"We've Got a Village That's Not Gonna Give Up"

Community gathering reflects on decades of peer counseling and looks ahead to Attitudes Anonymous

For decades, Potrero Hill Neighborhood House’s Peer Counseling Program led by Jack Jacqua has worked with young people in and coming out of juvenile hall, in partnership with the Omega Boys Club. Recently, the Nabe hosted a gathering unlike most program evaluations: alumni who came through the program years ago, now parents and community leaders themselves, sat alongside family members and program partners to reflect on what worked, what's missing, and what comes next.

"This is family to me," one participant said in the opening. Another put it simply: "We are all

spiritually connected."

What decades of showing up looks like

The most consistent theme of the afternoon was consistency itself. Participant after participant described Jack being there for them; showing up for all their court dates and staying in their lives for years. One alum shared, "Jack's been doing it for so long, it's like he's a master teacher."

That kind of presence builds something rare. "Jack restored my faith in humanity," one alum shared, describing how the program rebuilt his ability to trust after even his own family had lost faith in him. Another said, "Jack is the first man in my life to see potential in me."

The results speak for themselves. "It works for most people and it works a lot," one participant observed, pointing to alumni with steady jobs living transformed lives. Many now teach the program's lessons to their own children. And some have come full circle: "I helped destroy my city. It's only right that I help fix it."

What the community still needs

Committed to continuous improvement, the conversation also invited guests to share what they see as gaps. Mental health came up again and again: the cost of therapy, the shortage of culturally responsive providers, and the stigma that kept earlier generations from seeking help at all. "If anyone has been traumatized, it's our children," one participant said.

Participants also named housing instability, food insecurity, and the need to prepare youth for a changing economy. There was strong interest in bringing tech education, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship training into the community so the next generation is ready for the future, not left behind by it. And attendees flagged a serious gap in re-entry support for women, including housing for women coming out of jail.

What's next: Attitudes Anonymous

The gathering also marked the announcement of Attitudes Anonymous, a new program starting with young people leaving juvenile hall who want to continue the peer counseling relationships they built inside. Community input shaped its direction: continue counseling, draw on the 12-step framework, and build in emotional regulation, trauma processing, self-care, and literacy.

The energy in the room was uplifting. Attendees pledged to volunteer, to bring their own young people to the Nabe, and to help connect the dots between programs across the city. One captured the hope for the new program: that it becomes so successful "young people want to come and we have to expand."

The formula this community has proven over decades is simple to say and hard to do: show up, for years, with genuine love. Or as one participant put it, "It's always been genuine community love, straight from the heart."

To learn more about programs at the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House or to get involved, visit our website or contact us.