When people look at incarcerated teens, many tend to focus on the reasons as to why they are in jail or prison. They might be judgmental and choose not to understand their circumstances.
But Robert Galinsky is choosing to not only understand them, but also to help them reach their potential. He is one of the nonprofit, Literacy for Incarcerated Teens.
Robert Galinsky is one of the one of the leaders of the nonprofit, Literacy for Incarcerated Teens.
“The general public labels teens as bad if they commit a crime or make a mistake,” Galinsky told RIZZARR. “But every teen is going to make mistakes, it’s just the natural state of a teens mind to try things without always understanding the consequences. Once in prison, I think society likes to say, ‘Good, keep them in prison. They deserve what they are getting.’ This disposable and punitive attitude is something that our culture has fostered for a long time. But when you go in and see these young people and see the vast majority of them want love and for someone to care about them, then that trivial way of thinking changes.”
Galinsky has become someone who the teens can count on. He has been teaching his program, The Power of Performance and Personality (tPOPP) to incarcerated teens in New York for the past three years through Literacy for Incarcerated Teens.
“What makes this organization so powerful is that these teens feel like somebody really cares enough to come into a prison, or jail, and speak with them,” he said. “It’s very simple and it gives them power. We build libraries, we maintain libraries and we use literacy as a tool for the kids to discover their greatness and to nurture their potential.”
Galinsky has become one of these people who the teens can count on. As one of the leaders of Literacy for Incarcerated Teens, he and his colleagues regularly help teens in prison build their self-esteem, look within, find out who they are, and develop the necessary tools to excel and break away from the situations that got them into prison.
Galinsky and Marla Riera, 19, was recently released from Rikers. She says the program helped her focus on staying positive and turning her life around. (Photo courtesy of WNYC)
LISTEN: Life Lessons Through Literacy for Incarcerated Teens
Started in 2002 by New York City teacher named Rebecca Howlett, Literacy for Incarcerated Teens has helped teens be able to access libraries and reading facilities to foster their education and personal development. Galinsky said he first found out about the program from his long time mentor and friend, Jamal Joseph. When he saw Joseph speaking to the teens, as a commencement speaker in a prison for young men, he knew he wanted to also get involved.
“I was blown away, and feeling very naïve, that there was a high school graduation ceremony in a prison,” he told RIZZARR. “I found myself guilty of the very feelings and thoughts that I had disdain for. I, like many people, had this overriding perception that prison was a place for punishment, not for opportunities. There I was wrong. Seeing Jamal, one of my mentors, was bringing light to a very harsh environment gave me a whole new perspective on what ‘correctional facilities’ need to be. I called him and asked him how he got there and he told me about LIT.”
Pictured Robert Galinsky and his long time mentor and friend, Jamal Joseph. (Photo courtesy of Harlem World Magazine)
Galinksy said he then contacted them immediately, sent them a proposal, and they liked it. He went out with their supervision to teach a workshop in an all-girls ‘secure center’.
“It rocked and from there, LIT and I were on board to grow the program and take it out to other facilities,” he said. “We’ve now reached over approximately 400 teens and we have facilities throughout New York State asking for more visits.”
As a leader in the program, Galinsky focuses tremendously on helping the teens develop their self-worth particularly through poetry: “We have an opportunity while they are in confinement, to help them redefine who they are. It’s one of the tPOPP lesson plans: ‘Confined but Not Defined.’ They are eager to make changes and to come out of the system with a bright outlook on their future, and they truly desire to become good women and good men.”
WATCH: Galinsky’s Journey In Inspiring Teens
According to Galinsky, as children, most of the teens he works with confide in him that they were neglected or abused by family members or someone in their most trusted circles. When that happens, they feel like they can’t trust people in any place in the world, and that’s when their self value goes down and the decisions that they make are less favorable.
“At that point they don’t really care what happens to them and they risk death, hurting themselves, or hurting someone else,” he said. “So when they have someone come inside the prison and that person tells them someone cares, and can show them proof that people care by bringing in news and guest voices from the outside world, it makes big difference. It’s hard for them to accept initially, but once they realize someone really does care, then their world starts to open up and it’s a joyous feeling.”
Galinsky and his colleagues are planning to reach even more teens: “There are plenty of secure centers, jails, and prisons for it to go,” he said. “We want to create a network of facilities that know us well and want us there so that their teens will better themselves and never come back when they leave that facility. From doing so, they will also be able to treat their children with a new level of dignity and love so that another generation can thrive.”
To help with their expansion, they are hosting a Celebration Fundraiser to support Literacy for Incarcerated Teens on August 12th at Bennett Media Studio in New York City. Funds will be raised to support library collections, education, and personal development programs across New York’s juvenile justice detention centers. Speakers include: actor Roger Guenveur Smith (Do The Right Thing, Malcolm X), Ford Super Model Monica Watkins, business celebrity Jeffrey Hayzlett (C-Suite TV & Radio), Jamal Joseph (OSCAR nominee, author, Black Panther) and Ed Bennett (former COO of Viacom, former President & CEO VH1), and more.
The live event will highlight an online fundraising auction for Literacy for Incarcerated Teens, curated by Galinsky. Over 100 items, from a one-on-one conversation with music legend Nile Rodgers (CHIC) to tickets for the 2016 U.S. Tennis Open, will be bid.
“Anyone can find something interesting that could be useful for them,” Galinsky said. “People have even auctioned their time, so you can spend time with a great actor or executive.”
With the fundraiser and through bringing more awareness, Galinsky hopes they can impact more teen lives and inspire the public to do so as well.
“The public can stop being bystanders with all of the things they are unhappy within our communities,” he said. “The public can stop not feeling any real responsibility to take action. The public has got to take action. We are a world family. We are all in the same family. Whatever happens to the next person, happens to us all. We have to take action.
If you are interested in attending the fundraiser or have questions about the online bid, please contact Robert Galinsky at [email protected].
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