At the beginning of May, Cultura Viva started working with the third group of inmates of the San Felipe Penitentiary Center on The Way to Happiness program – the course of a series of seminars on ethics and values. The director of the psychology department, Dr. Gretchen Rubio, and Dr. Rosa Mateo, psychologist of the center, have pointed out that the inmates of this new group, for the most part, have existing lasting problems in relations with their families and children. Thus, a special focus has been given to such moral principles of the book, as “Love and Help Children” and “Be Faithful”.

Mr. Divindon Surún, the Presenter of The Way to Happiness in addition to more intensive workshops on the needed topics, instructed the inmates on how they can help others with this Book, including their family members. A portion of books was delivered to their families through the psychologist Dr. Mateo.

During the most recent visit to the center, Dr. Mateo, the psychologist, expressed her gratitude to Cultura Viva Foundation, and the powerful program we had brought, that had helped over 5o inmates to improve their behavior, relationships with families, and center companions, demonstrating significant personal development.

Dr. Mateo also invited the inmates to start planning their future lives responsibly when going free, based on the ethical principles they’d learned, so they can achieve their goals and improve the quality of their lives.

The participants expressed their gratitude for being taken into account for this type of educational program and showed their complete willingness to continue learning. Pedro Alexander Mota, one of the inmates, approached our team after the seminar and asked if it was possible for him to join as a volunteer when he goes free soon, to learn how to give the seminars to be able to help others.