UNITED
JOSHUA
FOR
SUPPORT NETWORK
Josh knows just how important strong family ties are for prisoners who re-enter society. Many times, he sees young men come back to prison, because they don't have a good support system in place to help them get back on their feet. When Josh arrived at Warren Correctional Institution, he decided to join the Family is First Project. This program aims to strengthen family relationships. Family members meet on the outside, prisoners meet on the inside, and on a regular basis the two groups meet inside the prison to work on best practices as it relates to communication skills. When Josh completed the program at the end of 2015, he was invited to participate again the following year as an alumni. Josh was extremely glad and humbled to not only be invited back, but to also receive the opportunity to facilitate group discussions as an alumni.
As an alumni, Josh has facilitated important conversations with other members of the program. At the end of October 2016, Josh and Steff celebrated his achievement as a group facilitator. He was awarded a 'Certificate of Achievement in Leadership and Facilitation' by pastor Stacie Johnson.
The fact that Josh places a huge importance on his family relationships cannot be disputed. He enjoys spending time with his mom, niece, and soon-to-be wife.
After having been together for more than seven years, Josh and Steff have plans to get married. They completed a pre-marital correspondence course together in order to work on a variety of skills. Although the two believe that they have a wonderful and strong relationship, they both know that there is always room for improvement. The two enjoy talking about the topics that this pre-martial correspondence course covered, such as personality scopes, communication, and financial management.