During the COVID-19 pandemic, suicide attempts in adolescent females skyrocketed by 50%. It was almost 4% in young males. This is only one of the many reasons that 20-year-old artist and activist Clarissa Perez felt called to action. Chartering Joy&TheHood, a youth wellness collective whose goal is to mentor at-risk youth, Perez hopes to encourage mindfulness, confidence, and the means and methods to tell their stories.