Reply To: Exercise 4: 10 Friends and Family Members
I did it.
I made the ten calls, received three pieces of actionable advice from each person, remembered to ask them who they might put me in touch with, all of it. I directed conversations, took notes, made files, and overall practiced my chops of early-stage project development. I was developing some real momentum around Sustainabilty Leadership workshops for early-stage entrepreneurs or small businesses.
And then I heard Jonathan Petts speak about solving a real problem. Which got me thinking: is it a real problem that early-stage entrepreneurs and small business owners struggle with the “triple bottom line” (i.e. financial sustainability, social sustainability, and environmental sustainability)? Or was that just me trying to smush something I knew I wanted to be doing into something I sort of know to be a tangential problem?
I haven’t abandoned the notion of providing workshops (or coaching) to small-scale entrepreneurs, but I have reconsidered which of the infinite problems on earth I would like to spend my time solving.
I landed on an issue that has been gnawing at me for years now: the incarcerated population of America tend to feel hopeless, helpless, and abandoned by society at large. Do they struggle, in general, with a wide array of other undesired emotions? You betcha. Are there mountains of other problems and issues around our culture of criminality and obsession with punishment, especially in America? Also yes. But an initiator’s gotta start somewhere.
My updated project idea is to provide one pilot program in our local Union County jail of Sustainability Simplified workshops. This is the first project that feels like it’s lifting off of its own accord, and I’m trying not to be intimidated by all the “you should call” advice I’ve already received.
At the same time, I’m also finding myself most doubtful about this project’s potential success. As one of my friends put it, “what can they actually do in there?”
And the truth is: I have no idea what they can do in there. Is it even possible to follow through with a Spodek Method commitment from a jail cell? These fundamental unknowns mean that this project could be a flaming ball of failure. Heck, it could get shot down before it even gets started. But the other side of that coin is: I also had no idea what any of the folks I’ve led through the Spodek Method could do. It’s a surprise every time! So if anything, I’m deeply curious to find out the ways in which our friends behind bars might tap into any of the same empowerment, hopefulness, and peace of mind that so many others have found through the Spodek Method technology.
In summary, here is the advice I received:
• (x2) Be aware of inmate limitations. What are the constraints on their time? Physical space? Rules?
• (x2) Reach out to others who have run programs in jails and prisons. Reach out to government department in charge to discuss other programs. Research other programs in prisons/ jails.
• (x2) Emphasize the desired outcome for inmates: will they be able to get jobs, regulate their emotions, etc? Emphasize skills built.
o Keep in mind we are not a community of risk-takers. Sell program as “this workshop helps people become self-sufficient, who aren’t such a tax on society anymore…”
o Speak the language of those who have the power to approve programs on the inside. Research DOC mission/ find ways to say the right words.
• (x3) Be cautious of particular personalities (like our DA, for example). They may know me by reputation, and not necessarily in a good way.
o Hearsay stories of programs being run poorly/ possibly illegally in past. Be aware of historical context.
o County commissioners notoriously risk averse. I could talk to them, but they’ll almost certainly send me to sheriff.
o Find commonality with Cody Bowen. He tends to go where the winds blow him. As a school resource officer, those winds were a bit more grounding. Now he’s prepping for a coup?
• (x2) Convince authorities this is a program worth putting on the roster. Consider who I know, directly or indirectly, to help me get “in.”
o Find social service coordinator for jail (sometimes social worker, sometimes chaplain). Connect with them.
• (x3) Tailor sustainability concept into this direction so it fits. Use as many of the same materials as possible
o Perhaps reconsider structure of workshop/ hours per session/ sessions per week
o Find a way to implement program without starting from scratch. Use any workshop materials or frameworks that already exist.
• Consider offering program to the newly-released
• Consider offering Initiative
• Consider how I’m going to be compensated, or decide if I’m just doing this as a passion project/ clarify parameters of intention.
• (x2) Keep in mind different inmates have different stories. “The incarcerated” is not a monolith.
o Narrow types of people who might be interested
• Get feedback from participants as you go. Build that into the workshop
• Bridge gap between “incarcerated” and “sustainability” and ensure that is communicated in pitching program
• Clarify description. Why is this a solution to their problems?
o Ask myself: why this group? Is the delta the greatest?
• Consider expanding emrollment beyond inmates: maybe jail admin or leadership, too? Try to engage with them while engaging with inmates
• Acquaint myself with order of operations in County commissioner funding. Money comes from county budget, goes to sherrif, but jail is run through deputy? But don’t jump chain of command!
Contact recommendations:
• Dr. Epperstein’s husband. (She was psychiatrist in town, moved to CO with family. Husband tried to start programs in town but came up on some obstacles. He may help me navigate the mine field.)
• Howard Univeristy department of criminology/ any professor
• My uncle Russ
• Andy Alpine, runs support groups for ex-convicts, worked in San Quentin
• Cody Bowen, sheriff. (Send Liz Meyer short write up of what I want her to say… and remind her a lot until she confirms she’s sent it!)
• “Esther” from Initiative
• Cami from NEON. She’s run NA programs in Union County jail.
• Warren Farrell, author of “Myth of Male Power”
• TED talk speaker, name forthcoming