CHN joins Reality Tour at the County Jail

Click candle for more information about the Reality Tour. This concept originated in Butler, Pennsylvania and is spreading to different locations.

CHN volunteered at the Reality Tour last night from 6:00 t0 9:30 PM.

This eye-opening public service includes a walk though parts of the Allegheny County Jail.

Five youth and three parents attended. At the end, two of our CHN shared about their experience with drugs and out-of-home placement. They also answered many questions from the group.

Doctor Bernacki is shown here with our club members. He and his wife manage the Pittsburgh Reality Tour.

The sights and smells of the jail make it a scary place. We see real people in the intake department waiting to be processed. Sometime the prisoners approach the glass window and bang on it demanding attention from our group walking by. Some of them look horrible, perhaps in withdrawal from drugs or alcohol- or perhaps still intoxicated.

This picture captures the hazy quality outside the jail. It is as though we are about to enter the Twilight Zone.

Our two speakers at the end. One of our speakers not only shared his painful experience with drugs, but he reached out to parents in the group- telling them that by having him arrested and sent away- his mother probably saved his life. Since his mother was in the group- she received a big ovation from the audience. After the presentation, Doctor Bernacki invited her to speak next month along with her son. She has gladly accepted the invitation.

This is a role-play about an overdose in a hospital ER. The parents flip out when they learn that their son is dead. Next, we are taken to a closed casket funeral role-play where the same parents mourn the loss of their son. Usually, inmates from the County Jail speak to the tour group at the end, but last night the speakers were from CHN. This tour does some excellent prevention and education for younger youth, especially ages 10 through 16. For more info about the Reality Tour click here