Our first workshop in Denver Women’s Correctional Facility in almost 4 years was last Tuesday night, with our new streamlined upgraded program – coaching skills for mothers, also titled “Journey Back to Yourself – Co-Active Life Coaching Skills Workshops”. There were only 10 female inmates in the program and three of us, and they were amazing – so engaged, participative, open, and teachable & coachable – and in just two hours, great little coaches, two of the volunteers got some great coaching from the inmates. We walked out of prison with our heads held high, proud, grateful and fulfilled. We interviewed 22, selected 15, and 10 showed up the first night – every Tuesday for 12 weeks…
Our work in the Oklahoma Women’s prison is very different than our work in Colorado prisons. I think most of it is due to the very different cultures in the two states. And, I get a look at the two cultures from the bowels of each state’s humanity – mothers in prison, without their children. Some whose children were murdered by the men in their lives, for which they are serving prison time. Oklahoma is one of the most conservative states and Colorado has legalized growing and smoking of marijuana and legalized same sex ‘union’, as of last week. This blog will be about the work we are doing in the two states women’s prisons, though it will not be focused on the culture differences, that will be noticeable. I notice the big difference, in the female inmates, and in the volunteers.