Letters From Boot Camp

The Basics by Jacquelyn, 16

This is Boot Camp. It is like a military boot camp but additional classes are mixed in to help both the young offenders and the community.

Delta F.O.R.C.E., the name of the program, stands for Focus on Respect, Community and Education.

The program was created to help young offenders feel a sense of accomplishment, give them moral and mental guidance and get them in shape physically. The goal was to help the youths remember what they were taught and use their skills to stay out of trouble when they are on the outside.

All of the youths present in detention during the two weeks of boot camp participated, even if they were getting out before they graduated. Forty-five youth graduated and some came back from the outs just to be a part of graduation. It was cool to see that they were dedicated like that.

Boot Camp had its good and bad parts.

Most kids hated getting up early and exercising. Also, many disliked addressing staff as “sir” or “ma’am.”

Many liked that they got their bodies in shape but hated the work it took to get there. They also said they loved doing community projects and that they had a lot of fun.

They said they liked the classes taught by the staff and enjoyed Bill Barnett and Dave Negron teaching all of the marching commands, but they really didn’t like the practices.

During Boot Camp the youths learned about manners, respect, discipline and how to get in shape. It also taught them a very important lesson: anger management.

Many of the juveniles told me that they never thought they would accomplish anything like this. You can see a change in them since they completed Boot Camp. The kids seem real proud of themselves. They did something great for the community and were rewarded for it.

In the end, they all learned something and set some goals for themselves. They also got a big lunch with cake to reward them for their hard work.

Helping MADD by Robert, 16

Helping Mothers Against Drunk Drivers was a community project for Squad 3.

Patty, chapter vice-president for MADD, spoke to the squad. The youth offenders learned MADD is a non-profit organization that came to Spokane in 1987. Anyone can be involved in MADD. Members of MADD are not prohibitionists, but they are against drunk driving.

MADD organizes several activities each year, including an information booth at the Spokane County fair.

For the booth, Squad 3 spent a lot of time filling small trash bags with school supplies. They filled 1,000 bags within the first day and a half and 4,000 bags in all. The leftover pens and pencils were tied with red ribbons for distribution. All of the items will be given out during the fair.

Anthony, 17, believes helping MADD is a good thing because it helps people think about drunk drivers.

Jason, 18, agreed. “It’ll get us to think about drinking and driving.”

The squad learned the main point of MADD is if you drink, plan to call a friend or even a taxi, just don’t drive drunk. It’s a message the squad plans to pass on to others.

Baby quilts by Jessica, 15

The Ronald McDonald House, a place for sharing, a place for caring and a place for love.

Squad 1 was assigned the task of making six baby quilts for the Ronald McDonald House.

Julie Moyer-Nesbitt, executive director of the Spokane Ronald McDonald House, came to the Juvenile Detention Center to tell a group of young offenders about her program.

Jamie Decker, a professional seamstress, donated her time and supplies to help the juveniles with the quilts.

“The quilts are going to a good cause and the group I am working with are great,” Decker said.

Richard, 17, said he is glad to make the quilts for the young children.

Though he has never sewn before, Joe, 16, also enjoyed the learning experience.

After learning about the organization receiving the quilts, Chris, 17, said he was more than happy to put forth his time and effort. He knows the quilts are for a good cause and hopes they will keep many young children warm.

The Ronald McDonald House’s mission is to provide temporary housing for families traveling to Spokane seeking medical care for their sick children. In 1996, 520 families stayed at the house waiting for a loved one to get better.

Food drive by Robert, 16

During Boot Camp, Squad 2 was in charge of a food drive for the Spokane Food Bank. They put signs on boxes and made posters that were placed throughout Juvenile Court and Detention. All youths told their parents, grandparents and siblings to bring in canned and dried food at visitations.

The Spokane Food Bank relies on donations and food drives like the one Squad 2 organized to be able to provide non-perishable goods to people in need. Nineteen agencies in Spokane County work with the food bank to provide emergency food boxes to 13,000 people every month.

Food bank volunteers told the squad that of the people helped by food bank donations, nearly half are children under 18.

James, a 16 year old who was once on the streets himself, said, “I have more respect for the homeless. Listening to the volunteer made me realize people are really trying to help.”

The overall feeling of the group was that supporting the food bank can make a difference in our community.

The food drive is continuing at the detention center through the end of the month.

Camp life by Jacquelyn, 16 and Kristin, 16

Every morning we’d line up in our squads in the dining room at 6 a.m. Our drill instructor would bring us to attention and we’d salute the flag. After that we’d head downstairs for 45 minutes of exercises. We’d do about 85 jumping jacks, 100 push ups, 60 squats on each leg, 20 squat thrusts and 20 mountain climbers. We always had to end as a group or we’d have to do more exercises as a group.

