When I first met Rudy and Mike, we were all serving time in a maximum-security prison. Maximum security is a world of its own, a place with constant challenges, very little normalcy, and few of the comforts most people take for granted. Despite that environment, we shared a belief that things could be different.
My first impression of Rudy was that he was stoic. He kept to himself and didn't say much, but when he did, people listened. One of our first conversations happened in the recreation yard, where we talked about the power of words, how what we say can shape lives for better or worse. From there, the conversation naturally turned to what mattered most to us: our families, giving back to the community, building businesses, leaving prison one day, and becoming better men than we had been.
I remember Rudy telling me he had been trying to reach some of the younger men, encouraging them to think differently about their future. I told him we could do it, but only if everyone felt they had a part to play. We needed to create a time and place where people could come together to talk about something more meaningful than drugs, women, or frustrations with prison life. If the group belonged to everyone, people would invest in it.
Mike carried a reputation every bit as strong as Rudy's, perhaps even stronger, depending on who you asked. Yet behind that reputation was one of the kindest people I've ever known. We knew we needed his influence to help bring others together. None of us were interested in creating another prison program. We genuinely wanted to help one another grow.
What would eventually become S.H.I.F.T. began in the middle of a noisy prison dayroom during the hour and a half we were allowed outside our cells each day. A handful of men simply decided to spend that time differently. Instead of reinforcing the divisions that prison often creates, we chose to build something based on shared values.
We began speaking with people individually, asking what mattered to them and what they wanted to discuss. Leadership, family, discipline, accountability, and hope consistently rose to the top. Those conversations became the foundation of our meetings.
As S.H.I.F.T. grew, we discovered that despite differences in race, background, or beliefs, we really did share many of the same values and hopes. In an environment where differences often led to conflict and conflict often led to violence, that realization was powerful.
Men began stepping beyond the prisons they had built within themselves. Beyond the system that keeps us here. Some challenged old stereotypes. Others started educational classes or began investing in their own personal growth for the first time. It became acceptable to be pro-social, to encourage one another, and to believe that change was possible.
That season of my life shaped me profoundly. I learned that my values were more than things I believed, they became the foundation of who I am. They gave me something steady to stand on, regardless of the environment around me or the opinions of others.
It was one of the hardest seasons of my life, but also one of the most meaningful. I learned that if we take the time to truly listen to one another, no matter how different our stories may seem, we often discover that our hopes are far more alike than our differences.
That is the spirit in which S.H.I.F.T. was born, and it remains the spirit that continues to guide this work today.
Mirza