| We want to share an article with you about the amazing program we are doing in partnership with Today’s Future Sound in the Alameda County Juvenile Hall. This article really gives a great view into the spirit and impact of the program. We were super honored to be featured and have our program highlighted in this way. You can check out the article here, but make sure you come back and finish this blog post, as it will really bring everything together into a compete picture. To give you an even more in depth look into this program and the experiences of the youth who participate in it, we’d like to share a short but powerful story with you about one young man who came through the first cycle of the program we recently completed. |
| As with many of the young men we work with in the hall, when we first began the group he was not able to identify or envision a positive future for himself. When he freestyled or wrote raps, the only subject matter he was able to convey was around selling drugs, active gang involvement and shooting his enemies. However, over the course of the group, he underwent a profound transformation. He began to share more personal and vulnerable aspects of his experience, both in the group discussion and in his creative output. He began to identify hopes and dreams he had for the future, things in his life that he would need to let go of to achieve those hopes and dreams, and real steps he could take towards this future. As part of the process of our group, we do an in-depth, custom designed guided visualization which is intended to help the youth get a clear picture of their future fully successful self, in whatever way they define success for themselves. After going through this visualization experience, this young man’s face filled with an inner light, excitement, and even a sense of innocence. He expressed that he could actually see his future in his mind’s eye, and that he had never had any kind of experience like this before. “I had a whole vision”, he exclaimed in wonder. He went on to share with us that in this vision he saw himself in a suit and tie, carrying a brief case, and leading meetings in a corporate environment. |
| While some may trivialize this kind of experience as simply a day dream, for a young man who was incarcerated at the time, with his background, with the level of trauma he has experienced and the very limited options that the world has presented to him, to be able to clearly and confidently see and imagine a future version of himself in this position is a step forward that is light years in magnitude. This vision is the first and necessary step for him to actualize the incredible potential that he holds within himself. |
| So yeah, we love the work we do! Lastly, we’d like to share with you a quote from a staff member at the Juvenile Hall who worked with us closely on this particular program. “It is amazing to see how much the youth have learned and grown since the beginning of the program. The way that Rhythmic Mind is able to connect with the youth and create an atmosphere where they feel comfortable to express themselves and embrace new ideas is truly superb. The participants have developed a clear sense of what they would like their future to look like thanks to this program.” – Bradlee Line |