Clarissa Perez is a Latina Mental Health Activist based in White Center, WA.
Meet the Founder Clarissa Perez
Clarissa Perez is a proud Latina from White Center, WA! She is a spoken word artist, mental health activist, and founder of Joy&theHood – Youth Wellness Collective. Clarissa has experience working as a Youth Crisis Mentor for Teen Link, a crisis hotline for teenagers, and as a Healing Justice fellow for Seattle based non-profit Powerful Voices.
Hardships with domestic violence, poverty, gang violence, and drug addiction have impacted Clarissa throughout her youth. When she was in high school her brother was murdered, she survived a suicide attempt, and she lost her mother to addiction. Having experienced horrific and perpetual trauma, Clarissa was desperate to feel any joy at all. Through years of self-discovery, sharing her story with others, and trying to find different things that work, Clarissa discovered the power of wellness practices such as mindfulness, sound healing, and movement.
Clarissa now hopes to connect low-income BIPOC high schoolers with BIPOC healers, peer-support, and wellness curriculum- all things she wishes she had access to when she was struggling. She now shares her story as a message of hope to other youth that despite the hardships life hands you, you can rise up and find joy again.
joyandthehood.org 