Name: Dustin Bleess
Year: 2000
Family: I
Role: Junior Facilitator
Date: 2011-02-04
Message: I was a junior facilitator in family I in 2000, and a camper in family J in '99. I used the things I learned as a counselor in a secure juvenile detention center for nine years, working with criminals ranging from murderers to shoplifters. RYLA did help me gain the communication skills and confidence necessary to work with a violent population and help many people learn to make more positive choices. It was an invaluable experience that extends to my work now, working with severely schizophrenic adults with aggressive physical and verbal outbursts. Lots of fun, lots of learning, lots of memories!