North Las Vegas nonprofit It’s Ok 2B Different educates at-risk kids about other side of prison

On Oct. 1, roughly 24 youths found themselves getting a pat-down as they entered an assembly room at Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy.

A local biker gang surrounded them as they walked into the room with their hands up. Once they sat down, they were reminded that they were inside a “correctional facility,” and anything they did would be treated as a sign of aggression.

This wasn’t really a correctional facility, of course — just one of many scenes that Las Vegas Valley youths experience during “Reality Check,” a mock-up of the hit TV show “Scared Straight.”

The program is hosted by It’s Ok 2B Different, a North Las Vegas-based nonprofit that works to break the cycle of incarceration for children with a parent — or both parents — in prison.

“We’re here to mentor you as youths and help you get your life together,” said Lisa Reed, a motivational speaker and domestic violence advocate. “Do you have a plan for life? Ladies? It ain’t all about being cute. It’s about having knowledge.”

In hopes of deterring youths from a life of crime and imprisonment, Tina Burse, founder of the nonprofit, brought “prison life” to the school, 1201 W. Lake Mead Blvd. North Las Vegas Judge Eric Johnson and city of North Las Vegas Councilwoman Pamela Goins were among those who participated in the event to help bring the consequences of bad behavior to life.

Ex-gang members from different sets and former inmates and drug dealers also shared their stories from a cell created from scratch at the school. The youths listened, some in fear, while others smirked and made jokes to one another.

It wasn’t long before one, who was wearing a striped shirt, was caught.

“Stripes, are you making faces?” asked Allen Burse, director of the organization, who played the main correctional officer. “Right now, you’re at risk, and you think this is funny?”

The boy was taken away by the back of his shirt and made to look at the wall.

“I advise you kids to think strongly about what you are doing with your life,” said Karl Wesley, a former inmate. “Prison is a lifetime of hell.”

Shannan Cousin took her 14-year-old son to the event to change his attitude.

“My son is a good kid, he’s just very disrespectful,” Cousin said. “During the event he got up and gave me the biggest hug. I started crying. I think he just needed someone to talk to and he needed to hear about consequences. He seems really grateful now and understands that I do what I do because I love him.”

Tina Burse is a former corrections officer for the state of Nevada and saw that many youths were coming in and out of the system. She started the nonprofit in 2011 and has helped roughly 100 youths.

The number of children who have parents in jail is approximately 5.1 million in the U.S., according to a report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

“Some kids see going to prison as a sign of honor,” she said. “For them, it’s like going to the military, and it gives them street cred.”

One of her biggest challenges is educating the parents, she said.

“Some see us as a baby-sitting service, and others don’t take positive criticisms too well,” she said. “The way that parents interact with their children makes a big difference on how they behave.”

Other times, parents don’t want to get involved.

“Sometimes parents will say, ‘I choose my man or my woman over you,’ ” Tina Burse said. “Kids learn to fend for themselves, and in doing so, can get lost in society. Kids need to know that their parents love them. Most of the time, they’re just looking for affection.”

She isn’t blind to the challenges of parenting. As a single mother of five boys, she was desperate to prevent her sons from following in those footsteps. She realized that there are not many programs that help youths stay away from trouble. That is why she is reaching out to others.

“This event was as much for the parents as it was for the youths,” Tina Burse said. “Oftentimes, parents don’t want to face the reality that their children are in danger when they’re involved in illegal activities. This is what can happen. This can become their reality.

“I want kids to know that it’s OK to be different, it’s OK to survive, and it’s OK to live and breathe.”

Visit ok2bdifferent.net or call 702-987-5508.

To reach North View reporter Sandy Lopez, email slopez@viewnews.com or call 702-383-4686. Find her on Twitter: @JournalismSandy.