The Full Story

About

El Puente supports youth and young adults throughout their life experience or poor choices, replacing the school-to-prison pipeline with a school-to-life success pipeline. Emphasizing restorative and culturally relevant programming over suspensions, expulsions, and incarcerations El Puente operates with mentors (Creditable Messengers), counselors, and circle keepers instead of traditional law enforcement figures. The focus is on building purpose and opportunity, envisioning homes, schools, jobs, and a supportive community rather than jails.

Creditable Messengers, a team under El Puente, consists of certified Community Intervention Professionals proficient in various safety and support disciplines, serving as vital components of the Tri-Cities and region areas. This team specializes in gun violence and gang interventions.

WHAT WE DO:

• El Puente has cultivated street credibility through community interactions, leveraging it for prevention and intervention as expert community-based practitioners.

• We offer a strategic and trained response to incidents and individuals prone to gun violence and gang activity.

• Coordinating with other human services, public health, and public safety organizations, we employ a trilateral approach—addressing before, during, and after stages—to deescalate conflict.

• El Puente mentors and educates youth and young adults, connecting them and their families with essential resources and impactful support services.

Meet the Team

Executive Director

Jesse Campos

Jesse Campos grew up as a pastor’s kid but was exposed to the harsh realities of substance abuse and gang culture at an early age. By the age of nine, he was already involved with drugs, and by twelve, he had been fully immersed in gang culture. His journey took a drastic turn in 1995 when he made the decision to change his life, leading him down a path of redemption and purpose. Determined to break the cycle of violence and addiction, Jesse dedicated himself to gang intervention, substance abuse recovery, and community advocacy, using his lived experiences to reach those trapped in the same struggles he once faced.

Over the years, Jesse has established three successful non-profit organizations in the Tri-Cities, focusing on youth intervention, family support, and empowering individuals on the margins of society. His leadership and dedication have built a vast network of partnerships across the region, earning him a strong reputation in the intervention and advocacy world. Through his work, he continues to impact countless lives, working directly with families, youth, and those in need, ensuring they have the resources and support to build a better future.

Creditable messenger, Mentor

Frank Gomez

Frank Gomez grew up in the heart of Los Angeles, where gang life, drug addiction, and incarceration became a constant cycle in his early years. As a drug dealer and addict, he experienced the harsh realities of street life, surviving five gunshot wounds and numerous stints behind bars. Seventeen years ago, Frank made a life-changing decision to break free from his past and dedicate himself to helping others escape the same destructive path he once walked.

Since his transformation, Frank has worked tirelessly to support individuals seeking a second chance. As the former Executive Director of Adult and Teen Challenge, he played a key role in guiding people through residential drug recovery. Now, as a Credible Messenger mentor with El Puente, he uses his lived experience to connect with at-risk youth, offering guidance, hope, and real solutions. His passion for change drives him to help individuals rewrite their stories and build brighter futures.

Mission

El Puente is dedicated to using credible messengers (persons with lived
experience) to inspire and redirect at-risk, gang-affiliated youth / families by providing
them with skills that address past traumas and conflicts so that they can become
productive citizens and community leaders. As the program provider, El Puente offers
alternatives to community violence and youth incarceration that are focused on
rebuilding relationships, and that are rooted in love, compassion, and consistency.

About El Puente

El Puente aims to reduce gang involvement and community violence by using an
adaptation of Multisystemic Therapy (MST) and MST-FIT (MST-Family Integrated
Transitions). This adaptation will use Creditable Messengers (CM-FIT) to deliver specific
types of interventions that are aimed at addressing the specific needs of at-risk youth
and their families within the community. In addition, our program offers Group
Interventions with Creditable Messengers that teaches Social Skills, Servant
Leadership, and Community Advocacy.

Assessment and Individualized Treatment Plans

Multisystemic Therapy (MST):

- Intensive, family-focused interventions that work across multiple domains of the
youth’s life, including family, peers, school, and neighborhood.
- Interventions are designed to empower families to solve problems and increase their
capacity to handle future issues independently.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

- Structured sessions that focus the youth and family on developing skills and
strategies to address emotional dysregulation – both within the family and the other
systems that surround the family (e.g., schools).

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Motivational Interviewing

Community Engagement and Support

-These interventions focus specifically on ways in which youth and families can
misinterpret the speech and behaviors of others and how those misinterpretations can
lead to negative thoughts and actions.

-Interventions here focus on moving the youth and family toward a desire to change
problematic behaviors.

- Collaboration with local schools, law enforcement, and community organizations to
provide a network of support for participants.

Continuous Monitoring and Evaluation

- Regular follow-ups and adjustments to intervention plans based on ongoingassessments and feedback.

- Using CBT intervention curriculum will empower students to make a positive choice
decision.
- Building Leadership skills and community projects

Creditable Messenger Intervention Group Mentoring

Intended Outcomes

- Decrease the number of youths joining gangs and participating in gang-related
activities through early intervention and support
- Decrease rates of violence within the community
- Strengthen family relationships and improve parenting skills, leading to a more
supportive home environment
- Improve community safety through reduced crime rates and increased collaboration
between residents and law enforcement

Why Community-Based Interventions?

When done with fidelity, programs similar to CM-FIT have led to measurable
decreases in violence and gang activity. Our community is experiencing a critical need
for effective interventions, and gang involvement and violence is increasing. Without
immediate and sustained efforts, the risk of continued escalation poses a significant
threat to public safety and the well-being of youth and families. El Puente is offering the
CM-FIT program and Group Mentoring program in an effort to address this continued
escalation and provide a chance for meaningful change in the dynamics that lead to
violence in our community.