Saying Goodbye to the Empowerment Center
Our space at the Empowerment Center has been more than just an office or place to meet. Over the past three years, it has become a place of warmth, intimacy and safety. A place where our young people come to sit and share. For some, it was the only place they could ever do this comfortably and safely. It had become a place that nurtured healthy relationships, deep friendships and became a place for family.
The Empowerment Center had become our home.
When we packed up our offices and turned the key for the last time two weeks ago, saying goodbye was much harder than I imagined it would be.
These walls are filled with memories.
Memories of the time a young RCTC student came to us for the first time with a friend who had told him, “Bro, come to Circle with me. It’s where you can go and say anything and where people get you. It’s this place where you can be yourself and people understand. It brings your stress level down.”
Memories of the time a young man leaned against the sofa and said, “I come here and I sit here, every week, in this same spot. This is MY spot. This is where I belong. It’s the only place I’ve ever felt that is MINE. Abdi, he sits there, Karen, you sit there, Alysha sits there and Mujahid always sits there. And me, this is my spot. It’s where I belong, it’s where I can rest, and it’s where I feel safe.”
Memories of the time a young basketball player came with his friends, with a hoodie pulled up, laced around his face, so much so it was hard to see him. The first time the talking piece came to him, he made a brief introduction. And by the third time it came to him, he began to talk. He talked and talked and talked. About his childhood, about gang life, about his family, about the trauma, and the secrets he had never told anyone. Tears were running down his face, when he took a deep breath and said, “I’ve never told anyone these things. I didn’t expect to say all of this, I just couldn’t stop.” He kept coming back, and by the time he left Project Legacy after graduation 18 months later, he looked like a different person. His hair was cut, the baggy clothes were gone, his hood was down and the features of his face were accented by glasses purchased by Project Legacy. A memory of transformation.
There were hard times here, too.
Young people being held accountable by their peers, items thrown in anger and frustration, raised voices, uncontrollable sobbing, grief-wracked bodies that held in pain for so many years, until finally, in a safe space, it could all be released.
Birthdays celebrated, new babies shown off, graduations, driver’s licenses, probation completed, new relationships, deep friendships, and unconditional love.
Our home at the Empowerment Center was filled with memories — memories of unconditional love. Now, as we walk into an uncertain future, we carry that love with us. We believe there will be another space that we can call our own and create the safe, warm space our children need.
Thank you for walking this path with us. Thank you for helping make this space a home — our home. Today, we reflect in gratitude at the memories shared and look forward to the time we are together again in our new home.