Impactful Moments through Life’s Purpose

For the young people who find themselves in Palm Beach County’s Juvenile Detention Center, life isn’t easy. But we want to make it better. In February 2021, we returned to the Juvenile Detention Center to work with a new group of students in our Life’s Purpose program. In this program, we give these young people the tools to envision a better future and create a set of positive goals. 

“I think for most of the young men… many of them have no sense of direction,” said William Desravines, the program facilitator. “And usually that’s what leads to the positioning that they’re in because they haven’t had someone demonstrate the way to live a positive life and plan a positive path for their future.” 

William said that, at first, it is difficult for many of the students to open up and trust that they can do this. “Going through this program has allowed them to see that it’s okay to take their minds to these positive places and not feel like it’s taking away from their character. Because that’s big for them… By participating in this program, I think it allows them to open their minds up a little bit and really see that ‘Okay, I can’t continue down this path.’” 

One of the most impactful moments in the most recent program was when Kari, one of the students, had his father sit-in on one of the later sessions. Kari had been hesitant to open up at the start of their classes, but over time William got him to open up. “He and I developed a really nice connection,” William said. 

When Kari’s dad came to pick him up, Kari read his purpose statements. Kari said he wanted to make his mom and dad proud, and make sure they didn’t have to worry about him and worry about money. “Many young men mention their mothers, but he mentioned his dad, both his mom and his dad,” William said. “And for his dad to see and to hear that I think is one of the most powerful moments throughout the whole program. It was an amazing moment.” 

The goal of the Life’s Purpose program is to create a safe and trusting environment, where the students can open up about their struggles and have honest conversations about where they’re heading in life. These conversations culminate in statements that answer big questions: What is my life’s purpose? What are my goals? What is my mission in life? We hope that helping them answer these questions, we have helped these young people set themselves on a better life path. 

You can learn more about our program and see more quotes from our young people here.