Transitional House Site Visit

Our first site visit to the transitional house was yesterday. They have meetings every Wednesdays and every other week would be talking circles, with certain topics for each one to share. At this meeting, there were about 20 men who attended, all from the four different houses that were opened by Sister Mary. I was a little early so I went in and got to meet some of the guys. Ralph was very friendly. As the house manager for 1135 Leighton Ave (the main and largest house), he's been living there for 10-11 months now. He's also a certified optomitrist and since he got out, he's been dealing with a type of arthritis that prevents him from searching for a job. On top of that, he mentioned that with such a record following him, it's difficult to find one.

The topic of the talking circle last night was Blessing of the Day. Philip from 40th Street Back House led the session. He's Native American and he brought along an eagle feather that has spiritual meaning to pass along the circle. I was really touched by the things that people had to say. What they found were blessing are everyday events that I take for granted, such as waiting in line at the mall or being in traffic. One guy said that he's just blessed to be alive and free. To me, that kind of thought never really goes through my mind. As much as I hate it make it to be about myself now that I'm more conscious after reading the articles, but hearing those guys really gave me a different perspective on my own life. I'm really looking forward to the next two months to get to know the individuals and am interested to hear what they have to say about the problems that they deal with. I just hope that once I do hear those problems that we, the guys and my group, are able to collaborate and create something that will draw attention and better change to their lives.

At the beginning when they asked us specifically why we are there, we were a little stumped because we didn't want to make it about ourselves and offend them in anyway. Nevertheless, they were very welcoming and warm towards us. Julie, a "facilitator" of these meetings, also spoke with us afterward about how society tends to group all the incarcerated people together and make judgement on the large rate of recidivism but they ignore that it's different for lifers. Throughout their experiences in prison, they really do alot of soul searching and most of them come out wanting to change and improve their lives. She said that it is really inspiring to work with them and I look forward to that as well.

Also, in terms of the way the Families group is established in our class, it's been a hectic and confusing process just to figure out who is in what group, at least for me. I admit I was a little caught up and worried about not having a group or having to work alone but I think having visited the site gave me a grander perspective that I shouldn't be worried about those things right now. What's important is building relationships with these guys and hearing them out on what changes they think would improve their lives and get them back on track into society. I guess it's okay that I don't really have a set idea about how I want the documentary to be. After all, it is a collaboration and the purpose is to give voice to our community partners, not me. So on that note, I do look forward to the next few months and I hope whoever I work with - my group and the individuals at the house, it'll be a learning and effective community changing process.