By Julia Mascioli | Communications & Evaluation Specialist
Dear Free Minds Friend,
Thank you so much for supporting our project to provide comprehensive job readiness and life skills training for young adults returning from prison.
Six apprentices have already completed our program in 2015 since we expanded the program to be month-long instead of week-long. Meeting 3 times a week throughout February, the apprentices participated in a variety of job-readiness workshops and trainings, including roleplaying for job interviews and learning to plan a budget. We were also honored to host several guest speakers, including Maureen Herman from the Department of Education to discuss resumes, Donald Curtis from SOUL (Student Athletes to Understand Leadership) to talk about college prep, Dr. Norah Neale to discuss stress management and mental health awareness, and Larry Carroll, Sr. from KAAOS gym to go over physical fitness.
One of the guys’ favorite sessions was hosted by Marcus Bullock, founder of the company and app Flikshop. A former inmate himself, Bullock described his own journey from a cell block to the world of business entrepreneurship, creating a company that sends postcards to inmates around the country. Bullock challenged each apprentice to articulate his own goals and to see himself as an entrepreneur in his own right. That same day, the apprentices were also treated to a surprise visit from Shaka Senghor, the author of Writing My Wrongs, which the guys read and discussed as part of their training.
Several apprentices also had the opportunity to speak at our monthly Write Night at George Washington University. Despite initial anxiousness about speaking in front of a crowd of over 100 people, apprentices Ricardo and Joshua bravely shared a few poems and their personal experiences with the group.
The apprentices also spent one morning creating vision boards with magazine clippings and colored markers, reflecting on their future goals. For 17-year-old Anthony, that meant cutting out a huge picture of vegetable lo mein to represent his aspirations of working in the food industry. He hopes to eventually learn the ropes at the DC Central Food Kitchen once he turns 18.
One afternoon, the apprentices viewed a video about famous failures, where they heard the stories of personalities like Michael Jordan, Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, and Oprah Winfrey. Reflecting on the fact that each of these success stories was once told that they would never amount to much of anything, the apprentices recalled several similar experiences in their own lives. Tavon shared that when he was 13, an older guy on the block said that he would never make it to 21. This year, he celebrated his 22nd birthday. David M, a 26-year-old, was told he would never get an education because of his behavior issues. In 2007, however, he attained his GED, and he is now on track to full-time employment.
Truthfully, we could not do this without you. Because of your help, young men who thought they would never hold a job, nevertheless stick with a program, are beginning to experience both. We, and those we serve, deeply appreciate your generosity.
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