Talia's Story
My name is Talia Rivera and I am co-founder and executive director of "Villages Without Walls". I have been in the field of youth work for about ten years. For the last three years, I have been working as a street worker for the City of Boston and the Boston Ten Point Coalition. As a street worker my job is to reach out to youth who are high-risk youthful offenders, youth who are gang affiliated, court involved, involved in street crime, drug use and sexual promiscuity or youth who are considered to be at great risk of doing so.
I can remember vividly my youth. I remember what it felt like to live with a mother who was married to crack cocaine. I remember what it felt like not to have a mother. I raised myself. I sold drugs to live. At the age of 17 I found out that I was pregnant. I was arrested twice for drug distribution and was sentenced to the Suffolk County House of Corrections; leaving my daughter with my mother (who was still drug addicted). I missed my daughters first birthday. I’ll never forget the day my mother brought her to visit me. I reached out my arms to hug her and she pulled away. I was hurting in places I didn’t know hurt. I sat in my cell and told myself that I don’t want to live the rest of my life like this.
When I was released from jail I walked into the Bethel Tabernacle Pentecostal Church and my pastor, Dr. Weeks gave me another chance. She believed in me. I am where I am now because of her. I know that I am called to be the voice of hope in the lives of youth who everyone has given up on.
Villages Without Walls was created from the belief that the faith community could step into the void by providing youthful offenders with a combination of advocacy, programming and employment.
This Summer Villages Without Walls employed six youthful offenders committed to the Department of Youth Services for violent offences, firearm charges, assault and battery, and larceny.
These six youthful offenders were hired to organize and facilitate study circles (“study circles are a process for public dialogue and community change”). Through their study circle involvement they were given a chance to be restored to their dignity and self-worth and be reintegrated back to the community they offended as useful citizens.
On August 20th the youth hosted a study circle with over 40 participants; city officials, city councilors, police officers, reporters, local community members, students from Harvard University etc. We did that!
We struggled this summer fighting against the many voices that have beat down the youth we hired. We are not naïve we know that eight weeks is not adequate time to do real intervention. We are working to get the funds we need to run year long. There are many ways that you can help as Villages Without Walls continues to grow; we welcome that involvement and will provide more information about that at the meeting after the service today. I want to thank the Social Action Committee, the Jubilee fund and specially Laura and Mary Ann for believing in Villages Without Walls. We could not have done the work we did this summer without the support of the Arlington Street Church.
Thank You.