According to data from the County Child Abuse Hotline for Fiscal Year 2024–2025, 39,781 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect were received involving 69,498 children. Of those reports, 19% involved allegations of sexual abuse, representing approximately 13,205 children who experienced sexual abuse during the reporting period.

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While systems exist to respond to abuse after it is reported, many children and families continue to face significant barriers to ongoing healing and support. Youth who have experienced abuse often struggle with anxiety, depression, social isolation, low self-esteem, difficulty trusting others, and challenges in school and relationships. Families frequently encounter obstacles such as limited access to trauma-informed services, transportation challenges, financial hardship, and a lack of supportive community environments where healing can take place.

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To address this need, Team Only Stronger developed Project 1%, a 9 month youth and family empowerment initiative designed to serve 132 youth (ages 5–17) and families, representing approximately 1% of the children identified as experiencing sexual abuse in San Diego County during the reporting year.

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Project 1% recognizes that healing is most effective when children and their caregivers are supported together. The program provides safe, trauma-informed spaces where youth can build confidence, resilience, leadership skills, and healthy coping strategies while caregivers receive education, support, and resources that strengthen their ability to nurture their family's healing journey. Through empowerment workshops, creative expression activities, peer support opportunities, mentorship, leadership development experiences, family engagement sessions, and resource navigation services, youth and families will gain tools that promote healing, connection, and long-term well-being.

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Beyond serving participating families, Project 1% also seeks to raise awareness about the lifelong impact of childhood abuse and trauma while helping to build a community-based peer support network for survivors and their families. By creating safe spaces where youth and caregivers can connect, share experiences, learn from one another, and discover they are not alone, the program helps reduce isolation, strengthen support systems, and foster a culture of healing, resilience, and hope. Together, participants learn that we are not defined by what happens to us, but by our strength, growth, and ability to move forward—one step, one connection, and one percent at a time.

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Schedule of Project Workshops coming soon.