As a missionary serving at My Story Matters, I have recently had the privilege of participating in and witnessing history in the making within the criminal justice system. Our self-improvement course, Captain Your Story, is available to all community members, but it has been especially popular within the fortified gates of Utah’s two prisons — the Utah State Correctional Facility (USCF) in Salt Lake City and the Central Utah Correctional Facility (CUCF) in Gunnison.
Our goal in offering the course to justice-involved individuals has been to provide a catalyst for lasting transformation in their lives. Not only do we invite these inmates to step into growth, but we also help them all along their journey, reinforcing the tools we teach, providing them with case management services, and advocating on their behalf in order to set them up for enduring success long before they even reach their release date.
In the past month, I have been able to return to USCF twice with the My Story Matters team to support some of these incarcerated participants in two very special and unprecedented events.
With the support of state legislators, a medical team, and the staff members and volunteers of My Story Matters, 45 incarcerated men from different units, all part of a running club called Fit From Within, came together on Friday, July 18, to complete 39 laps — approximately 13 miles, or a half-marathon — around the outdoor track of one of the units. Each member of the My Story Matters team, including myself, was responsible for tracking the laps for six of the runners. Many of us even joined in for a few laps to give some of the runners additional encouragement.
At one point, I paused to observe everything going on around me, and I realized just how remarkably groundbreaking this event really was. There we were, a group of civilians standing inside the exercise yard of a correctional facility, surrounded by 45 prisoners, all from different backgrounds. Some were just a few days away from being released from prison, while others were serving life sentences. Even so, we were all full of joy and excitement as each worked to accomplish their individual goals.
While there were still plenty of guards on site for protection and security, folks from various walks of life were laughing and joking with one another, cheering each other on, snapping pictures together, and running side by side while upbeat, feel-good music pulsated from speakers in the background. The experience felt more like an outdoor community event or field day for K-12 students than a disquieting, high-tension visit to a prison.
Nearly every runner finished, and of the few who couldn’t due to injury or health complications, they still came very close. Not only has forming and participating in this running club improved their physical health, but it has also bolstered their mental health by giving them successive goals to strive toward and interactive experiences to which they can anxiously look forward.
They have already scheduled another running event for November in which they intend to complete a full-length marathon. In the interim between now and then, each participant will continue to train for this event, gradually increasing their distances until the day of the marathon arrives. I eagerly await the opportunity to reunite with everyone for that event — only next time, I will make sure I am wearing proper running shoes instead of casual boots.
To provide some background for the second experience, in our last update to Serve Daily readers back in June, we expressed that one of our latest ambitions has been to bring Captain Your Story into more spaces around Utah. In order to make that happen, we have been ramping up our efforts to certify additional course guides, including a number of our incarcerated participants.These particular individuals have taken several rounds of Captain Your Story, put the tools into practice, made significant strides, and developed a desire to help their fellow inmates. They have since completed their guide training and certification, and now, they are able to work for us as paid employees, helping their incarcerated peers come to the realization that life doesn’t end with incarceration, that they can still be the heroes of their own stories.
To commemorate these new guides on their milestone achievements, we have arranged to host a series of graduation ceremonies for them! We held our first ceremony for USCF’s male graduates on Monday, August 11 at the facility’s visitor center. Each graduate was given an official certificate from our executive director, along with an opportunity to speak briefly at the podium and eat lunch with their loved ones. A few of them even performed original music for us, which they had been crafting and rehearsing for many weeks in preparation for the event. Between the words spoken, the lyrics sung, and the tears shed, it was clear that the support they have received from everyone involved has meant the world to them, because now they know their stories still matter. These are no longer the same individuals who first entered corrections; now, they are hopeful, boundless, and purposeful creators. One of the graduates, Zack, even remarked that he feels freer within the walls of the prison than he ever did on the outside, because he now knows his true identity, his innate worth, and the vision he has for his life.
Nothing like this has been accomplished before in the state of Utah. This has only been made possible because a handful of our state’s legislators, correctional facility personnel, and community members sincerely believe that positive change is possible for everyone, even for those whom society has written off as hopeless and irredeemable. While the journey of healing and growth is not effortless, straightforward, or identical for everyone, all human beings are capable of navigating those waters if they have the desire. No matter who we are, where we come from, or what we’ve done, we can all become the captains of our stories.
Submitted By Sterling Nebeker
