I have somehow become Celeste Blair (Peer Success Creator’s) personal secretary. I enjoy helping her organize all our paperwork, folders, and binders for our peer success team. I have spent several hours today shuffling through paperwork, punching holes, and filing all our applications for all members and leaders for the 12 housing units. We have a total of 99 leaders and mentors as of today. It is so awesome that so many people have stepped up and are committing to help make their communities better. I am excited about our Training Seminar next week. I am eager to learn from my peers and continue to grow our program. I am also teaching a 20-minute workshop on the Physical Spoke of the wellness wheel. We are in the baby steps of our program but I know once we have this training seminar next week everyone on the team will have a better understanding of what role they play as mentors within the community and their strengths. This should help foster bonds and an overall better living atmosphere. I love the peer-to-peer mentor aspect we all have special gifts and talents that we can share with others. This program has given me new motivation to continue working on re-entry and helping others get in the right mindset for the future. We are so much more than this place and this time. I always keep the end in mind, but when you have a long sentence to serve sometimes it is hard to see that light at the end of the tunnel. Prison can be very negative at times. By attending the meetings and listening to my fellow leaders I learn a lot. Some of them have life sentences or have served decades in prison to see how they find that fight within them to push forward and still help others ignites that light at the end of my tunnel. I thank Celeste for bringing this program to life. She has put in a lot of work to make this Peer Success Team a reality at this prison. I see her vision and support it. I hope years from today people realize that her crazy is beautiful. I will be transferring to another prison to attend the FIT program soon but I am happy for the work I have been able to help her with before I leave. I plan on taking these lessons with me and empowering my peers at the next prison I arrive at.
