- [Young Man] If I hadn't been exposed to Cafe Momentum,
I would probably be in jail or in the streets
or dead right now.
(calm music) (towel squeaking on glass)
- The current approach to juvenile justice
is the definition of insanity.
Trying the same thing over and over again
and expecting a different result each and every time.
Instead of building a system of punishment,
let's reward good behavior
because good begets good, and bad begets bad.
Cafe Momentum is a 12-month paid internship
for young men and young ladies
exiting Dallas County juvenile detention facilities.
(workers shout)
Our approach completely changes the paradigm
of juvenile justice.
When the kids come in,
we tell 'em I love you and I believe in you.
That sends a direct message that they carry with them
for the rest of their lives.
In 2008, I was co-owner of a successful restaurant,
had been nominated for best up and coming chef in Dallas.
I had the opportunity to teach eight young men
in juvenile detention how to make ice cream.
One of them said, "I just love to make food
"and give it people and put a smile on their face."
And that struck me to my core.
(slow music) (siren wailing)
The juvenile justice industry term
to describe these kids is throwaway.
When you're told that you're bad your entire life,
you just accept it.
And that's not fair.
They've been told that they're dumb.
They've been told that they're no good.
For me, there was this realization
that if you actually knew the kids,
if you actually met them,
you would realize just how awesome they are.
For me, that was a big moment
because I realize that I just want to open a restaurant
and let the kids run it.
Take the knife.
So, I walked away from a successful job
and bet my entire career on taking kids out of jail
and teaching them to play with knives and fire.
Good job, Shayla.
Most often, these kids are committing crimes
to access resources.
We're talking food, clothing, and shelter.
(solemn music) (knife sharpening)
I grew up with every resource I could possibly need.
But if you put me in a situation
where I haven't eaten for four days,
and I have the opportunity to steal so I can eat,
I'm gonna do it because I'm starving.
And so would any of us.
- [Young Man] For my whole life,
I've been raised by my grandparents.
So they are my parents.
- When my husband passed away,
the rock was gone.
- When my papa was alive, there was two incomes coming in.
And now that he passed, there was only one,
so I would catch myself going out to do things
I wasn't supposed to do to get money.
I could have got killed.
Like, I was digging a hole for myself.
I got sent to Juvenile Justice Center,
so I was actually there for two months.
I heard about Cafe Momentum through my probation officer.
When I went to Cafe Momentum, it was like
they just welcomed me with open arms,
just like a family type thing, you know.
That felt good to me
'cause I felt like I was a part of something.
(teasing and laughing)
How you guys doing today?
This is a 12-month paid internship for juveniles
who are just now coming out of Juvenile Justice Center.
Helps them get a job, stay on their feet,
and keep them out of Juvenile Justice Center,
so I thank you guys so much for coming out
and supporting us.
It means so much to us.
- [Woman] We teach them all aspects of restaurant work.
So, it's an all-encompassing process
of what it means to work in and be in a restaurant.
- See that nice brown color?
- Beyond that is the overarching curriculum.
Write a resume.
Do a mock interview.
Training for life skills, things like that.
- [Chad] Also, we have case managers
that get them out of crisis and create stabilization.
- You scared to graduate?
- A little bit.
- Don't be scared.
I think what makes Cafe Momentum unique
is that we see something in them
sometimes before they can see it in themselves.
I think a lot of people think that there's no way
these kids can run this restaurant.
But they can.
And they do.
- Then we put it up here.
Then we say, "Fish in the window!"
- [Shayla] Ready to go!
(laughing)
- At the end of the day, it had to be about them
having the opportunity to define who they were in life,
not me to define that for them.
All right, I love you.
I love you all.
I love you with all my heart.
Go get ready for dinner.
Have a good shift.
(high energy techno music)
Everything that we do in this restaurant
is designed to create momentum
so that when they leave here,
that momentum is pushing them on an upwards trajectory
for the rest of their lives.
In the state of Texas, 48.3% of the kids
that go to jail once will be back within 12 months.
Of the over 600 kids that Cafe Momentum has worked with,
85% of the kids have never gone back to jail at all.
(clicks tongue)
- I have seen a big difference
before he started at Cafe Momentum and afterwards.
When he started there, the support started also.
- I feel like I have a purpose,
like I'm actually doing something that's helping people.
Say cheese!
- We're incredibly proud to be ranked
the third best restaurant in Dallas
because it proves that these young men and young ladies
can and will rise to whatever level of expectation
is set for them.
You can literally see the transformation happen,
and it really all starts with just one person
saying, "I believe in you."
(high energy techno music)