Then we would march. We learned different steps in marching such as left face, right face, about face, half stepping, counter column, column right, column left and forward march. These few steps brought the whole platoon together as one. Some of the kids were not into it at the start but eventually most got into it.

At the end of the two weeks, almost all of the kids had excelled physically and mentally.

After marching we’d have breakfast. Before we were allowed to sit down for breakfast we had to wait for everyone in our squad to arrive. After breakfast we took showers and cleaned our rooms. We had to make our beds in hospital folds.

Then we’d wait for the programs that staff had prepared for us that day.

We had classes ranging from food handling to CPR to a class on suicide prevention.

Drug abuse, animal abuse, cultural diversity and public speaking were the topics of other classes.

We learned about a new program for trouble children our age that is starting at Joel Jensen’s Youth for Christ program on the east side.

And we learned about goal setting and respect.

My story By Richard, 17

I’m a 17 year-old incarcerated youth at Spokane Juvenile Detention Center.

I’m from a family of 13 and when I was young, I never had the guidance a child needs. I had to learn quickly and make decisions I was too young to be making. My mother was always sick and my father was very abusive. I tried looking to my brothers for guidance and support, but they were always committing crimes or being locked up. So I started learning the wrong ways and before I knew what happened my wrong ways became habit. I learned to not care about anybody I was hurting or anything I was doing. I never knew how to talk to anyone or say the things I wanted to say. I was always making bad choices that would later have a serious impact on my life. But then there were things and people that changed my life. I’d like to tell you a little bit about what has helped changed my mind on life today.

When I first came to juvenile detention, I had an attitude of contempt for all authority. Then I talked to a staff member and he said there are two different kinds of freedom: freedom of body and freedom of mind. And if I have freedom of mind, then it won’t be so hard to be locked up because my mind will still be free. That made me think a lot about myself and others.

Then we started the Delta F.O.R.C.E. Boot Camp and it helped me a lot. At the start, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to do it, but I began to like it. I learned how to talk to other people and help them with their problems like I had been helped with mine.

For instance I’m always getting in fights on the outs and now, since I’ve been in Boot Camp, I’ve learned to talk my problems out and not use violence as my answer. I’ve also learned to be a positive role model and lift people up when they’re down. A lot of that comes from learning communication skills.

And I’ve learned to make good decisions. Before, I had the attitude that “I don’t care”’ about anything. Now I have a different perspective on how I need to carry myself. Boot Camp helped me a lot, and I wish that I would have made a lot of different choices in my life.

Boot Camp opened my eyes to just how good life can be if you apply yourself. I’m glad I had the chance to learn new skills. I wish everyone had the chance to learn the skills I have learned. I wish I could speak out publicly about my past experience and how I have a whole new perspective on life and how I got here.

MEMO: This package was produced by teenagers serving time in the Spokane Juvenile Detention center. The young offenders recently completed two weeks of Boot Camp, that, for the first time, incorporated community service projects. Here’s a look at the program from those on the inside.

This sidebar appeared with the story: MORE LETTERS FROM BOOT CAMP

By Kristin, 16 My name is Kristin and today I graduated from Delta F.O.R.C.E. Boot Camp. At the beginning I really disliked Boot Camp and thought that it was stupid. I often refused to participate and said bad things about it. I disliked waking up at 5:30 a.m. every day and calling everyone “sir” or “ma’am.” After a few days I decided to give it a try and found that it was not as horrible as I thought. Getting up early and exercising made me feel good and gave me energy. I learned that calling people “sir” or “ma’am” was just a way of showing respect. I thought that the educational programs were very helpful and informative. I feel that Delta F.O.R.C.E. Boot Camp was very beneficial to me and everyone else involved.

By Richard, 17 As I sit in my cell, Contemplating on how I survive in this living hell. I wonder why I went left when I should have went right. Why I couldn’t have just opened my eyes and seen the light. Why we as a society can’t just get along. I will never understand why we always have to be wrong. I know I’ve made mistakes and I can only show you I want to change my wrong ways, I know I can only show you that I understand now that it’s only me that pays. I wish I could speak out to everyone who’s in need, I wish I could show everyone what, as a society, we breed. That our hate will soon be our downfall, and that it is our brothers and sisters that we should be able to call. But in our society, it is always dog eat dog, and most of us will never get past the endless fog. Some will just act and hold it all in and never be in peace, I wish everyone would just realize it’s our foolish pride that needs to cease.