“I firmly believe that those most impacted by mass incarceration should drive the solutions.”
DSAL’s newest fitness coach, Xochtil Larios, says her favorite part of the job is celebrating young people’s milestones, even during challenging times. The young people Xochtil works with are female youth detained in the Alameda County Probation Department’s Juvenile Justice Center (JJC). Xochtil tells the youth that:
“The person you were when you came in is not the same person you are when you’re coming out.”
We recently sat down with Xochtil to learn about her background and her approach to working with the youth at the JJC.
As someone who was formerly incarcerated herself, Xochtil has first-hand experience with the challenges facing the young women at the JJC. Xochtil said she was in and out of the justice system between 2012 and 2017. Today, she wants to inspire the young people to keep working on themselves.
“When things are hard, and you’ve caused harm in the community, you can always come back into the community and transform it, because the closer to the pain you are the closer to the solutions you will be, but you have to work on yourself.”
Xochtl started boxing in 2016, and then came back to the sport after she was released in December 2017. She said she was diagnosed with PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorder, but a strong fitness regimen helps her.
“Boxing and fitness regulate my nervous system, help me breathe, and increase my confidence. When I get mad, instead of being impulsive, I go hit the bag, or go run four miles, and then afterwards, I see the effects of it. It has helped me be the better version of myself.”
Xochtil said that boxing also helps her lead by example in Juvenile Hall.
“I show the youth that I’ve been in the same position they’re in, and they have different outlets and pathways.”
For Xochtil, working on herself meant working on her physical self, through boxing and fitness, as well as taking advantage of leadership development education and training through Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ), a nonprofit organization.
“They taught me to use my story as a source of power and resistance. CURYJ helped me believe I could lead transformational change within the criminal justice system.”
Passionate about fitness and positive change? Join our team of Fitness Coaches for young justice-involved individuals at the Juvenile Justice Center and change your community for the better!
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