Shaping Myself Today

by Uz, San Francisco  I agree that we can learn from other’s mistakes. Unfortunately, I learned from my very own. I see it as life lessons, to be honest. I’ve grown from my past mistakes. I am able to channel my best self now more than before. I was super young and defiant as a young teen and early teen. I’ve guided myself. I didn’t have a big home, a dad, or a real positive role model in my life. I experienced from my decision making the consequences that came with it.  So, I moved differently and ended up being

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The Best I Can Be

by Chase To me, being the best I can means showing I’ve been in really difficult situations. Anyone can say they would do this or that in a difficult situation, but it’s another thing to follow through with it and have your actions match your words.  No matter how hard it gets when I was younger I would always have these beliefs about the world and who I was, but a lot of times I never had to put those beliefs to the test. And when I did, I had a different outlook on the situation, myself, and others that

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Options Symbolize Freedom

by Nelson Vega I have become more and more passionate about money in the most recent months. I’m not certain if it’s because I don’t have it right now per se, or that it provides many options.  Options symbolize freedom to me. It’s not the love of money. It’s what money can do for a person, organization, family, friends, and so forth. Money can be made in so many ways, and in so many different forms. My passion or obsession is about how money works. All areas of how it works and how it’s provided.  I’m looking at multiple streams

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David Inocencio Memorial Fund

The David Inocencio Memorial Fund honors our trailblazing founder, David Inocencio. For nearly three decades, David was a light in the dark world of detention facilities across the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. This fund will support workshops, magazine publication, and general operations of The Beat Within. With your support, The Beat goes on. LINK

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Editor’s Note

In July, The Beat Within announced with great sadness the passing of its founder and executive director, David Inocencio. Over the past six weeks, our Beat Within team has worked tirelessly to publish a special tribute issue of The Beat Within Magazine. In this issue, youth, David’s colleagues, former and current TBW participants, and community leaders shared their reflections on the impact of The Beat Within, David Inocencio, and the topic of grief. The issue was empowering and almost therapeutic, rallying our team to stand up and ensure that the beat goes on, as David always said. With passing the

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The Beat Within Tribute Issue

Our latest magazine is here! Inside you can find all the incredible and powerful tributes to David. Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.

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David’s SF Chronicle Obituary

Published by San Francisco Chronicle on Aug. 17, 2023 This unique juvenile justice pioneer, trail blazer, empathetic listener, amazing partner, patient husband, loving and kind individual will be celebrated. LINK

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Mission Local Article on David

A decades-long presence in the San Francisco juvenile justice sphere, Inocencio dedicated his life to the twice-monthly magazine he helped launch in 1996, and was widely recognized for his passion for uplifting the voices of those behind bars. Link

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