Incarcerated teens — LDS Church members and nonmembers alike — have a chance to progress from their situations, thanks to the dedication of Mike Mabe.
Mabe, director of Chesterfield County Public Library in Virginia since 2002, began his career as a librarian in Salt Lake City Public Library in 1982 and has been serving for about 30 years in various locations across the nation.
What can help guide the troubled youth to making better decisions?
The solution is books, Mabe believes.
"In my early days at Salt Lake City Public Library I had the opportunity to visit the state prison," Mabe said. "I became interested in giving something professionally to the incarcerated population, especially the youth … I have been involved with incarcerated populations since then. When I came to Chesterfield County Public Libraries I was asked by our outreach manager at the time to visit with her and the Detention Center school principal on programs for the incarcerated youth."
In Chesterfield, Detention Center Principal Brad Peebles was very interested in the program. The county library started the program in 2003 with a group effort by Mabe, Jay Taylor, Clara Hart, Sherri Parker and Jeanette Booker. Peebles has been an active participant in the program since its inception.
"The principal selects youth on good behavior a week or so before our visit," Mabe explained. "He gives them a book the library has selected and acquired with the instructions to read the book and be prepared to participate in a one-hour discussion with his/her peers about the book with a team leader from the library.
"My particular approach says the library director is to read selected sections of the title that 'tells the story' as well as proves the point being made by the author. I also relate the point to a personal story from my own life. We discuss the characters, the storyline and the outcome. We also expect each participant to read out loud during the one-hour discussion and express what they learned and how they will apply the learning in their life at the end of the discussion."
Mabe says the program benefits the youths by allowing them to think or rethink the impact or outcome of curious life actions or their poor life actions in a way that does not include getting arrested or in trouble again.
The program gained the attention of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," and Chesterfield County Libraries and Mabe were mentioned on the show.
"My only wish on the Oprah show mention was that the fact that the program is a team effort would have been mentioned instead of only mentioning me," Mabe said.
Funding for the program is through Friends of the Library grants, American Library Association grants and direct donations. Each program costs about $125.
"I can tell you the program works," Mabe says. "I have seen the difference it has made by giving them different perspectives and helping them with learning organization. They have to learn to speak out and to follow through with a commitment and they learn through the books."
Mabe says he uses his church experiences to help with the program.
"I use the same pattern of discussion with the books as I did/do with the Aaronic Priesthood quorums," Mabe says. "The years of working with youth in Young Men and Young Women and Scouts provide a solid base to work from."
Mabe grew up in the church in Nampa, Idaho, and was baptized at age 8. He served a mission from 1976 to 1978 in the Massachusetts Boston Mission. He has served as home teacher, Primary teacher, Scoutmaster, Aaronic Priesthood quorum adviser, Young Men's president, high councilor, bishop's counselor, ward and stake executive secretary and bishop.
Mabe and his wife have five children — all of whom have married in the temple — and eight grandchildren. He is currently in the Chesterfield 1st Ward, Richmond Virginia Chesterfield Stake.