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Journalism Workshop Impacts Teenage Girls in Prison

Holly Richmond contacted Create Now! in January 2006.  As a successful journalist, editor and creative consultant for such periodicals as "Seventeen," "Santa Barbara" magazine, and New York-based design publication "Contract," she felt passionately about wanting to help girls that were juvenile delinquents by teaching a Journalism Workshop.

Holly says, “My attempts to find a mentoring placement in Ventura County went unmet for nearly two years, with dozens of phone calls to various volunteer organizations for troubled girls, as well as county agencies involved with the youth corrections system.  I was overjoyed when Create Now! used their connections to find me a spot at the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility, especially since a program like this had never been tried there before.”

Ventura Youth Correctional Facility (VYCF), located just outside Camarillo, is the only prison in California for teenage girls.  These female wards, ages 13-24, are incarcerated for serious, violent crimes such as murder and gang assaults.  Three out of four of the incarcerated teens suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression or psychosis.  The girls serve long sentences at this prison, as opposed to the state’s juvenile halls and detention camps.

“I have been leading a Journalism Workshop for two groups of girls (usually about 18 in total) at this maximum security facility for over a year and a half now on a weekly basis,” says Holly.  “To say it has changed my life is an understatement.  While my Wednesday afternoons at VYCF are never what I would call easy, they are always revealing in ways that I am constantly astounded by.”

Holly starts off the class by bringing magazines for the girls to look through, purely for entertainment purposes and to spark their imaginations.  Since they’re not allowed to have any fashion and teen lifestyle publications, this is a special treat.  Holly keeps the magazines locked in a cabinet, along with all the girls’ journals, which Create Now! provides.  She explains, “The ‘real’ words that these girls put down in their journals have a truth and rawness that is amazing.  My goal each week is to make them feel as impressed with their abilities as I am.”

The goal of Create Now! is to provide opportunities to high-risk youth and Holly’s workshop is a great example of how we fulfill our mission.  “These girls have so much to say.  They just need someone to encourage the flow.  I believe my consistency - the simple fact that I show up every week when I say I will and treat them with respect - is making more of an impact than the actual writing we do,” says Holly.

Mrs. Barton, the prison English teacher who works closely with Holly, has also been impressed by her impact. “My students look forward to Holly Richmond’s visits.  These girls need to be in an environment where they can succeed.  Holly is an important part of that.  When an outsider tells them they’re doing well, it means everything.”

The girls feel just as strongly about Holly.  “She is patient, shows love and cares for us.  She praises us on our good work.  She is just wonderful, a really nice mentor to have,” explains Brianna.

“I got to talk about my commitment offense with someone non-judgmental,” writes Katina.  “She’s nice and she listens to what I have to say.  I always look forward to seeing her on Wednesdays.”

Although the program has been very successful, Holly will not be teaching for a while.  “I’m going on a six-week trip to Africa during which time I will take part in a Global Volunteers program that includes teaching English in a remote village in Ghana.  The idea for this trip was 100 percent inspired by my work with the girls through Create Now!  I can't wait to see what lessons I will bring back for ‘my girls,’ as well as myself.”  Holly will be sending postcards and emails while in Africa, to make sure that the girls know how much she misses them and to assure them that she’ll be back there soon. 

Create Now! gave a Wrap Party to all the participants, so they could have closure and feel a sense of accomplishment.   Each girl received a "Certificate of Completion," printed on unique paper that changes colors (which was a huge hit).  They also selected silk flowers, donated by Zorbitz.  Since it was Valentine's Day, we were able to get special permission to bring art supplies, so that the girls could make their own cards.  By putting together colorful paper, beads, glue, silk flowers and mylar, then decorating them with markers, the girls channeled their energy into creating beautiful cards.

Holly has been impacted very deeply by her experience as a mentor.  “This feels like the most important thing I have done in my life.  After my return from Africa, I plan to reduce my freelance work for magazines to work on a non-fiction book, and most importantly, to make steps towards a career that involves working with incarcerated girls professionally.  I love the mentoring work I do so much that I want to - need to - find a way to do it full-time, in a paid capacity.  It's amazing what you get when you give.”

(Update:  Holly Richmond has taken a temporary leave-of-absence from teaching her Journalism Workshop since she is currently training for a position as a Youth Corrections Counselor through the Department of Juvenile Justice in the State of California.)

We'd like to thank Verizon, our sponsor for Holly Richmond's workshop.