The A Home Within community is mourning the loss of Mateo Deihl.
He was a former foster youth who took his own life during his freshman year at Scotts Valley High School.
He was well-known for his compassion for others, a willingness to step for those in need and an amazing sense of humor.
Mateo’s family has created this fund in his honor, asking that donations be made to A Home Within. Mateo’s memorial fund will help support pro bono mental health services for other children who have experienced foster care.
Donations can be made at https://secure.givelively.org/donate/a-home-within/mateo-s-memorial-fund
A Home Within got its start in 1994 when a small group of psychotherapists created an organization to heal the wounds of complex trauma and ambiguous loss for current and former foster youth by providing individual, open-ended, relationship-based psychotherapy free of charge through local networks of volunteer clinicians.
The organization incorporated as the nonprofit A Home Within in 2001. It has grown to 20 chapters across 11 states serving more than 500 young people currently or previously in foster care.
The vision is for all children who experience foster care receive essential support, ensuring that as they transition from foster care, regardless of which stage of life they are in, they have the inner tools they need to thrive.
For foster youth who often watch people move in and out of their lives, this model creates an anchor of support.
Reed Connell, who has a master’s in social work from UC Berkeley with a concentration in management, is the executive director.
Grace Manger, who has a master’s in social work from Portland State Universiy is national program director
Research consultant Saralyn Ruff is the director of the Foster Care Research Group, a lab examining best practices supporting the wellbeing of current and former foster youth.
To sign up for the newsletter, see: www.ahomewithin.org/history-vision-mission/
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Editor’s note: More than 200 people attended a memorial for 15-year-old Mateo Deihl at Roaring Camp. His mom, Regina Deihl, posted that Mateo, who was Latino, faced comments about his race and was bullied, situation not adequately addressed by Scotts Valley Unified School District. Schools Superintendent Tanya Krause has invited parents to participate in a listening session with Inclusion Counts, an organization the district contracted with in November. When many asked for an alternative date, two more listening sessions via Zoom were scheduled on Feb. 24 and March 3. According to the district post, these sessions are “part of a large effort to internally assess and determine concrete steps in moving forward with our DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) work at our schools.” One mom posted on Facebook, “My family thinks of Mateo and your family every day and are still wearing the bracelet as an ongoing reminder of the kindness he radiated and the important change that needs to happen.”