They were expecting me.
This was not a new experience - I had been in before.
I was there to speak to the men who are involved in the Prison Entrepreneurship Program – PEP. I spoke to about 70 men who are enrolled in class 11. Each class creates a nickname for their class. Class 11 is the “Lollypops.” When I heard that I knew that I was supposed to be there. Landrie and Karsyn call Laura and I “Lolly” and “Pops.”
Not only do they create a name for each class. Each participant is given a positive nickname. On my previous visit I was named “Butter Cup.”
The PEP program is an intensive and comprehensive program designed to prepare these men to be productive and contributing citizens when they are released from prison. This unique program works with men who are 6-12 months from their release. The only men who are ineligible are those convicted of sex crimes. The application process is rigorous, and being accepted into the program is no guarantee of graduating. The program seeks to develop the whole man. They have a manners night where the men are taught how to treat a lady on a date. They have a selling night, where they have 5 minutes to present a product or service and ask for the order. MBA students come in to mentor the men on preparing a business plan. This is a critical skill because it is often difficult for the men to find jobs when they come out of the prison, so they start their own businesses.
And they have a graduation ceremony when they complete the PEP program. The ceremony is complete with regalia – caps and gowns – and all the pomp and circumstance normally associated with graduations. For many of these men it is the first graduation ceremony they have ever participated in.
You have no doubt heard me say that the real measure of leadership is changed lives. It’s exciting to go to this prison because there is so much tangible life change. The results of this program are astounding. In a state where the recidivism rate is in excess of 65%, the rate for PEP graduates is less than 5%.
The men of PEP are changed men. But everyone that goes in to work with them is also changed. The MBA students come back from their time in the prison talking about how they went in thinking they would be investing in these men and making a difference. The students come out talking about the difference the PEP men made in the students’ lives.
Like my students, I went to Cleveland last week to invest in the lives of the PEP men and to make a difference. I made two presentations on Legacy Leadership. This is about the tenth time I have given this talk this year. Their response was overwhelming. The men were engaged and asked penetrating questions. The handshakes, the words, and the hugs were sincere expressions of their gratitude for my presence there with them.
The sincerity of their response and their commitment to life change fired me up. I went to invest in them, and they invested themselves in me.
As I left Cleveland last Thursday evening, I was reminded of Paul’s comment in 2 Corinthians 7:18:
“For they have refreshed my spirit and yours.
Therefore, acknowledge such men.”
1 comment:
Thanks for this post, J.Lee!! What an awesome encouragement it must be to see the direct results of your efforts and the positive life change. Your compassion and commitment to others never ceases to inspire me. Thanks again!!
Post a Comment