Chicago area students aim to use stories to connect with kids in justice system

GLEN ELLYN, Ill. (CBS) - Reading someone else's story gives one the opportunity to step into their shoes. That was the goal on Tuesday for some College of DuPage students.

They want to better understand the kids they'll work with in the juvenile justice system. The workshop at the college bridged worlds with words.

Meade Palidofski leads the college students through a version of a program she usually uses inside juvenile correctional facilities, having them write about traumatic or troubling moments as a way to work through them and better understand the kids they hope to work with one day.

"In these plays, the problems were all there, but the solutions were not," Palidofski said.

Also leading the session were Jamell Dorrough and Anthony Wilson, who both met Palidofski in the 1990s when they were incarcerated as teens accused of murder.

"I was the gangbanger," Dorrough said. "I was the drug dealer, lost cause. Lock them up. Throw away the key."

He added, "These kids have skills. They have abilities. They just need somebody to nurture them."

They're now working alongside Palidofski to help students by reading their narratives.

"I was like, 'Wow,'" Wilson said, laughing.

They're also helping them tell their stories because they know how much it means to be heard.

"It was amazing how writing those plays got me to change my whole mindset, got me to separate from the gang life," Wilson said. "Somebody showing an interest in me made me want to change my life and do better."

The students hope to change juvenile justice systems into a more productive, understanding system.

"They're just kids," said Yvette Amaro, a program participant. "They made a mistake and they are trying to do better for themselves."

The College of DuPage students are studying theater, social work, and justice studies. The plan is to bring the program back for the spring semester.