The second season of a podcast highlighting young people within the Southwest Washington juvenile justice system who are working hard to improve their lives, and the juvenile rehabilitation staff who support them, has been released on all streaming platforms.

"Dignity: A Podcast on WA Juvenile Rehabilitation" was created by Bobby Williams in partnership with the Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF). Williams is the executive director of The Bridge Music Project, a nonprofit organization that hosts songwriting workshops at music venues, schools and juvenile rehabilitation facilities, including Green Hill School and Echo Glen Children's Center. 

For the Dignity podcast, Williams interviewed over 40 people throughout the juvenile justice system, including youth, community-based organizations, administrators and floor staff.

"Juvenile Rehabilitation has faced a lot of challenges, and this podcast isn't trying to make light of that," Williams said."The mission of the show is to share stories that don't always make the news about youth growing as individuals and the adults who care about making a difference."

The podcast will feature seven episodes that will be released weekly on Thursdays. Each episode in the series will explore subjects related to the lives of young people in juvenile rehabilitation, including cultural identity, creativity, anti-violence and re-entering the community.

The first episode of Dignity chronicles an ongoing Sweat Lodge program that takes place at Green Hill School.

In the episode, the young person explains what the sweat lodge means to him, saying, "It helped me through a lot of pain when I lost my family. I've been doing sweat lodge my whole life. My dad was full-blooded Native American. I'm used to it. I think about my loved ones."

On the podcast's seventh episode, young people at Green Hill School get behind the microphone to interview people who've made a difference in their lives, including mentors, educators and cultural leaders.

Search "Dignity: a Podcast on WA Juvenile Rehabilitation" on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Amazon to find the Dignity Podcast. The podcast can also be found at www.dignitypodcast.podbean.com.  

For more information, contact Bobby Williams at 574-309-1484 or bobby@bridgemusicproject.org.