By Aleeah Livengood
I first met Michael Prickett when he was a quiet 12 year old with tousled auburn hair, a few scattered freckles, and a pair of somber brown eyes. Not a lot has changed, though his hairline has receded a little and his somber brown eyes are now filled with passion for helping at-risk youth.
“I tell the kids they’re lucky because they’re on probation. They’ve got someone to show them the right way, and they’ve got someone to advocate for them. This is their wake up call…something is wrong but it can be fixed.”
At the time, Mike was working for the Tippecanoe Juvenile Alternatives Program (JAMS) as a Program Case Manager to advocate and facilitate for high-risk juveniles; helping them to improve their decision making and coping skills, and to learn to take responsibility for their actions.
“I’d be dead right now if it wasn’t for my friend’s family who took me in,” he reveals.
Despite this, he was still angry with his family’s detachment; so he frequently ran away from home, showed rebelliousness against authority, and abused drugs and alcohol. As a result, he was expelled during his senior year of high school, taking away his opportunity for graduation. Describing that period of his life Mike explains, “I had a lot of anger and a lot of hate, it was directed in the wrong way but I directed it in the only way I knew how.”
His adopted family challenged him to take an honest look at his life; once he did he realized it was going nowhere. He believes their support changed the course of his life.
“It was just having those caring people around that supporting me, even when I screwed up.….I didn’t have that before.”
Afterward, Mike hit the ground running; he got his GED, got married, had a family, and enrolled in college. This new perspective inspired him to give back, resulting in an internship at the Adult Drug Corps. His commitment remained strong even after the internship ended, continuing to volunteer, he eventually received a recommendation for his present position. Mike has worked tirelessly to create asset-based programs, and to solicit community support for inexpensive extracurricular activity options to help keep teens out of trouble.
“One of the biggest gaps has been in after school programming. There are all kinds of sports programs, until you hit age 13, but those kids who don’t meet those qualifications are kids who are interested in the arts and civic education: there’s nothing for these kids to do and no money to pay for it.”
In order to fill the gap, Mike beat the streets looking for civic support to create community garden projects, art classes, and book clubs; he even introduced Project Citizen to give them community service credit.
“When we send them out to do meaningless community service they’re not gaining anything. It turns them more against the system that’s in place to help them. There is no tie to their community.”
What’s supposed to be interpreted as service becomes punishment. So as to change this perception, the youth create community service projects based on their interests, and with his guidance they personally coordinate the project. For example, several of the youth have adopted parks, landscaping them with community donations. It wasn’t long before the magic began to unfold.
“They no longer feel as outsiders but a part of something bigger. In turn, the community is invested in them.”
All of this is pretty amazing when you actually take the time to consider that it started with one person’s steadfast desire to share a couple of life’s greatest lessons: the importance of gratitude and taking responsibility for yourself and those around you. These youth are learning that service and volunteerism is a powerful tool that brings communities together. What they have yet to realize is just how it is shaping and changing their own lives.
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