There was a warm breeze, the sun was shinning, and it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. As I briskly walked to the auditorium my heart was racing with nerves. Today was the first day I would have the opportunity to go and mentoring some of the young women at the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Detention Center in Knoxville, TN. Ever since I found out this program was available I was more than eager to go and make a difference. Growing up, life wasn't easy. As a result of these adversities, I've been able to not only see, but personally experience, having a constant battle in my life. Throughout this journey of life, I’ve had the opportunity to meet people and learn about different backgrounds and hardships many others suffer from. These experiences, …show more content…
After opening the front door all fell silent. The reality of where I was about to go washed over me, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't absolutely terrified. You couldn't only see, but feel, the demeanor of the “veterans” change as well. After a loud buzz the first cold, heavy door unlocked so we could begin our journey to the community room where the girls were waiting for us. As we approached every new door down the countless hallways the cameras were watching us and we’d hear a “buzz”. We finally reached the last door, took a deep breath and heard …show more content…
I can leave this place. They can’t leave this place. This is their reality. Unlike the energetic car ride there, the car was now silent. At this moment I realized why Eden said the seats were stained. After reflecting on your experience you couldn't help but sit there and cry. Crying out of compassion for those girls who - yes, made bad choices, but who had also been hurt, unloved, given up on, leaving them feeling hopeless. Not only crying out of compassion but crying out of thankfulness. Thankful for the grace God has given me by placing me with the family He did, I don't deserve any of it. I could be them. This experience confirmed in my heart that I was placed on this earth to help others. I want to work in a field where I can counsel, be a role model, and provide clinical help to those who want to turn their lives around. I want to make a difference. I know why God allowed me to face all I did growing up, so I could have compassion, not only compassion, but understanding, relate-ability. Be the person you needed when you were
No matter what obstacle or challenges we faced, we still managed to find solutions to our problems and kept being optimistic. Going through a rough childhood it is easy to harbor hate and bitterness but being able to look logically at a situation and motivate it to change you that is strength that Jeannette and I
Most people do not actively seek out adversity, yet few can escape encountering adversity in the form of hardships and afflictions. Two people who faced great adversity in their lives were Martin Luther King Jr. and my father Brent Vickery. These men both faced adversity in different degrees and at different times and places within the United States, but what makes them similar is that their strength of character allowed them to face adversity boldly.
I entered one. Hundreds of bodies laying scattered on the ground. The chills of the night floating through the air as these brand new settlers rested peacefully at basecamp. Some of them hadn’t even heard of the country they were presently fast asleep in; others having only heard stories of such place. However, they all shared the same goal; to escape. They fought for their future, for their children, and for their lives. On a grueling journey - one I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy.
What I’ve observed to be pressing problems at the Washtenaw County Jail are the following: 1) the hostility that the incarcerated women embody; 2) the effect that having only one hour of free time has on prisoners’ psyches when they are in the maximum security portion of the jail; 3) the social stigma that a freed inmates faces when he/she has to identify that they’ve been to jail. All three problems have impacted me someway either during our sessions or outside of class. Furthermore, all problems have, as causes, situations dealing with privilege and oppression.
C2.) Goodkind recommended to take action at multiple levels would be a better fit for programs for young women in the juvenile justice system. She believes programs should implement change at the individual, social network, community, and institutional levels. Doing so would put focus on the person-in-environment framework. Transforming these girls would be ineffective without taking inconsideration the increase of options and opportunities available to them. Goodkind also voiced support for the parents of these girls also; especially those with low-incomes. Due to the structural and institutional barriers and constraints; many of these girls’ parents are “not there”, because of several issues: financial difficulties, affordable child care, limited and effective affordable substance abuse treatment programs, inadequate schools, and racial discrimination.
Working with the women in the shelter was challenging, rewarding, and humbling. I felt many different emotions, sometimes I was sad as I’d listen to the women there share their stories with me. At times I felt an overwhelming sense of joy for them as we’d converse about their strength and ability to overcome the situations many of them had come out of. I felt triumph for some the fighters, but the greatest of all the emotions I felt, was hope. All of the women I spoke with, regardless of their background, their situation, or their story, had a tremendous outlook of hope. In the face of all of the adversity in front of them they believed wholeheartedly in the good that would come in the days ahead. That hope rubbed off on me. What had started as my own quest for self-fulfillment and self-knowledge had turned into something greater and I couldn’t have been more thankful. These courageous women, in sharing their stories with me helped me to build on my own story. They inspired, motivated, and pushed me to never give
During the summer or even on weekends my mom would take me with her to go help out her patients. Which included bathing them, feeding them, and caring for them. Not only did I help my mom with her patients but I would always help rake leaves, pick up trash and make their yard look nice. I can’t even image how they would’ve done all the things I did for them with their fragile bodies. I’m glad I was there for them and made a difference. Aside from helping my mom’s patients. I helped an elderly man who was on fire in his backyard. It was around spring time and I heard someone screaming yelling “help” so I went around to look and there he was on fire. I tried so hard to put out the fire and it felt like mission impossible but I did not give up even though the ambulance were on the way. He was burnt pretty bad, but I was so glad I found him. Who knows it could’ve been worse! He is still alive till this day and sits on his porch waiting for me to pass by his house every morning to say good morning. It’s such a wonderful feeling to know that I not only changed a life but I saved
...s for change in society, and I could not help but grow. It was just inevitable that if I looked out and saw people in all their radiant fighting beauty, then I would just stuck with love for them” (Sealeve, 1998). In this conversation, I found out that Walker has found her inner self and trying to help others find themselves in this painful world. This conversation talks about Walker’s experience through life, but I have also found out that she has realized it was worth the experience to through because she found out that life is tough and if you stay tough you can get through life. Walker felt pain in this world back then, but time went on and now she feels good about herself and trying to get her word across people.
