Community Spotlight: Waking the Village
Written by Francisco Valverde
Waking the Village is a community-rooted organization based in Sacramento that supports youth by providing a safe, welcoming space for creative expression, connection, and care for youth and children experiencing homelessness. Through barrier-free programming, youth can access open studio time, recording sessions, classes, and workshops without appointments or referrals. In addition, Waking the Village connects youth to employment, wellness, housing, and other essential supports through trusted community partners, fostering growth, belonging, and collective responsibility.
On December 10th, 2025, the Open Doors team brought together staff across creative programming, outreach, wellness, housing, and employment services, reflecting the organization’s holistic, team-based approach to youth support.
The training space was held with thoughtfulness, openness, and care. Waking the Village staff showed up with curiosity and humility, creating an environment where vulnerability and honest reflection are welcomed. This foundation created meaningful dialogue and ensured participants felt heard, respected, and supported throughout the experience. The group was highly engaged and receptive to Open Doors’ core principles of restorative justice, cultural humility, and harm reduction, grounding discussions in the real-life experiences of the youth they serve.
We were also grateful to be joined by members of Lutheran Social Services of Northern California, whose presence enriched the conversation and helped further build a sense of shared community. Their perspectives and collaboration reinforced the importance of cross-agency partnership in supporting youth with compassion and responsiveness.
Together, the group explored how safe, responsive, and compassionate practices strengthen relationships and promote dignity in youth-serving work. We engaged with participants about the power of centering youth voice and autonomy, leading with curiosity rather than judgment and allowing young people to guide their own journeys. Staff shared powerful examples of how non-judgmental listening and walking alongside youth fosters trust, healing, and meaningful connection. This collective learning space highlighted the impact of collaboration and affirmed that building safer, more connected communities requires intention, care, and shared responsibility.
Your stories help build a learning community that stretches far beyond the training room.
If you’d like to share an example of how you utilized learnings from the Open Doors training in your life, please email Samantha Suarez, our Communications Project Manager, at ss*****@***fs.org — and we may feature your story in a future newsletter or blog!
