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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