... child no matter what. I feel like this story has helped me to be open-minded to the various situations that people may face and to not make assumptions. I also feel somewhat prepared for the situations that I may face in the field of social work as I continue to unpack my baggage.
Programs in prisons that are tailored to women’s unparalleled needs would benefit society in the grand scheme of things. On an individual level it could break the cycle of abuse, victimization, and self-loathing. It is essential that the double damage done to female offenders be repaired because they deserve an unbiased chance at a good life. After all, they could represent your mother, aunt, sister, niece, wife and girlfriend. In her book, A woman doing life: Notes from a prison for women, Erin George did a fine job in depicting the life of women during the time they were incarcerated. She also included a light reflection of what life was like before prison and what life could be like after prison. This book included vivid passages of how women went about their daily routines in prison. It also provided enlightening details on the stark contrast between jail and prison. More importantly, this text was not only written from Erin George’s own observations and experiences, she included the perspectives of her fellow prison mates and even stories from correctional officers. The purpose of this text came across as a way to provide readers with completely detailed phenomenological accounts of prison life for women. These stories were described in such a descriptive fashion that a reader could easily picture the incidences that occurred. The depth of the book included information about debunking myths and stereotypes of female offenders, the lack of prisoner’s rights and the impossibility of parole, along with many other insightful observations. Overall, her intention came across as a genuine means to provide readers with a holistic portrayal of the world of women in prison.
The first class at Hilltop was spent working with Jackson County Family Court Services Volunteer Coordinator Sonja Potter. The day was productive as the class learned about the background of what the youth deal with in their lives outside of Hilltop. Within the residential facility, Potter emphasized how important it was to build an honest connection with the youth at the residential facility. Potter inspired me to be more transparent when mentoring the youth. I didn’t want to just show up and talk with the youth at Hilltop; I wanted to have an actual impact on their lives. Listening to the teenagers at the residential facility and the workers who devoted their careers to working with the youth was critical. The youth at the facility were a mixture of both girls and boys. It would take a precise level of research to understand how the girls functioned versus the boys at the residential center. Dr. Katherine Van Wormer, Professor of Social Work at the University of Northern Iowa, stated, “The reason that a gendered approach is crucial to the treatment ...
I’ve been locked up for 14 years i’ve tried to escape any way I could find.Every day I had to march to my cold cell and they’d tormented us for 30 minutes.They forced us eat canned dog food and buy overpriced water .Trying to not kill your aggravating inmates seven times a day was the hardest part of it all . We had to dress in these horrid jumpsuits and carry these heavy weights on our backs every single day ,they’d also make us do hard labor having to finish it every night. They would even have us ride buses with these pandemonium people.
In this day and time we see so much tragedy and so many troubled souls. When we watch the news we see kids having trouble, KIDS. Sometimes it’s hard to understand how it can get so difficult for such a young soul. Then, they grow up and become troubled adults. How much of a difference could we make if we helped those kids while they are still young??
While there are many things standing in my way, my experiences have prepared me. My mother’s kidney disease shows me the importance of being financially prepared for the unexpected. My dad’s hard work and sacrifice has shown me how to be a hard-working woman and to put others before myself. And most importantly, I have learned that no matter a person’s race, gender, or class, you never truly know a person’s
"It's raining again...Great" I mumbled, pulling my hoodie tighter around me. I set out walking as far from the orphanage for the day as my feet would carry me. Another day of dealing with the pains in my stomach and the pain in my head, from lack of sleep maybe...but the loud crying coming from the other children was also to blame. I knew they were crying for the same reason I would be leaving in a few days, the hunger and beatings had gotten far worse at the orphanage, when the funding had started to go dry 9 years ago. I had learned when I was young, the best thing to do was to leave in the morning when the cry's would start and only come home when I knew my own would not add to them.