By Danielle Hunter

July 17 marked the 107th presentation of the year of the New Jersey Department of Corrections' Project PRIDE (Promoting Responsibility in Drug Education) program. From the beginning of 2007 up to that day, the most popular and sought after anti-drug program in New Jersey had visited 106 schools, colleges and community agencies, and been presented to more than 30,000 youth.

The auditorium of The Gateway School, a private special education school in Carteret, was abuzz as students, faculty, NJDOC staff and program presenters stirred about in preparation for the school's annual presentation.

From the moment Michael Ritter, who has served as coordinator of the program since 1999, took to the microphone to begin the presentation, to the last response during the question-and-answer period at the end of the program, the audience of approximately 60 students -- ranging from 5 to 21 years of age -- and staff listened intently to the NJDOC's fourth presentation at the school.

The students were captivated by the two female presenters from Edna Mahon Correctional Facility for Women and the two male presenters from Garden State Youth Correctional Facility as they candidly discussed their experiences with using and selling drugs, and vividly described the downward spiral their lives took, ultimately leading to their incarceration.

Veteran presenters "Kelli" and "Tameka," and first-time presenters "Rafael" and "Lawrence" encouraged those in attendance to learn from their mistakes by staying away from drugs and alcohol, and remaining in school. They also had words of advice to faculty members, urging them to remain vigilant with their students and their own children. When listeners were provided with an opportunity at the end of the program to respond to what they had heard, an interesting dialogue between students and offenders began. Presenters fielded questions pertaining to life before prison, like "What made you start drinking and smoking?" and "Why did you cut school?"

Michael Ritter (standing in front of stage), coordinator of the New Jersey Department of Corrections' Project PRIDE program, moderates at a July 2007 school presentation.

Questions related to incarceration were both inquisitive and thought-provoking: "What time do you get up in the morning?" and "Is life hard in prison?"
When asked, "What do you miss about the summer?" presenters reminisced about their love of the ocean, going to the movies, celebrating summer birthdays, trips to amusement parks and swimming.

When the two-hour program concluded, reviews of the presentation poured in. Students and faculty alike expressed their heartfelt appreciation to the presenters for sharing their stories. According to Assistant Principal David Mock, the message of the offenders was well received, and the program was a hit; students and staff were inspired, and the DOC was welcomed back next year for presentation number five.

"I think the kids responded really, well because the things we said are the things they are going through right now," said "Lawrence" as he prepared for his return to Garden State. "I saw that they paid really close attention to us."

For "Tameka" and "Rafael," their experience of loss, specifically the death of a parent, seemed to resonate with the students. During their respective presentations, "Tameka" shared the experience of losing her mother at an early age, and "Rafael" discussed the effect that his father's death had on his formative years.

"I could tell that they could relate to losing a loved one," "Rafael" stated.

So, what was the true impact of the program on the students of The Gateway School that day? According to Ritter, the concept of young offenders openly discussing with other young people the poor decisions made in their youth concerning drugs/alcohol, friends and school, and attesting to how those choices have impacted their lives in such a drastic and irreversible way, is a concept that has evoked a positive response from audiences statewide.

"The students are truly captivated by what the speakers have to say, and I think what really holds their interest is that the speakers are like they are," said Ritter. "They're just like the students out here. They were athletes, they were good kids growing up, they were honor roll students, and they had big goals and big dreams. Yet, unfortunately, right around 14, 15 years old or thereabout, they started to make some bad decisions, and the students could really relate to that."

The presenters are convinced that they benefit from the Project PRIDE program as much as those in the audience.

"The best thing that I get out of it is seeing that my story can touch a lot of people, whether they are 13 to 88, knowing that I can prevent the next human being from making the same mistakes that I did," related "Tameka," who has been a speaker since March.

Ritter pointed out that the majority of the more than 100 former presenters, who date back to the debut of the program in 1998, have successfully reintegrated back into their respective communities. Some, in fact, have continued sharing the program's message with the youth of their communities following their release. "We have at least five or six former speakers that volunteer to go out and speak," he said.

"I truly believe in my heart that this program is changing lives for the positive," Ritter added. "I'm proud to be a part of it." •