MY LIFE YOUR STORY: POWER OF PEACE PROJECT SUCCESS

The My Life, Your Story program is a Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) initiative through its Office of Reentry Services. The program highlights the transformation of DJJ youth and grants them a conduit to reach other youthful offenders and at-risk teens through letter-writing. The following letter from a DJJ youth illuminates various nuances of wisdom and grants other opportunities to learn from these lessons.

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MY LIFE YOUR STORY: POWER OF PEACE PROJECT SUCCESS

At a recent DJJ Board Meeting, one of the many new graduates of the Power of Peace Project was able to share his experiences with the program and why he believes that the program could be successful around the state.

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I wanted to say thank you to DJJ and thank you for having the Power of Peace Project at the Eastman YDC. This program has changed a lot of things in my life. It brought me stability, discipline, and structure. The Power of Peace Project gave everyone participating in it something to look forward to each week. I always said, “I have something to look forward to doing next week, so I have to be good this week.”

The program also allowed me to vent and talk about my feelings to a real mentor. Before that, I didn’t have any hope for myself. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I was lost and didn’t have a father figure to help me.

So, when I came to the Eastman YDC and joined the Power of Peace Project, I gained a mentor who helped to change my life. Eastman presented me with information about going to college and different avenues away from the life that I was living.

Sometimes, you don’t know what’s out there that can be good until you are exposed to them directly. The Eastman YDC did that for me. Because of the Power of Peace Project and DJJ, I could get a job and attend college. I never once thought I could attend college or study Business Administration while on the streets. But now, I can reach goals while doing better for myself and being safe. This is because I was rehabilitated at DJJ.

Sincerely,

Former Eastman YDC Youth

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Additional Youth Stories:

My Story Your Life: Dedicated to Starting Over