BLUEFIELD, W. Va. -The goal of the Restore Empower & Attain Connections with Hope (REACH) Initiative is to help those reentering society following incarceration. One way they accomplish this is by educating people about reentry, using a traveling presentation.
That presentation came to Bluefield State University for the first time on Tuesday, with help from the West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network.
“…We hit prevention in all areas and that includes the reentry population also, so we just want to educate our students, make them aware, and to support anybody that we can in any way we can,” says Megan Dobbs, a peer recovery support specialist for the West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network.
But this potentially heavy topic was presented to the students in a fun, engaging way, with a simulated experience that brought the lessons to life. Each student here got a new identity, to role play as someone reentering society following incarceration, learning how to survive by getting I-Ds, work, and food, while dealing with unexpected complications and avoiding more jail time.
“It gives us a chance to see… how hard it is to, like, be convicted and come out and try to live a normal life, so I think it’s just like showing us how hard it is to just start a new life, start fresh,” says Taliah, a Bluefield University student.
However, the goal here goes beyond teaching facts about life after prison, but to break down stigmas that contribute to “recidivism,” preventing someone from reentering society.
“It brings empathy, and it also teaches them that life is not easy; you are one decision away from a different life. We’ve all made bad choices, just not everyone has been caught, so going through these things kind of brings awareness to the things that you will have to go through, and then it brings empathy of, ‘okay, they’re not able to successfully navigate because of all of these things that they have to go through,” says Chrisha Spears, administrative operations and reentry councils coordinator for the REACH Initiative.
Dobbs hopes this simulation will encourage the Bluefield State University students to be more accepting of others, adding that support goes a long way.
If you would like more information about this simulation or would like to contact someone about possibly bringing it to your location, Spears says you can go their website or email [email protected]
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