This is the final installment of a three-part series on a rest-focused program co-designed with and for youth in custody. In this concluding part, we share the reflections of the youth participants.
- “I feel like I am high, but I’m not. Didn’t need that stuff…This is a cool spot.”
- “You come in with negative energy and you leave feeling like the temperature got turned down.”
- “It calms me. It is a positive outlet. I actually have freedom to lay down and relax in a way that fits me. I don’t get forced to do something that isn’t right for my body. It’s a go with the flow, peaceful type of class.”
- “It gives us time to heal at our pace and in a safe space.”
- “When I was locked up and a lot of stressful situations were going on in the outs, this class was what got me through. It was the only thing I looked forward to. It was the only thing I felt that really was made for people who go through stuff and who need time to think about how to get better. It set my mind free. My favorite things about the class were having quiet time to myself; the smells, the sounds and feeling that I wasn’t in jail.”
- “In the class I could think about myself but let thoughts run freely and not feel like someone will make me talk. I learned how to rest and feel safe in my body for those minutes. The best part was the lavender because it made me feel close to my granny.”
- This is the best group I’ve ever done. I actually looked forward to it and my mom and auntie liked asking me about it during visits too. It gave us something new and also healthy to talk about. They even went to get some of the things from Ms. Christine’s list. Maybe it will make us all feel a little better and we can keep doing it whenever we want.
Acknowledgments: Dr. Gerchow’s work would not have been possible without the support of the Contra Costa County Department of Probation, particularly staff from the Cypress unit (Youthful Offender Treatment Program 2017-2019) and Shasta unit (Girls In Motion, 2016-2019).
