Foundation for Life (FFL) Part one. What makes FFL very effective is the set up. The course runs for sixteen weeks and the participants meet once a week for 2½ hours a day. On the first day of class the participants are offered an assessment test, it’s optional but I recommend everyone take it. The test evaluates the participants relational connection to the principals and values that the course is based on, and the assessment test is a tool that has useful insight that is valuable long after the class is over.
The instructor Cliff Parrish begins each class with an informative dialogue on the chapter the class is covering that week. Afterwards a couple of the participants give testimonials on the chapter, these testimonials are often very personal. As a result the guys in the class begin to bond over the shared experiences.Next the participants breakdown into small groups to discuss the chapters amongst themselves. During these small groups the conversations usually get a little deeper and sometimes more intense. The small groups challenge the guys to open up. In my opinion its in these small groups were the prisoners in the class begin to feel really empowered, it’s the trust that Cliff gives the guys in the class that makes it impactful. As prisoners we aren’t trusted and for Cliff to come in a give us that element, that necessary validation that makes us feel human, that helps us feel like a whole man again is essential to the transformational journey of the men in the class. It may seem like a small matter to some of you reading this but to the many long term prisoners taking this class its life altering. At the end of the course he participants who finish are given certificates with their mission statements on them, the guys have to write them themselves. It serves as a reminder to the journey and to the commitment each one of us take as we seek a successful transition back into society.
Brian Beals
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