-Andre, Santa Cruz My life’s question or rather questions are what I am supposed to do? What is my purpose, my destiny? I am constantly faced with this question each and every time, and more and more I want an answer. I want to know, and I want it to be clear as if in bright lights with a sign. I’m so eager to have my answer. This question came to me as I watched my mother but my dad as well. Was her purpose to be a mom? Was it her destiny? Was she meant to do it. Same
Continue ReadingYear: 2025
Be Brave Today
-Sarah, Correctional Facility in Lincoln, IL When I think of bravery, I think of all the people who choose to be themselves through all the struggles, and the self-talk that seems to sometimes hold back progress. To me, being brave is the act of living and truly showing up for one another, as we would expect. Most of us look at the world with either rose colored glasses or as a battlefield, and with each comes the need for bravery to make the most of it. There will always be someone who wants you to change either for the worse
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Volume 30.29/30
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingEd Note 30.29/30
The Beat Within is back again to help amplify your voices and your stories. To share them with the larger community and the world. In partnership with the community, we work with high school student interns every year and here are some of their final reflections on the experience of helping to type up your writing for publication. It takes a village of people and dedicated team work to pull of this publication every two weeks! We appreciate meeting with you every week, sharing conversations and putting all your thoughts, dreams and challenges in print for you to share. We
Continue ReadingI Changed
-Michelos, Sonoma To me, The Beat was a mere program, something that I had to do. I’d say the only thing that really stood out to me was the man who would come teach the program: Michael. But as time pushed, I think I changed. In general, I liked to write, but somewhere in my crazy life I lost it. And when I came to juvenile hall, I had the urge to write. Yet the consistency got to me, the man telling every week to write something, the first week it was okay, but a year later… a thought came
Continue ReadingWho Are You?
-D, Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, CA I have a question for you. Who are you? What are you and why are you? I have been faced with this question all my life. I came from a background who’s parents did not know how to pay attention to my mental development. It left me to make decisions through a lot of my traumas. My true identity hid behind fear, and self-consciousness. I felt I was already being thrown away by this world. But what I’ve learned by being thrown away by this world is that we all make mistakes;
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Volume 30.27/28
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingEd Note 30.27/28
We hope you enjoy this issue of The Beat Within as we tackle topics of summer, choice and grandparents. Thank you everyone for your constant community, we are so humbled to share another issue of this communal magazine with you. As summer heats up and school is out for vacation, we want to publish a few reflections from the last group of student interns from Urban High School. These students help The Beat Within week in and week out by typing up workshop writing from many different locations and we really appreciate the extra help! As you can imagine, there
Continue ReadingThey’ve Always Been There
-J, San Francisco My grandparents are cool people because they’ve always been there for me. They took care of me when I was younger. We’d go on walks throughout the Mission. If we ran into some of their friends, we’d go eat together, sometimes the McDonalds. I’d get a McGriddle with a hash brown. We’d go to church or out to eat at other places. I’d just be happy when I was with them. They just understood me. My grandparents are still showing up for me. They still come and visit me here. I feel like they were better grandparents
Continue ReadingMy Choice To Change
-Donald, San Quentin “Change is the end result of all true learning.” Leo Buscaglia I agree with this quote because it wasn’t until I truly learned, that I actually changed. I made a lot of choices over my lifetime, which I believed were choices, that were the same choices that others were making for me which were, for the most part, bad choices. They were choices that became a means of survival for me. As I’ve gone through life and I sit with the consequences of the choices I’ve made and hearing the stories of others’ lives and experiences, I
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