I was surprised by how different the justice complex looked in the dark, and I had trouble finding my way to the right building entrance.  And then when I had to get Angelos from the other side of the campus, I was glad I had driven my car! SO the beginning of the night got my adrenaline going, but in a way that was actually helpful.

I was most surprised at this: some of the youth who are there have been taken there into “protective custody” because of violence or abuse at home.  And they are in the same mix with violent offenders and non-violent offenders.  They are all just young humans who have experienced more than their fair share of trauma.  But It made me think how hard it would be to work as one of the guards/guides there.  I wonder what they think of as their goal with these short-term visitors with different issues…

I was pleased the youths there warmed up quickly to the idea of stories. As always, I was impressed by the intelligence and curiosity of many of the kids.  I didn’t get to hear many stories as I bounced from room to room, but I saw lots of good sharing going on. Hearing Haven and Angelos’ stories in the car on the way back about the kinds of stories the girls told was very interesting.  Looking forward to reading more in everyone’s posts.