This week, our client spotlight is Nina Huynh, Executive Director of the Youth Program at Norooz Clinic Foundation (NCF) and  Event Coordinator for the NCF’s Cultural Art & Psychology Fair (CAPFair). TenantBase helped her find a new office space in Tusin, CA in order to accommodate growing teams and so that she could start planning the upcoming CAPFair.  

We spoke with her about the clinic, current mental health stigmas, the Norooz Clinic, and planning a cultural art and psychology fair. We were inspired by her passion for supporting the youth-our future-and for creating impactful events that have the power to produce change.

About the Norooz Clinic:

Norooz Clinic Foundation is a non profit mental health clinic established in 2012 that specializes in family/couple relationship issues, that also supports local youth by offering programs such as a youth group. One part of their mission is to remove the barriers and social perceptions that create stigmas about mental health. One way that they do this is through the CAPFair, an innovative day of art and psychology that uses mediums like dance, fashion, and music in order to change people’s mindsets about mental health.

The Problem:

There is a strong stigma about mental health issues, specifically for youth. There is a lot of loneliness and bullying in high schools and many students, especially those with mental health issues, end up feeling isolated. Cyberbullying also has risen greatly, allowing teens to say cruel things to each other without repercussions. Many teens have a hard time opening up and being honest about the struggles that they experience.

The Norooz Clinic Foundation Solution:

Nina applied her experience teaching at an afterschool program in Santa Ana to begin a youth group for high schoolers. She makes sure that the program stays casual and relevant in order to make the students comfortable and keep their attention. Once they do, the results can be huge.

“I had one fifteen year old girl in the program who really didn’t want to be there,” said Nina. “After she had been attending the program for a couple weeks, her mom approached me and thanked me. She said she could already started to see little changes that would turn into life changes in time.”

Nina’s Advice for New Businesses:

“Start slowly. If you rush a business or idea, you will get somewhere quickly, but you will go down quicker. Do your market research and find a niche. Do something that no one else in your field is doing.”

Nina’s Orange County Recommendations:

• The best way to become a true Orange County resident is bike and hike! My favorite place in Orange County is Crystal Cove and my favorite place to bike is the beach.

• My current favorite restaurant in Orange County is called Vaca. I love eating and going different places and this swanky little place is great for Spanish tapas. I recommend the brussels sprouts and bone marrow.

• My favorite neighborhood in Orange County is Irvine, where I live, but my favorite place to go out to dinner and with friends is downtown Santa Ana.