Creativity and innovation, the two sides of the same coin, can happen in both big and little increments. You’ve heard me talk about the work of Jon Ponder and Hope for Prisoners (H4P), helping ex-felons successfully reenter society and a productive life. The flip side of this issue is helping young people avoid a life of crime. The same creative thought process that spawned H4P has led to some ingenuity at the other end of the spectrum. A new restaurant opened in my neighborhood that only employs disadvantaged and/or troubled youth and others who may be on the way towards but have not yet been incarcerated. Led by an owner-manager and chef who fully understand the challenges their employees face, they use work to provide structure and discipline to their charges’ troubled lives. Through my work with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), I applaud their approach to helping those employees who’ve been in the foster care system to learn about things like the importance of keeping schedules, learning new and productive skills, and taking care of others. The looks on their faces when customers appreciate and compliment them is a picture of that transformation in action – learning about values and living them in a real-world work environment makes them tangible and real. There’s no shortage of young people to help and no end to the benefits that can be derived. There are CASA organizations in every judicial district in the US (https://www.casa4kidsinc.org/what-we-do/the-role-of-casa.html) - find one in your area and look into helping out today.
George Smith Patton Jr. (1885 – 1945): American general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, then the Third Army in France and Germany after the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944.
No comments:
Post a Comment