Week 2
Week in Review
Monday April 9, 2018
Today we arrived in the PEP room about 7:30 a.m. Today’s class was on the topic of Toastmasters, a regularly scheduled class that is introducing us to competent communication and speaking in front of an audience. This is only our second class, and we were a little disoriented, so it took about 20 minutes to get the class organized and started. Once we actually got started, the class got very interesting with the different job titles and responsibilities. As the first speaker was introduced, we were able to sense his nervousness, but as he continued to present his speech he started to relax. This was the case for many speakers, but I saw that there is a lot of potential for success in our class of “Legacy ‘18.” The theme of the day we spoke on was, “If you could be an animal, what would it be?” We were chosen at random by the general evaluator and given 60 seconds to answer. There were some very interesting answers, as well as some very imaginative ones, that really got us thinking.
Courtesy Eric Carle
Being part of PEP and taking Toastmasters will teach us to be speakers that are more effective and prepare us for the Business Plan Competition. I look forward to giving my next speech. In conclusion, we had a lot of fun as a class, and by allowing some of our brothers to present their first “Ice Breaker” speech really helped us to get to know each other.
Michael B. (a.k.a. “Evander Holyfield”)
Tuesday April 10, 2018
Just to give some of you an idea of how a “typical” day goes here … as the day begins, a few of my brothers wake up at 4 a.m. to start our morning and get prepared for breakfast. By 5 a.m., we all make it to the eating area to eat a healthy meal to fuel our minds and bodies for a day of learning here in PEP. By 6 a.m., we are consumed as we study Living in the Village, which educates us on financial budgeting. We are preparing for numerous work assignments as well as studying vigorously as we prepare for additional work assignments and lessons of the Entrepreneurship textbook. This is truly an amazing learning experience for us all.
Some of us start our morning out in the computer lab where we are being introduced to Word, Excel and PowerPoint programs. For those of us who have experience in these programs, this is a good refresher course for us, but for those of us who aren’t computer literate, this is a major task and well worth it.
After lunch, we are ready to take a pop quiz – and sure enough, we had to take one. The majority of the class passed with flying colors which gave us much-needed confidence. Today the brotherhood bond that we share was strengthened. This is a great program and a turning point for those who want to be successful.
Courtesy YouTube
St. John B. (a.k.a. “Toucan Sam”)
Wednesday April 11, 2018
Today in class, Brian T. touched on many topics relating to the curriculum while going over Chapter Two in our Individual Leadership and Entrepreneurial Start-Ups handbook. Brian would stop in order to remind us that prison is a circumstance in which we’ve landed, but that doesn’t make us who we are. We’re in prison, if you will, but we’re not prisoners. I write and illustrate children’s books and am also an advocate for youth empowerment. Brian T. has a way of reminding us of these things. When he wanders off course, we wander with him. As we sat listening to him teach, lecture and encourage, our eyebrows shot up in unison at a particular remark he made, all in jest, of course. We had to hold him accountable, PEP’s 10 Driving Values and all. He hesitated for the briefest of moments before emptying his shirt pocket and giving us 25 push-ups. Afterwards, he eased back into the lesson without a hitch, but the dude was winded! God bless his heart. Actually he did well and we were proud of him.
Life is hard being where we are. Yes, we’ve made mistakes. Yes, we’re ashamed of our past behaviors. Yes, we wish to make amends. That’s what this is all about. We are in the life-changing process of reconciliation. Our families are depending on us. Society is depending on us. We are depending on us. We are not our past. We are not our circumstances. We are Legacy ’18, and we’re here to make a difference.
“Whooo” said the owl, not what, why or when, but
“Whooo” said the owl, comes from within.
Dustin B. (a.k.a. “Disco Ball”)
Thursday April 12, 2018
Today we have all been busy studying for our upcoming test next week. The brothers here are all helpful in encouraging one another and uplifting each other. Although the curriculum is getting tougher, the challenge is being met head-on with perseverance.
Tomorrow is one of our first events that Legacy ’18 will experience, and it’s called Think Tank. Everyone is excited and preparing for this extraordinary opportunity. The event is all about us starting to put our business plans together. This is going to involve many selfless, successful individuals devoting their time to helping us.
We as a whole realize that what we put into the program is what we are going to get out of it. As for what we are putting into it, a legacy is being born, thanks to the servant-leaders from the previous PEP class, the Sovereign Kings. We all possess an attitude of genuine camaraderie in which friendships are being established for a lifetime.
Donald B. (a.k.a. “Elsie the Milk Cow”)
Expressions
“Don’t give up; the beginning is always the hardest.”
This quote is a real eye opener. Many of us encounter hardships when we start a new project, which can usually be classified as “fear of the unknown.” This quote holds so many truth because anything in life that you start is hard, but we must learn to strive and persevere to achieve our goals. Too often we want to take the easy route and just give up. We were not born and raised to be quitters. No more settling for less. It’s time that we stand in unity and encourage one another to be the best that we can be. Of course times get hard, but we must build a solid foundation of love, respect and integrity to stand on. Hand in hand, we will build a nation of brothers who want succeed and who want to lead to see others succeed. PEP is a brotherhood, and we refuse to allow our fellow brothers to fail. We refuse to let hard times deter us from the path that God has created for us. We will not give up no matter how hard the obstacles that life throws at us are. Winners win and losers lose, and we now know that we were born to win.
Michael C. (a.k.a. “Sméagol”)