Are you interested in the welfare of offenders? Would you visit a prison? Red admits that she answered both questions with an emphatic, "No!" So, what changed her mind? And how did we end up in the criminal justice world? For a quick overview, read our February 2013 column, "Red & Black … Are In Prison?" (Oh, and the question Black said she would one day ask … well, she has been asking it more and more these days.)
"Red" versus "Black" Perspectives:
- RED (the warm & fuzzy stay-at-home mom): "When we first started on our journey into the prison world, my thought was that these men are criminals and our time should be spent on people in the "free world". And there was certainly no way I would ever visit a prison. However, after watching 11+ hours of raw video footage of the men who voluntarily participated in the pilot program at Stringfellow Unit, they went from being offenders known by their prison identification numbers to people, each with their own stories. Men who wanted better – not only for themselves, but for their children and grandchildren. And, as a mom, I saw hope and opportunity to change not only their lives, but their families. Furthermore, after I watched the last interview, I turned to my sister and told her that I was contacting the chaplain in the morning to arrange for us to meet the men. I wanted to tell them in person how much their words affected me and my outlook on offenders."
- BLACK (the pragmatic retired business executive): "I appreciate that there may be moral and/or social reasons to help those within the criminal justice system, but put that aside for the moment. The cost of Texas state prisons is approximately $60 a day/person. At $25 per person, our book/program costs less than half a day in prison. In terms of recidivism, if you merely delay their return one day, you have over a 100% ROI (Return on Investment). Anything over that is just gravy. So, if our book/program can possibly contribute to the reduction in recidivism, it is a small investment ... with huge upside potential. And, that does not take into consideration the impact it may have on family members because how do you calculate the financial savings in terms of individuals who might have ended up in prison, but now have taken control of their lives instead of having their lives control them?"
This series of animated videos was developed for The Greater Houston Partnership's UpSkill Houston initiative. They're updating their website, but due to popular demand for these videos, we're making them (and the associated copy) available on our site:
Soft skills are key to successful careers.
Certain technical skills may be required for specific careers or in particular industries. But there are other skills that are necessary regardless of industry, career or work setting. They’re becoming more important as technology evolves and changes the way people work. These skills are called soft skills and knowing how to recognize and demonstrate them is crucial.
UpSkill Houston and Red & Black have partnered to highlight many of the soft skills that are key to career success, all of which are transferable between industries, as well as in your personal life. Learn what these skills are, how you can develop them, and how to apply them in career settings.
- WHAT ARE SOFT SKILLS? Employability Skills. 21st Century Skills. Life Skills. Whatever you call them, skills such as problem solving, gratitude and communication are the skills employers continually look for in employees.
- COMMUNICATION SKILLS: Communication affects almost everything and everyone. But do you know what communication really means?
- CREATIVE THINKING: Think creativity only applies to areas like writing, music and art? See where creativity really fits within a business, organization or team.
- CRITICAL THINKING: What exactly is critical thinking? Learn how developing critical thinking skills can help you progress in your career.
- GRATITUDE & APPRECIATION: You might not think expressing gratitude and appreciation are skills that apply in business. But they are skills that can actually drive business success.
- GROWTH MINDSET: The world — and the workplace — are rapidly changing. See what it means to have a growth mindset, and why employers value it.
- PERSONAL FINANCE: See how learning to manage your personal money can affect your performance at work and, by extension, the performance of your workplace as a whole.
- PROBLEM SOLVING: Problem solving means more than just addressing a challenge after it occurs. Learn what else it means and why employers value problem solvers.
- RESEARCH & ANALYTICAL SKILLS: It is more than surfing the internet. Finding accurate and credible information that you can analyze and summarize are highly valuable skills in many jobs and occupations.
- RESUME WRITING: Companies hire people to satisfy a need or help solve a problem, and a resume is a place to highlight the relevant skills you have that meet that need or solve that problem. Learn what to focus on when writing your resume.
- SAFETY MINDSET: Working safely is important regardless of your work environment. Learn why having a safety mindset benefits you, your employer and those around you.
- SILO BUSTING: Many companies operate multiple departments, divisions or groups, which may not always collaborate or work together. Learn what it means to break a “silo” in a work setting and how doing it can improve the workflow around you.
- TEAMWORK: Being able to work on a team is as important in a work setting as it is while playing sports. See what skills can help move a project forward and drive success.
When was the last time you thought about safety (whether being prepared in case of a fire in your house or merely trying to avoid preventable injuries at work or home)? Yes, it’s boring … but the time to think about it isn’t AFTER the fact.
P.S. – Did you know that June is National Safety Month? Although we could argue that it should be every month.
We all know that when people post quotes or testimonials, it’s often a marketing device. But the truth is, getting feedback, and especially stories, about Red & Black from others is eye-opening. And often what keeps Red going when she faces days of frustration (and piles of paper) with all the work associated with Red & Black being a start-up company.
Every time someone tells Red how her crisis, and how she learned to take control of her life, has helped them, it gives her a warm and fuzzy feeling. And how does Black respond?
Great quote. Save it somewhere. And, make a note that we need to create a form to make it easier for people to give us feedback — both positive and negative, as how else can we improve?
So, when creating the Quotes & Feedback section, we thought about playing off our tagline “real sisters. real life.” and calling it “real feedback.” Which, as most things do, got us on a (slight) tangent about “why” (Black’s favorite word) Red & Black is resonating with people. And although that may become a post one day, it doesn’t change the fact that we love hearing from those of you who have experienced Red & Black because you speak from a place of authenticity and credibility.
Looking back (which Red loves to do, while Black prefers looking forward), if we had realized the journey we were about to take when Black turned Red’s crisis into a brand, we’d have saved all the feedback in one place. And Black would have probably used an Excel spreadsheet to organize it. Instead, we often find it when looking for something else.
It has come from “real people” who’ve looked to Red & Black for their own enjoyment, but also from individuals (educators and students) in education settings, as well as community and religious organizations. But some of the most eye-opening feedback has come from those in the criminal justice world – both on the “inside” and “outside”.
Sign up on the sticky bar at the bottom of the page to be one of the first to receive our feedback form, as we really do love hearing from you on all things Red & Black! Plus, it’s an easy way to get a little bit of Red & Black delivered to you every week.
Don’t Expect A Compliment From A Sarcastic Sister — But Have A Comeback