Week 20
Week in Review
Monday August 27, 2018
In PEP, the brothers and I go through a lot of changes. Quite frankly, change in PEP is pretty much inevitable. I say this because if you try to “fake it to make it” in PEP, it will always come to surface, whether it is in prison or upon reentry. One of the main things we learn immediately in this program is accountability. This makes our whole outlook on life change. Most people beginning in PEP think of accountability as snitching. In reality, it is the total opposite. Accountability is more about showing your PEP brothers a better way of doing things, and that you really care about them and that you are really looking out for them. Initially this whole accountability process thing may be overwhelming at first, but outlooks change.
PEP teaches and shows you that your life is not over just because you go to prison and do however much time. It teaches you a new way of life. To be a member of PEP is to change your lifestyle. It does not stop when you leave prison. If anything, it pretty much begins when you leave prison. It matters what you do when you get out and get into the real world. Everything that we are doing now reflects the well-being of our brotherhood as a whole. We must continue to grow and push one another to grow each and every day. This program and experience is giving us a new way of life when we get out, and I hope that each and every one of my brothers embraces this experience.
Deryke J. (a.k.a. “Moon Pie”)
Tuesday August 28, 2018,
Today in class we practiced our walk and added Mitchell E. We believe he is the last person that has not had the privilege of partaking in this practice. He picked it up on the first try and our second run through went perfect. We are all really looking forward to and are truly excited about our graduation next week. We even got comfortable enough during the practice walk to have some fun and joke with one another. Some of the Phase One guys got the chance to get in on the fun and get a break from making banners for us. We are so proud of all the investigators for making it this far and being eager to learn more about the amazing Prison Entrepreneurship Program. That is what PEP is all about: leading to see others succeed.
After we got all of that done and everybody settled down a little bit, we thought we were going to watch American History, but we knocked out a couple of pitches instead. We feel like we all have our pitches down quite well, but when you’re pitching in front of people you have never met, you might get nervous. If you ever have to pitch in front of bankers, equity or angel investors for thousands (sometimes maybe even millions) of dollars, and your business and therefore your life is at stake, you can never practice your pitch too much. We got to pray out before 3 p.m. and, as always, it was a great day in the life of PEP.
Joshua L. (a.k.a. “Busted Can of Biscuits”)
Wednesday August 29, 2018
Today our time in class was as productive as it could be, mostly because the peer educators kept reminding us of how our big day of graduation will be coming next week, on September 7th. So our main objective was to practice our graduation walk that consists of learning how to stay in an orderly fashion; remembering the classmates we will be next to; and staying in sync with every command we are given so we can look as professional as possible for our guests and family members. Many of us are getting the hang of it, and I believe we are ready to make everybody who attends our graduation proud. Once we practiced our walk, we transitioned to practicing our pitches for our Business Plan Competition. It is vital we have a perfect performance in everything we say and structure toward our business plans. We are constantly reminded be confident, concentrate and most importantly be enthusiastic in giving our presentation. Many of our classmates have been doing a great job; as a matter of fact, certain individuals in our class are chosen to be great examples in showing how to give a proper pitch. We listened to several different business plans, from A/C repair businesses to food service businesses. Our class is full of many gentlemen with great potential to be outstanding entrepreneurs.
Joshua L. (a.k.a. “Richie Valens”)
Thursday August 30, 2018
Today started off like most of the other days we have this month. We got started early trying to be ready and prepare for the upcoming events: the Business Plan Competition and graduation day for Legacy ‘18. We all gathered in the PEP room and started our day with an opening prayer and then the word of the day, which came from Psalms, Luke and the Book of John. We want to make sure we include God in our daily plans and thank him for putting a roof over our head, food in our bellies and for our mental faculties. We went over the daily announcements and were reminded to have fun and enjoy the moment, but to also keep in mind the seriousness of the upcoming week.
Then we were on. We lined up for the graduation march and practiced our entrance and the presentation ceremony. We did this walk four times until there were no mistakes and we were flawless. Then we helped out some of our brothers with issues that have come up and share good brotherly love and bonding. Then we danced. This is one of the best parts of the program. This helps break down barriers and remove tension. Afterwards, we completed our required American History videos. Once this was done, we again discussed the events that are fast approaching. Then we completed our day with a prayer and asked God to guide us as we moved through the rest of our day.
James M. (a.k.a. “Mrs. Doubtfire”)
Expressions
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
~ George Bernard Shaw
I have wasted a third of my life thus far, selfishly living for the pleasures of the moment of food, women and every situation I encountered. I then wasted the next third of my life of life trying to find myself. I was out there somewhere and I only had to turn over enough stones to find the answer to all my questions. Who am I? What’s my purpose? What do I do? I don’t think I need to tell you that I never found the answers out there. I had to look within for that. The answers that I found within myself made up the start of a new journey of self-discovery that has filled the last third of my life thus far. My love of knowledge keeps me searching for more wisdom and the depths of the human heart. How good it feels to help others, to give of yourself and to love and to be loved. The man I am today is composed of all these things and more. This quote reminds me to take heed of my actions each and every day, for they will forever influence the man I will become tomorrow and the legacy I leave behind me forever.
Mitchell E. (a.k.a. “Jalapeno on a Stick”)