A chance for women in prison to express themselves
This essay is part of an occasional series provided by our partner organization , which created the (Gen2Gen) campaign, inviting those in midlife and beyond to connect with young people who need champions.
The last thing Lois Kim expected when she entered the Women鈥檚 Community Correctional Center in Kailua, Hawaii, was to leave as a published children鈥檚 author.
Ms. Kim is one of nearly 100 women who have participated in the Haku Mo鈥檕lelo program, a 12-week course that teaches women in prison how to write and illustrate their own stories, focusing on something they want their child or grandchild to learn or know. The women record an audio version of themselves reading the story aloud, which is sent home with the book to the young person in their lives. As of September, 57 books have been published.
Why We Wrote This
The Haku Mo鈥檕lelo program teaches women in prison how to write and illustrate children鈥檚 stories, which helps them see meaning and purpose in their lives. The program can also draw parents and children closer.
鈥淚t brought a beacon of light in my darkest moments,鈥� Kim says. Now out of prison, Kim works full time, is reunited with her daughter, and plans to use her story, 鈥淢ommy Loves You鈥� (Watermark Publishing), to help others.
The idea for Haku Mo鈥檕lelo, which means 鈥渢o compose stories,鈥� came from Judy Saranchock, a retired educator. She鈥檚 also a former executive director for Read to Me International, a nonprofit that promotes reading aloud to children by providing coaching programs to families and parents.
Ms. Saranchock was inspired by the success of another Read to Me International program at the same correctional facility, in which the women can record themselves reading a previously published book for a child. She thought, Why not teach them to write and illustrate their own stories?
And so the Haku Mo鈥檕lelo program began to take shape two years ago. It鈥檚 been entirely older than age 50, many of whom are retired teachers.
Joy Ritchey, a retired art educator, found out about Haku Mo鈥檕lelo through her membership in the Alpha Delta Kappa teacher organization. She decided to attend one of the program鈥檚 first meetings and became an active volunteer.
鈥淭he thing I really liked was that everyone had an idea about what to include to get this story writing and illustration moving,鈥� Ms. Ritchey says.
Many adults struggle to feel confident about their creative side, Ritchey adds. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important for the women in this program to be encouraged, to know that they have value and that their lives have meaning and purpose,鈥� she says. 鈥淭heir quality of life is improved by learning to read, write, draw, and be creative.鈥�
Jo Ann Stepien, also a retired teacher, spends two hours with the incarcerated women every Monday. 鈥淚 like to hear their story, to help them either simplify it or get the essential idea out of it, and then to see the finished product,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a joy to watch their faces when they鈥檝e worked hard and have accomplished something.鈥�
The Haku Mo鈥檕lelo volunteers see their role as 鈥渆ncouragers,鈥� she continues. 鈥淲e encourage the women to go beyond what they think they鈥檙e capable of.鈥�
The daughter of Kim, the published author, recently spoke with a reporter at Hawaiian news station KITV about how much the message in her mother鈥檚 book has meant to her. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really notice that she had such a hard past, and I thought that she just left me because she didn鈥檛 want me anymore,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut now I know that she wants me to be a part of her life, and the past was just an accident.鈥�
鈥� For more, visit . The Haku Mo鈥檕lelo program is one of five finalists in the $100,000 , which helps youths thrive by tapping the talents of people age 50 or older.
