For young people in North Carolina’s Juvenile Justice system, finding a better path forward in life is more than just meeting court requirements and staying out of trouble – it’s often about healing from childhood traumas that many adults could never imagine.
On Sept. 17, motivational speaker Paula Jaunce shared her life story with youth at Wake Juvenile Detention Center, speaking plainly on the trauma she’s experienced in her life and the steps she’s taken to overcome the circumstances of her past.
“I watched my father be incarcerated his whole life and struggle with addiction, and I was heading down the same track,” Jaunce said. “When I understood that the world was calling me a statistic, I was passionate about healing from my trauma and breaking that cycle.”
As part of that healing journey, Jaunce has made it her mission to help others understand the cycle of trauma and find their own purpose in life. She’s spoken about trauma to incarcerated people across the country and published two books on the topic.
“I think it was great to bring her here,” said Wake JDC Director Shyheem Carmon. “With her background, I knew a lot of kids would relate to that. To see somebody come in who is a published author, speaking at different facilities, it kind of gives them hope that they can do the same thing.”
Jaunce’s story touched on a wide variety of topics – violence, abuse, addiction, gangs, drugs and teen pregnancy – subjects that resonated with youth in the facility for very personal reasons. She encouraged youth to talk about these experiences in a safe setting and emphasized the importance of forgiving oneself and others as a critical component of healing from traumatic experiences.
“You can’t let your past become your future and your present,” reflected L., a student at Wake JDC. “We all go through our own things. You can’t let it affect you just because you’ve been through it. Trauma is a very strong thing, but it’s also something you learn from.”