Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Spikes.
Jonathan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story started because of being exposed to multiple traumas throughout my childhood. When I was 6 years old my 14-year-old brother went to take out the trash and came back into the house with a bullet in his leg. He was the unintended victim of a domestic dispute. He survived. When I was 21 years old, another one of my brothers was shot and murdered on the streets of Miami. I got to the scene as the medical examiner arrived to retrieve his body. I stood there watching my brother lifeless body, lay on the side of the road with his eyes and mouth opened wide; flies were coming out of his mouth. At the time of both of those experiences, my family and I never discussed it. Instead, we soldiered on with our lives as if nothing ever happened.
Those traumatic experiences impacted my life in multiple ways. It affected the way I viewed the world, how I interacted in my relationships with others, and how I interacted with my coworkers. After a continuous cycle of self-sabotaging and getting in my own way, I sought to rid myself of my emotional barriers through mental health counseling. Counseling was emotionally transformative and allowed to realize that my past experiences did not have to dictate my present realities.
Once I healed I decided I had to share my knowledge with others. Therefore, I created the Affirming YOUth Foundation, Inc., a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization with the vision to curate safe spaces for youth to express their feelings and navigate life’s experiences. Our mission is to provide services that meet the educational, emotional, physical, and mental health needs of youth and their families.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road to being the person that I am today has been fraught with many challenges, closed doors, not-the-appointed-time moments, and pure frustrations and disappointments in how I thought the process was supposed to work. However, through perseverance, faith in God, and an understanding that all things manifest in their due season, I refused to give up. Instead, I used not-going-my-way times to write down my vision, study ways to improve my product offerings and make strategic connections to expand my organizational capacity.
Please tell us about Affirming YOUth Foundation, Inc.
My organization specializes in offering psycho-social educational programs, support, and services. We are most proud of the success of our Let’s Talk It Out Conflict Resolution/Anti-Bullying Program and the opening of the Affirming YOUth Center. What sets our organization apart from others is our focus on the social and emotional skills of youth.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I don’t know if I would have done anything differently because life unfolds exactly as it should.
Contact Info:
- Address: 150 NW 79 Street, Suite 342, Miami, FL 33025
- Website: www.AffirmingYOUth.org
- Phone: 3057728270
- Email: info@affirmingyouth.org
- Instagram: AffirmingYOUth
- Facebook: Affirming YOUth Foundation
- Twitter: Affirming_YOUth
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