Mission Statement

Underground GRIT provides a voice to men, women, and youth who have been system impacted and who are breaking cycles perpetuated by trauma. Through our personal and professional experiences, we recognize the gaps in our system, and the needs of our most vulnerable individuals and families. We realize the importance of working with each member to create independent, empowering care solutions that fit their unique needs.

History

Crystal Anthony, LCSW and Suzanne Campbell, LCSW co-founded Underground GRIT in June 2019 after they recognized the gaps in the systems of care and saw long term youth falling through the cracks. Recognizing the need for services beyond what was traditionally offered to system impacted youth and adults, they decided to create Underground GRIT to offer innovative avenues to break through “red tape” that is often counterproductive to rehabilitation.

Crystal

Crystal worked inside the juvenile detention facilities bringing innovative services that included groundbreaking trauma specific therapy that integrated Holistic care with trauma informed yoga, Reiki, mindfulness and the art mediums of fashion, music and poetry. Outside of working with system impacted youth and adults, she has worked for many years advocating for underserved populations in her community. She developed a program to serve victims of human trafficking in San Diego and is most recently working in Orange County with victims of torture to help them through their journey to asylum in the United States.

Suzanne

After raising her family in Orange County and spending many years as an advocate for her child with disabilities, Suzanne returned to school to become a social worker. She worked in a community-based organization in Orange County as a reentry specialist and therapist. Suzanne utilizes her skills in research and interpreting data to develop effective and evidence-based programming.

Through their shared experiences Crystal and Suzanne realized that innovative support was needed to give youth and adults a real chance at reentering their communities safely and successfully. Members of Underground GRIT are emerging as leaders and transforming their personal narratives from a story of incarceration and recidivism to one of redemption and healing.