TROUBLE! BEING IMPRISONED FOR 23 HOURS A DAY IS ABSOLUTELY INSANE!
Jul 20, 2024 9:30 pm
The other morning, I was at the gym working out and watching television when I saw something that really got my attention.
The juvenile detention center, Henry Wade Justice Center, which I've donated hundreds of books to, appeared on the screen. I saw a bunch of parents in front of it and I thought, what in the world is going on? (Pictures from news reporting below, as well as a promotion I used in the past for book donations and links to actual news reporting videos. I HIGHLY encourage you to watch the news videos for yourself. All from 2 weeks ago.)
Youtube video links of news reports:
Link #1: https://youtu.be/7PpyxzwxXaM?si=00EbNISP6fYdJK4y
Link #2: https://youtu.be/HB5g21haoDo?si=NDznxeUSJZf6g8Fh
Link #3: https://youtu.be/qqxweljmmXY?si=zM2BAVVOHI7Yzzpz
Well, it turns out that the teenagers there have not been treated right. They have some facility issues and all kinds of troubles going on.
So I did further research and discovered that they have been keeping the teens locked up for 23 hours a day, which is absolutely ridiculous. I mean, could you imagine being a teenager and being locked in one spot for 90% of the day? Can you imagine what that would do to your mental health?
There is no way a teen being locked up like that, without any access to educational programming to help them develop life, communication, social, and emotional skills, will help them make better decisions, which will lead to them becoming functioning adults.
As many of you know, I spent almost two years in a Dallas juvenile detention center, teaching the very skills I mentioned through an educational program named at the time "How of Empowerment."
The reason I'm sending this email is that after watching news broadcasts and reading news articles about the issues at Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center, I discovered one of the major issues is a lack of educational programming for the teens. If you watched the news videos, this is something that one of the parents is demanding for the incarcerated teens.
So, I’ve decided to bring my WORTHY TO BE GREAT Leadership and Self-Discipline Skills development program, based on the practical principles in my latest book, “WORTHY TO BE GREAT: How to Build Self-Discipline to Achieve Your Greatness,” into the Henry Wade Justice Center. I’ve reached out to them and will be having a meeting to discuss bringing my program in.
You can watch the video I created and sent to them about the program by clicking the thumbnail with my picture on it. I know it looks bad with my mouth wide open and eyes closed lol or click the this Youtube link: https://youtu.be/dZyVZ9OsfmE
I've emailed the staff leaders who work in the Dallas County Juvenile system and were instrumental in helping me get my books into the teens' hands. The emails and the responses are below.
This summer, I’ve been on a WORTHY TO BE GREAT book tour. I’ve been speaking at service clubs and meeting with university representatives to get my book and program into universities. However, I’m now shifting my focus to Juvenile Detention Centers.
Therefore, I’ll be asking service club members to sponsor copies of my book while on tour, and I am asking for your support in my efforts by sponsoring copies of my book, WORTHY TO BE GREAT, for the teens at a donation rate of $10.
I have reduced the rate as much as possible. Due to inflation, Amazon charges me the full amount for shipping and handling, which is not waived despite having Amazon PRIME. To be more transparent, I’ll be using the money to purchase my own book at the author's rate (this is the rate given only to the author) and dropping them off myself. (YES, the shipping and taxes are more than the book!) Click here to sponsor books:
The good news is that the more books ordered, the lower the shipping rate I have to pay. So, if you choose to sponsor a book, you can select the quantity you wish to sponsor, even if it’s just one. (Costs shown below, and I will be brainstorming other ideas along with my tour to get more sponsors.)
Getting a program in a correctional facility is very difficult. I will be meeting with Dallas County Juvenile Justice representatives about doing so. In the meantime, I will be getting as many copies of my book as I can to donate while going through the program review process. Doing so will at least provide the teens with a book containing practical knowledge and skills they can read to start the process of working on themselves.
If you'd like to help make a difference by donating a book, click on the link below. Donate as many copies as you wish. Thank you for your support.
Click here to sponsor books:
Gene
