing that my expertise instantly pertains to and truly helps me work by way of.
I’m not simply making an attempt to remain out (of jail) now. I’m engaged on myself whereas making an attempt to higher my life.
What’s essentially the most shocking factor you’ve realized in your fellowship?
Probably the most refreshing half about CURYJ was all people that’s in our fellowship is labeled … we’re all known as criminals; we’re all known as dangerous individuals. However once we come collectively, that’s not who we’re. We’re the group. We’re handing out meals. We’re handing out data. We’re handing out garments. We’re handing out sources to assist these individuals achieve success. And that doesn’t simply solidify their success; it solidifies ours.
Monetary help for this story was offered by the Smidt Basis and The James Irvine Basis.
