Altha Stewart

"We’ve got to be aware, we’ve got to educate ourselves, and we’ve got to let go of the stigma and the shame that adults feel about mental health that we then impose on our young adults so that they begin to feel bad about any challenge to their psychological well-being."

"We need to get to a place where we can say, “It’s ok when you’re not ok.""

"We’re going to focus on the children we believe can be diverted from the system, either through a referral from law enforcement at the point of contact in the community, a referral from a school resource officer, a self-referral from a family member or a community organization that works with children who recognize some of the signs of at-risk behavior in that child,"

"Our basic job is to protect the hope of others,” she says. “We have to be hopeful they will get better or they won’t be."

"We now understand more clearly that these are not just “bad kids.” Most enter the system for reasons other than the delinquent act with which they are charged."