“You cannot teach a man anything. You can only help him discover it within himself”

     There are more than a few moving pieces within The Reclamation Project and that is because while we have a single mission, there are several goals we're trying to accomplish.   

     I briefly spoke about mentoring on the inside, what about the outside? Traditionally there have been programs such as Scare Straight that have little to no impact on the newer generations. These practices are outdated and ineffective. Violence is glorified and dominates our newer generations. It's because of trauma that isn't being addressed. 

     Prison is just a way of life and in many cases a way to gain status. How do we change the narrative? Fear isn't going to make a difference but love and compassion and providing an outlet to heal from past traumas will.

     My personal commitment is to use technology that's available for the purpose of mentoring young men from prison. My goal is to start with 5 young men from diverse upbringings. We will meet several times a month through either individual or group zoom calls. There will be specific topics and prosocial activities that will allow us to develop healthy connections and connect dots using Cognitive Behavior Therapy and gut level discussions trying to establish where the thinking error is coming from and uprooting it. I can't help but believe that I can have the same successful results I've had while being incarcerated. I manifest a certain energy that motivates and inspires and what better way to use it than being part of the solution and help break this vicious cycle.