Here at Aliceville the think tank that I am so proud to have been key in creating, THE COLLECTIVE, is now over a year old. Our main objective to to manage the PEER SUCCESS TEAM which is compromised of 120 mentors. We are changing lives in real time.
We with real-time conflict resolution and re-entry building.
The very first word on the vocabulary list in the Appendix of PREPARING FOR SUCCESS AFTER FREEDOM is ” abdicate “.
Our Collective has no issue in abdicating members who violate our code of conduct. It’s not personal, it’s business. Teaching this alone is re-entry. When I formed the group I stressed that our goal is to learn how to be professionals.
Our group of 15 is an impressive one. Ms… Maureen Robbins is one of the most impressive.
I would like to tell you of a real live situation we recently dealt with.
Imagine this, we are in a prison. Safety and security trump everything. In Peer Success, our reputation is key.
One of the things we are teaching is how our actions INEVITABLY, effect our community.
I designed the program in the way in which we are all to simply be doing our best to be well in mind, body, spirit and community. Our leaders and mentors are held to a high standard, but we recognize that all issues can be dealt with by doing some course correction work.
Now hold on, this is going to get real. One of the mentors in Ms… Robbins group was suspected of ” going out of bounds “.
The young lady is just that, young. She is also an artist and a person who contributes much to the Collective.
None-the-less, we are a program of accountability. Ms… Robbins swiftly spoke to her, bringing to her attention that she everything we do in under a microscope as Leaders in our community. I like to say, ” we must be above reproach “.
The young lady kept doing what she wanted to do, her reasoning was that she was going out of bounds to make her money, doing an art project.
I applaud Ms… Robbins for understanding the importance of not just allowing this to be swept under the rug. It takes courage and tenacity to create an uncomfortable situation rather than turning the other cheek.
You see there are 1200 women on this compound and our Collective may not have ever really known that she had been going out of bounds. But one night she was out of bounds and she was found out, causing the entire compound to be locked down early.
In our past think tank meeting, we had an intervention. By now, Ms… Robbins was seeking the support of the Collective so we could all talk it out and decide what actions to take, ( i.e… probation which would involve a period of community service and a written assignment or abdication )
I give the lady props for not just saying farewell, as others have in the past when held accountable for negative behavior.
The way we operate is we give space for the story to unfold in a professional way, this means we address how she has specifically violated the code of conduct. Then, we give feedback.
My feedback came from listening to what she had to say about the situation.
I began by creating a safe space between us in the moment, by letting her know that I too am a wild artistic, creative freebird, and that I often see myself in her.
In response to her explanation of the situation, she said, ” this is how I make my money “and I replied by asking her what she will do once she is released ” for money “? I told her not to answer me, but instead to spend sometime in deep quite time thinking about the answer.
Next, I addressed another statement she had made, ” she wasn’t hurting anyone “. Here, I took the time to describe the ripple of a stone tossed in the water, every action and all that; I broke it down, ” some of us have loved ones who live in a different time zone and that the only time I can call the love of my life is after 9 pm due to this time difference and I brought to her attention that we have no way to know out of the 1200 folks how many had a video visit, how many children may have not gotten to say goodnight to mommy.
We called for a vote. Probation with a written assignment reflecting how similar choices could cause her to lose her freedom post- incarceration.
She received the feedback with grace and accepted the terms of her probation.
This is what re-entry looks like in real time.
Peer Success Style! Extraordinary and Compelling.
