Saving youths one program at a time

By Jennifer Palmberg
The Collegian

She has been down these hallways numerous times before, but it never gets easier. The dreary gray doors pass in a blur as she walks hastily down the poorly lit, cream-colored hallway. The wired windows let you know this is not a normal facility for children.

Her smile and optimistic expression shown like a beacon as she walked up the dim stairway toward the girls ward.

“It’s yoga day,” said Mitzi Lowe, director of the social work education department. “I want to see what the girls think of it.”

Before joining the faculty at Fresno State Lowe worked as a counselor in the Fresno County Juvenile Hall.

She left the state for a few years to earn her doctorate degree and when she returned she was devastated to learn the facility had cut most of its programs for the at-risk youths due to loss of interest and funding.

Lowe reached the top of the stairs, turned right and entered through a heavy gray door with a big silver lock. Security cameras followed her every move.

She turned left into another room where about 12 girls lay in heather-gray uniforms on top of sky blue sheets on bunk beds spaced evenly across the room. Some of the girls sat up to see who the visitor was, while others lay still just staring at the ceiling.

The girls ranged in age from about 12 to 16 years old. Some of their faces were so young and innocent it was hard to imagine they were all there because they suffer from substance abuse.

“Hello,” Lowe said to the girls. “How are all of you today?”

Two girls who were on the floor working on a drawing stopped and looked up at Lowe. “Fine,” they replied. A few other girls chipped in with replies.

“Today is yoga day isn’t it?” Lowe asked cheerfully.

“Yes,” came a murmur from almost all of the girls. One enthusiastic youth sat up and claimed she loves it and finds it to be very relaxing. Some of the other girls said they thought it’s fun or good exercise.

“So should we keep the program?” Lowe asked.

A nearly unanimous ‘yes’ came from the group and they all began to be more animated. Some of the girls’ faces lit up with excitement as they began talking over one another about how hard yoga is or how sore they are afterwards.

It was apparent from her facial expression that it was the answer Lowe wanted to hear.

Lowe has spent countless hours trying to raise interest and funds for programs for the children and the center. She organized her first fund-raising event this September through the monthly ARThops. The at-risk youths at the center created paintings and poetry that were presented for a month until the following ARThop rotation in October.

“I have never been so excited about something befor. Ever,” Lowe said. “I really want to make these programs permanent. Art and poetry is an excellent and healthy way for these kids to express themselves.”

Hundreds of viewers came to see the art and poetry the children submitted. Lowe said a large percentage of the children’s parents came to see their child’s work and a lot of them left with tears in their eyes.

On the way out of the exhibition there was a poster board people could sign to send their support and appreciation back to the children and the facility. The board now sits in one of the main offices in the facility where all who enter can see it.

Lowe attended Fresno State and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the university. She left shortly after to attend the university of Kentucky where she earned her doctorate. She returned to Fresno State to pursue a career.

“I was very interested in coming back to the program I graduated from,” Lowe said. “I really like the diversity here and I’ve always felt like the Valley was a second home to me.”

Lowe started her career as a counselor for the juvenile facility. When she returned to Fresno she wanted to continue working with the children.

Lowe said she knew at a very young age she wanted to have a career working with at-risk youths. She had a sister who worked in a juvenile facility as a counselor and a brother-in-law who works as a criminology professor and as a super intendant at a juvenile hall facility in Connecticut. Lowe stayed with them when she went to school as part of her under- graduate studies. She said she grew up in a scene where working with juveniles was normal because of her sister and her sister’s husband and she always felt comfortable doing it.

“We all have our reasons for doing the things we do,” she said. “I wanted to work with at-risk youths. I really felt like I could go in there and make a difference.

“In my 20s, the facility had all these different programs. Mental health programs, recreational programs, art programs, educational programs. Over the years they just got cut out,” she said.

“I wanted to get the programs back,” Lowe said. “I want them back to serve the needs of the children and I wanted them to be established permanently.”

Lowe is still working to establish programs at the juvenile center. She is working toward starting a program on campus where Fresno State students can teach or run programs for youths.

“The programs would be specific to their major,” Lowe said. “English and journalism students can run reading and writing programs, recreation majors can run recreational programs, art majors can run arts and crafts programs; almost any major could create a program for the children specific to its studies.

“I’m hoping someday to have it set up so that this program is a permanent part of the university and so that students might earn internship credit for it. Anyone who is interested in helping can contact me anytime.”

For more information or to get involved contact Mitzi Lowe at 278-5218.

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