Today was our last day in the Department of Youth Services. Today was a shorter day, and we got to see some of the same guys one more time. We played basketball again. It’s a really easy way to get to know the guys and hang out without being really invasive. It’s more comfortable when its something they like to do, instead of having us invade their space. We have heard some really great stories. We also got to talk with some staff, although mine were not so willing to talk. Other than that we just hung out and shared stories. Its like we have become apart of their community, we are normal now, but the only thing is that we are leaving. The last hour we spent in the facility we were back with the people we started off with on the first day. They are two employees at the department of youth services and have come back to do some debriefing. We had a great conversation and we went over as a group how we thought the week went. You could tell that we really learned a lot and enjoyed it. We all learned so much, we couldn’t wait to talk through everything, and we did. Overall this experience has expanded my knowledge so much. Its hard to actually process everything at once. Its also hard to put it all down in words. Poverty and gangs, education and mental health, there were so many issues just in one place. There are also so many areas to tackle. If anything that I have been coming to this same conclusion, it is something that has really been on my mind. I have been thinking that its not about where you start, whether its in school at gang intervention programs, or at the correctional facilities themselves, you can start making an impact as long as you decide to start making a change. Its like what came first the chicken or the egg? Either way you could debate it for hours, but what matters is choosing the chicken or choosing the egg. Its choosing somewhere to start and taking those initial steps. It’s starting to create the wave, the ripple. If there is one valuable thing, which I learned way too much, but if one thing I will take away it will be to actually make a change. Its taking that initial leap of faith and being that drop in the ocean that creates a ripple that, no matter what size, creates a wave of some sort. That’s the best imagery I have right now. It’s been a long week, and my brain is still trying to recover. I have learned more in one week than some of my classes. It was an absolutely amazing trip, and if I could I would do it all over again.
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