Violence was a mainstay in George Galvis’ life from as far back as he can remember: His earliest memory, from age 3, is of witnessing his father savagely attacking his mother. So it’s no surprise that he brought what he learned at home to the streets. That ended at age 17, when he was incarcerated for multiple felonies, including attempted murder for his involvement in a drive-by shooting.
Once he left prison, Galvis began a healing journey that led him to embrace his American Indian roots and reclaim his culture. It also steered him to college, where he studied hard and earned a degree. Now a youth activist and executive director of Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, Galvis spends some of his time teaching young people how to heal from trauma. While it’s true that too often “hurt people, hurt people,” he says it’s equally true that “healed people, heal people.”
[For more of this story, written by Maisha Simmons, go to http://www.rwjf.org/en/culture...an_we_help_boys.html]
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