Healing inside prison | Jacques Verduin and Fateen Jackson | TEDxSanQuentin

Years before emotional intelligence became the latest catchphrase. Jacques Verduin was offering innovative programs that taught this revolutionary concept to prisoners. Don't miss the powerful ending, a spoken word piece by Fateen Jackson, an incarcerated facilitator working with Jacques.


Jacques Verduin is currently the Director of Insight-Out. He also founded the Insight Prison Project, which under his leadership produced the gold standard restorative justice program called VOEG. His efforts have helped birth the Prison Mindfulness Initiative, the Prison Yoga Project, the Insight Garden Project, and Veterans Healing Veterans, among others. All of these organizations are being actively replicated. In addition to California, he is a consultant to the U.S. State Department and he and his staff have traveled abroad to train professionals in Guatemala, El Salvador, Bosnia, and the Netherlands.


Fateen Jackson has fully accepted responsibility for all of the wrong he has done throughout his life. He has denounced all gang activity and has dedicated himself to being a peace advocate and peacemaker. He's currently working toward becoming a state certified Domestic Violence counselor/facilitator and is also a student in the Prison University Project here at San Quentin.Only recently did Fateen discover his hidden creative talent of being a spoken word expressionist. He was inspired by a fellow prisoner to write and perform his material and since, has developed a passion for the art. He now uses its platform for redemption, healing, and enlightenment.


This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx