Scarlett Lewis Speaks at Facility for Women
Scarlett Lewis at New Hampshire Correctional Facility for Women
The New Hampshire Department of Corrections (NHDOC) is Choosing Love. The Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement is now being taught at NHDOC facilities to help inmates better understand the impact of adverse childhood experiences and ways to change their thinking in a positive way.
On February 20, Scarlett Lewis, Choose Love founder, visited the New Hampshire Correctional Facility for Women (NHCFW) and spoke to 24 women about how social-emotional learning can be the path towards enhancing our emotional intelligence and proactively preventing violence.
Lewis stated that 30-50 percent of people have dealt with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Through the Choose Love program, we have to ability to change negative thinking patterns into positive ones. “It’s a cycle,” Lewis stated.
“Thoughts impact our feelings which impact our behavior.” She challenged the group to change one angry thought each day with a positive one. Next week, several NHDOC staff members will participate in a training at the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester that will instruct NHDOC counselors, teachers, security staff and clinical staff on how to implement and facilitate the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement in the prisons.
On Wednesday, Governor Sununu proclaimed February as Social and Emotional Learning Awareness Month during the Governor & Council meeting at the State House.
