We were lucky to catch up with Oscarin Ortega recently and have shared our conversation below.
Oscarin, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
Growing up as the son of two hardworking immigrants from Oaxaca, our family faced limited resources and opportunities, constantly struggling to make ends meet. Our culture ingrained the importance of survival and hard knock minded education from an early age.
As children, we were exposed to poverty, housing insecurities, food deprivation, and a lack of educational support, experiencing firsthand the pain, rejection, and neglect. Our family endured significant adversity, which eventually became our norm. Consequently, we developed a fearlessness towards failure, as it had become second nature to us.
Now, as an adult who has overcome addiction and violence, traumatic events have a diminished impact on my mind and body. I am better equipped to remain calm during challenging situations, allowing me to step back, assess the situation, and respond with a positive attitude. This resilience enables me to overcome negative emotions and achieve positive outcomes.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
In 2018, I started a non-profit organization based in a church, focusing on providing social-emotional classes to youth and their families. Since then, we have developed several innovative initiatives. Firstly, we created a mobile food distribution service that operates after regular hours, ensuring access to food for hundreds of families. Additionally, we built a one-of-a-kind mobile laundry trailer equipped with four washers and dryers to assist individuals experiencing homelessness in washing their clothes. We also offer free community boxing classes at the park and summer soccer camps. This year, we established a partnership with the Oceanside Unified District to support their community school initiative, providing wellness centers and essential support like laundry, food, diapers, and wrap-around services for students and families.
Further, we have organized five significant mental health conferences. Our first major outreach was a week-long storytelling collaboration event aimed at breaking the stigma surrounding homelessness, and it brought together hundreds of community members and partners. We then hosted a post-COVID event called “San Diego Reunited” in Barrio Logan, where we celebrated surviving the pandemic through music, art, cars, and mental health resources. In 2022, we held our mental health conference, “The Many Faces of Public Safety,” which was attended by 400 guests and supported by 17 community partners, including Aetna, Blue Shield of California, and Molina Healthcare. Esteemed speakers such as City Mayor Esther Sanchez and Police Chief Fed Armijo emphasized the importance of mental health and public safety. In 2023, we organized “Care Not Cages,” an event held at the beautiful campus of San Diego University, where 400 guests and partners came together for a workgroup dedicated to addressing mass incarceration as an alternative to incarceration.
I am passionate about what we do. Our work is innovative, exciting, and different, making a collective social impact by amplifying voices like mine that come from similar backgrounds. People like me, with my background, were not expected to be in rooms with judges, lawyers, politicians, and police representatives, offering thoughts and solution ideas. We were not supposed to be leaders creating movements for the betterment of others. People like me were often stereotyped as homeless, drug addicts, or incarcerated. That’s what makes it so exciting—we have proven that individuals like me can be leaders in the community.
This year, in early November 2023, we are hosting our second gala, inviting 300 community members who have never experienced such an event. It will be a day of celebration, honoring the people of San Diego and their resilience.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Reflecting on my journey, I believe there were three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that had the most impact: people skills, adaptability, and perseverance. These characteristics, developed through my background of hardships, have been invaluable in my life.
When embarking on a business or starting a nonprofit organization, especially in the highly competitive field of obtaining funding for creating positive cultural change, it is not an easy path, but my lived experiences is the fuel behind my work.
My advice to those who are early in their journey in the nonprofit world is to never let others change your idea. Don’t allow anyone to tell you that you are wrong or that your idea won’t work. Experience the journey for yourself and learn from your mistakes. You are the one who knows your struggles best, and you possess the expertise necessary to pursue your mission of helping others. Embrace your unique perspective as your power and use it to make a difference.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was allowing me the freedom to become whoever I wanted to be and encouraging a life of exploration, risk-taking, and adventure.
Both of my parents immigrated to San Diego at a young age, and they have always been incredible providers, givers, and educators when it comes to culture and life. They never withheld experiences from us or discouraged us from being different from themselves in this world.
As an adult, pursuing my current endeavors such as speaking on mental health, hosting major events, and facilitating programs typically associated with the “educated” individuals, my parents never discouraged me from following this path. By their loving support, they have allowed me to face the challenges and negatives of my surroundings while also savoring the true meaning of life, our life, my life.
Now, as a parent myself, I strive to provide the same sense of freedom and encouragement to my children, empowering them to discover their passions and embrace life’s adventures.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.livedexperiences.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/le.inc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livedexperiencesinc/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscarin-ortega/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lived.experiences