Youth Empowerment Radio
Season 3, YAW Special - Jesse Sena on the Origins and Vision of Colorado Youth Awareness Week
Jesse Sena on the Origins and Vision of Colorado Youth Awareness Week Tomas of Youth Empowerment Radio interviews Jesse Sena—CEO, licensed counselor, writer, CSU Pueblo psychology professor, and founder of Youth Awareness Week—about his background and the creation of Youth Awareness Week. Sena shares being a first-generation college student who struggled academically, became a single parent while earning a psychology degree, and later completed a master’s in marriage, family, and child therapy with doctoral studies in marriage and family psychology. He explains his philosophy of giving youth a “taste of success” through exposure to opportunities like college visits and mentoring, and describes Pueblo’s poverty, generational challenges, and the importance of collaborative community networks. Youth Awareness Week was designed to highlight youth voice and connect families to local resources through events and open houses. Sena discusses expanding from Pueblo to Colorado, tailoring the week to each community, challenges like personal agendas, and plans to pursue National Youth Awareness Week, while emphasizing passion, empathy, and responsibility in human service work. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 00:59 Jesse’s Journey to Psychology 05:42 A Taste of Success Philosophy 07:36 Why Pueblo Needed Awareness 10:12 How Youth Awareness Week Began 14:19 Mentoring High Risk Youth 18:13 Collaboration Makes It Work 21:13 Taking It Statewide 23:26 Protecting the Core Mission 24:39 Challenges and Critics 27:24 Vision for National Expansion 30:27 Passion Driven Service Mindset 34:30 Favorite Moments and Community Joy 36:00 Event Timing and Closing Thanks 37:58 Final Message Celebrate the Work
