Teaching in Juvenile Hall

Since i started working with the rape crisis center my goal was to get into juvenile hall and interact and teach the kids there and i have had the opportunity to do just that. It is an amazing experience that can be difficult at times but well worth it especially when you know they have learned something from me.

Going in and teaching the boys especially about sexual violence is a real task, because right off the bat they don't like you. They look at you as if your just another person paid to go in and teach them some bullshit they don't care about. They think your judging them negatively because they are in juvi and that your in there to teach them about sexual violence because you think they are rapists or going to be rapists. They feel that they are being attacked for being males. All these things make it difficult, some of the kids really don't give a shit about anything you have to say, but that's no different in juvi then it would be in the "normal" school we teach in.

When i go into to juvi , i let them know I'm not there to lecture them, talk at them, tell them what to do and how to live there lives. I'm there simply to talk to them about the issues of sexual violence to teach them about consent, what it is and what it is not, so they have this knowledge and use it so they can keep themselves out of any unnecessary trouble. Its a task in itself to keep them focused and get out everything i need to say to them, everything i feel they need to know, out and clarified so they understand I'm not telling them what to do because once they think that they go on the defensive an d you lose them. When you lose them its very hard to get them back because they no longer trust you and you have to earn their trust in their eyes. 

I'm trying to develop a curriculum for the boys in juvi because i want them to stay engaged in what i have to say, to participate and not be afraid to speak there mind and feel like I'm going to judge them for their beliefs or their thoughts. I don't want them to feel attack and think we are calling them all abusers and rape is their fault because they have penises. I mean yes men are the majority perpetrators in sexual violence but it doe not mean every man is a rapist or sexual offender, i have to figure out a way to make them not feel attacked Its a difficult task that i will complete because they need it. They have different mindsets they have seen and done things my normal high school kids couldn't even imagine. They are runaways, drug dealers, and gang members, but to me they are just some dudes that fucked up and are in juvi because they made the wrong choice (side note: is it really the wrong choice if you make it?) . I cant judge these kids because i was just like them at their age. so i get it for the most part.

In juvenile hall its quite a trip especially when you know they are feeling the lesson and want to be involved and have relevant things to say about the subject. When that happens i feel I've done my job. Its stressful and emotionally draining because if you don't put your all into it and really want to be there they will sense that and eat you alive, hell they try and do that anyways especially if you lose their interest in the subject. I enjoy talking with them and trying to teach them something even if there are those in the classes that dont care.