Leadership Corner: Chief Marlon Washington

When I joined the Probation Department a year ago, I learned of the Marin 9 to 25 project almost immediately. Marin 9 to 25 was still the passion project of the planning committee at the time, but I knew it was imperative that I provide my full support to the initiative. Marin 9 to 25 recognizes that if it takes a community/village to raise a child, then someone needs to nurture and develop that community/village.

Greetings Marin 9 to 25 Community!

My name is Alexa Davidson and I am a Co-Chair of Marin 9 to 25. I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and share a bit about why I am involved in these efforts and how I approach this work. Thank you for being here!

Hello, Marin 9 to 25!

My name is Talia Harter, and in July of this year, I was asked to join Marin 9 to 25 as the Youth Co-Chair. I have known about Marin 9 to 25 for over a year now, and I was thrilled to hear about the many wonderful people and groups involved. I am grateful to have this opportunity to work with you all on this vital coalition. I believe that the work Marin 9 to 25 will do to help better serve youth in our community is critical, now more than ever.

In May 2021, the County of Marin launched a Marin-specific crisis text line. The purpose of Crisis Text Line is to provide all Marin residents with a free and confidential counseling, with support from trained professionals. With a soft launch, the program was not able to meet the 200 monthly text goal, which would allow the County to have access to a data dashboard with more information about what problems Marin residents are going through

The Caring Card initiative is a youth led suicide prevention and health campaign designed to promote safety and wellbeing for those in distress. The cards have images of artwork created by youth with referral information and a caring and heart felt message inside. We are looking for student groups/organizations that would like to participate in handwriting these cards on an ongoing basis. Youth card-writers will receive sensitivity training to ensure messages are safe and appropriate. No identifying information is provided by the writer or the person receiving the card.

Marin 9 to 25 is a collective impact coalition that organically evolved from the work the Marin County Probation Department is doing with the Youth Reinvestment Grant. The core leadership team and backbone support for the initiative include members of the Board of Supervisors, County Administrator’s Office, Health and Human Services and health advocacy partners Blue Path Health and the list of participating agencies and coalitions continues to grow.

San Rafael, CA – The Marin County Probation Department has announced the launch of Marin 9 to 25, a collective impact coalition dedicated to realizing positive and equitable outcomes for youths age 9 to 25. The focus will be on increasing the availability and efficiency of early prevention programs and increased resources for all young people and their families.