Sunday Inspiration: Notes from my First Tour by Tisa Silver
Tomorrow, I will complete my first "tour" of sorts! Only a few of you knew about it, and I embarked upon it carrying just one book.
Doesn’t sound like much of a tour, right? I assure you it was special. It was eye-opening, encouraging and inspiring for me. I hope it was at least one of those things for the members of my audience. Let me answer the questions you may have…
Why weren’t you invited? I was visiting the state’s youth detention facilities.
Why did I take just one book? So I could read a short excerpt to the kids.
The point of this “tour” was not to make money or to sell books, but instead to share a lesson: Making better decisions now can create a better later.
My first tour has been a blessing, and many people wonder why I would begin it with a detention center. Let me explain.
Many of us have an opinion of who the “bad ones” are, how they behave or what they look like. They are the disrespectful ones, the slackers, the deviants, the troublemakers, the violent ones who need to be locked up, and so forth.
If you visit a detention center, you may encounter some kids that live up to the “bad one” label, but there are others who may look familiar. You may know them from your child’s school or they may favor or behave just like your child or a child you know. When you recognize them you may begin to think, “What is he doing here? He’s not like the rest of them. He’s not bad, maybe he just made a bad decision.”
It’s always interesting to witness how opinions change when a familiar face or story is attached to a preconceived notion. My point: Dispense with the labels and instead, make a difference in someone's life.
Over the past month, I have met some young people who are doing time and trying to make the most of it. They are earning credits toward their diplomas. They are earning certifications and they are thinking seriously about the future.
Several of the young men shared their accomplishments with me. I gladly led a round of applause for each one. One young man came up to me after my presentation and said I had inspired him to go to college. He told me he had already earned one certification, and was working on another one in fiberoptics. I was so excited to hear of his achievements, and I was deeply affected by hearing him say that my words made such a difference to him.
These young men will never know how much of an impact they have had on me. They brought me to tears, but I held them in until after I left the facility. The tears were not from a place of pity, but from a place of awe. I was so proud of what they are doing and proud of the staff that instructs and supports them daily.
This is what rehabilitation is supposed to be about: making a positive impact so individuals can re-enter society better than they were upon their exit.
I must extend deep thanks to Bashawn Dixon, for getting me connected with the youth! One by one, we will continue to reach them and lives will change for the better.
To everyone reading this message, thank you for your time and please give more. You don’t have to go as far as a detention center or a jail to make a difference. Take the lesson and share it with your kids (or a kid near you) NOW, and maybe they won’t end up locked up LATER.
Making better decisions now can create a better later.
“Every thief, addict or murderer was somebody’s child first.”- The Time Value of Life, Chapter 15: Good Investments Pay
-Tisa
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