It has been a minute since I last posted a Rooted Spotlight! In my work in Oakland, I've had to support families at the hardest and most painful times of their lives. Youth ALIVE! knows how to show up in those moments — and they've been doing it for over 30 years. They don't just respond to violence. They work the full cycle — prevention, intervention, and healing. Their Violence Interrupters are out on Oakland's streets defusing tensions before shots are fired. Their Caught in the Crossfire team is at the hospital bedside when someone gets shot, working to prevent retaliation before the cycle repeats. Their Teens on Target program trains young people from the most impacted neighborhoods to become violence prevention leaders in their own schools. And the Khadafy Washington Project — named after a young man killed just two months after graduating from McClymonds High (a school I worked at) — sends crisis responders to nearly 100% of Oakland homicide victims' families with emotional support, financial assistance, and guidance through the chaos that follows losing someone to violence. His mother Marilyn built what didn't exist when she needed it most. The people doing this work come from the same communities they serve. That's what makes it real. That's what makes it work. Hurt people hurt people. Healed people heal people. Youth ALIVE! lives that every single day. Learn more: youthalive.org