The Young Americans, in 2005, visited, for the first time, a male prison in the village of Rockenburg, Germany. The cast of 47 worked with the inmates, ages 14 – 21, for 3 days, teaching them an hour show in which they then performed for an audience of faculty and their families. Since 2005, the prison continued to allow and create music programs for inmates based on the extremely positive response the YA workshop had. The workshop had proven to actually decrease violence throughout the prison. The 300+ inmates had created relationships, teamwork and understanding with one another.

This April of 2011, the Young Americans returned for a second time. We had a tremendous response and welcoming back to the prison. For us, it proved that we need to always be accepting of someones faults and know that with acceptance comes the possibility of change.

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