. >> hello, my name is violet va squez. i live in areas which are known to be violent. i also attend balboa high school. i have been involved in a lot of violent activities, including losing family members to violence and also being held at gunpoint myself, and other violence appeared in the past six months, i have also been helping to organize two events. one youth summit in may. now i'm helping to put together an open mic involving poetry. these two events have helped me express myself in a way where i do not have to turn to violence. to be able to write poetry by using my pen and paper, instead of using my fists to fight off a person. that 15 years old, it if i was not involved in this program, i would probably be in the juvenile justice system. because of these two events, they have been helping me along the way to deal with a lot of problems at home and in the community. they also give me a sense to not put myself in dangerous situations and have responsibility to help the community. i would also like to invite the community and the board to the open mic we are hol