One Safe Place North Celebrates ‘Leap to Confidence’ Graduation
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced today that One Safe Place: The North County Family Justice Center celebrated the graduation of 12 women from “Un Salto a la Confianza” (“Leap to Confidence”) which was the first time this program was offered in Spanish to provide more access to more individuals impacted by abuse and violence.. The graduation ceremony was held on Saturday April 26, at One Safe Place. The program was created by the non-profit organization Leap to Success, which is a partner at One Safe Place. Its mission is to empower women who are overcoming domestic violence, homelessness, and other major life challenges to reach their greatest potential by helping them re-build their self-confidence. It is a six-week program that consists of two-hour sessions each week. After the final session, the participants are invited to join empowerment circles for ongoing support.
“One of the pillars of justice in the mission of the DA’s Office, aside from the ethical prosecution of crime, is the prevention of crime and partnerships with the community – ‘Leap to Confidence’ is a great example of fulfilling this mission,” said District Attorney Summer Stephan. “I’m so proud of the 12 women that displayed courage and resilience by taking control over their lives within the supportive environment of One Safe Place: The North County Family Justice Center. Everyone deserves to live with safety and dignity and ‘Leap to Confidence’ helped them achieve that dream.”
Leap to Success began offering this no-cost empowerment program to women in 2008. Since that time, over 2,500 women have completed their programs, however, until now they have been solely in English. Through grant funding from the Office of Violence Against Women – Improving Criminal Justice, the curriculum was able to be translated and printed in Spanish, and allowed the program to take place on the weekends at One Safe Place.
The graduation on Saturday celebrated the first 12 women who completed the Spanish program, who each spoke about their experience.
“I loved learning stress-reduction practices, especially replacing the phrase ‘I have to’ with ‘I choose to’ – that’s my motivation,” said Rosi, a graduating participant. “I also liked learning that we determine how we want to look and feel.”
“‘Leap to Confidence’ was very meaningful for my present and future,” said Maithee, another graduating participant. “This time, I chose myself.”
The founder of Leap to Success, Dana Bristol Smith, was also at the event and spoke to the graduating participants of the Spanish program, encouraging them with some words of advice: “If you don’t take care of you, you can’t take care of your family. This is a gift you have given yourself that will benefit your families.”
The “Un Salto a la Confianza” program in Spanish is expected to continue at One Safe Place for the next two years and anyone who is interested in participating can get more information at gethope@onesafeplacenorth.org.
One Safe Place: The North County Family Justice Center is located at 1050 Los Vallecitos Blvd., San Marcos, CA 92069. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 p.m. to 12 p.m.
