"La Fuerza Está en Ti" In English: "The Force is in You"

I am applying for the Elevate Prize to empower the efforts of my organization "La fuerza esta en ti" and to scale the work we are doing in the Mexican prisons: to bring transformational tools to the human beings that are needing them most.

If we are selected as winners it would take this movement to the next level. We have open doors into several prisons in Mexico and letters from the authorities expressing their intention and interest in working with us. The only "buts" we have received are concerning lack of resources to support our programs. 

By winning the Elevate Prize, we would invest in creating high quality Virtual Reality softwares for the inmates. We have a systematic program that is self-evident with practices that go hand to hand with theory. By applying this high end technology tool, inmates will accelerate their growth in an exponential way. 

We would buy mp3 devices for the organization, to reach 2000 inmates in the state practicing meditation. Also, bring our professionals to the prisons so they can give more physical talks and workshops. And, last but not least, we would grow the marketing and administrative team for the organization.

My name is Gilberto Rivera, I'm a Father and Architect born in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico on 1984.

At the age of 24, in my first job as a professional, I was falsely accused and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

For 8 years full of challenges and many difficulties, I fought for my life and freedom. It was not until my innocence was proven that I was able to regain my physical freedom.

In my experience inside prison I realized there is no opportunity for real change. The tools for creating a different life are very limited. People in this vulnerable situation have no options for reintegration, even that some want to transform their lives and not repeat the patterns that got them there in the first place.

My purpose is to transform lives, sharing transformational tools with inmates to give them a possibility to be free in their hearts and minds. In this way, true change will come, also around their families and the entire society. 

I envision our organization growing bigger and stronger, being a model on how to use the best technology available to create positive impact in our society. 

We are transforming the "Universities of Crime" from the inside out, starting with the prisons in Mexico, working with the individuals, giving them powerful tools for self transformation, like meditation, introspection and much more.  

The prisons are a dark reflection of our society but they also impact directly to what happens outside. While we work with the prisoners we are also preventing crime, taking out students form the crime universities and providing them another option of a righteous life, a conscious one.

The scale of this problem is huge! it is happening all around the world, we can see how the system that was initially created to reinsert people to society is actually vicious and broke. 

Just in our community in Pachuca Hgo there are 2000 man and 200 woman inside prison We have been working with them for 2 years giving them different workshops, from art to hand crafted activities and music. 

Now we are focusing the whole energy and attention to share with them transformational tools, meditation, mindfulness, introspection practices, developing observation and concentration skills aiming to a better self control, emotional freedom and mental health. 

The new approach we are taking is incredibly powerful! 

We are going to use Virtual Reality like an accelerator to take theoretical understandings into experiential knowledge. 

Imagine somebody that hasn’t been outside of prison in 5-8-15 years having the opportunity to visit the top of Machu Picchu, or the snowy mountains of California, while they learn about the power of the mind and the emotions to transform their lives. 

Imagine these people experiencing in virtual reality programs the implications of how an emotion, a moment of anger for example, can take a good individual into a bad action that translates in a prison sentence. And learning after how to choose consciously which emotions and thoughts to feed instead of being a victim of their circunstantes and reactions.   

Imagine developing a Systematic program with this advanced tool that can be scaled into all the prisons in Mexico, and later in the rest of the world. 

This will have a positive impact in humanity because is aiming to the causes and it will change the consequences of the many problems that come out of Universities of Crime.  

We are already working in 3 different prisons in the state of Hidalgo. We approach the inmates with humility and we talk with sincere love because we know that fear is not the way to help someone. This whole program is about giving them tools and support so they can make the change themselves. 

We work with groups of 30-50 people giving them an introductory workshop, mp3 devices with guided meditations and lessons (and soon the Virtual Reality headsets) and we talk with them about 5 golden Keyes to master ourselves like individuals: Observation, Concentration, Visualization, Meditation and Introspection. 

We give them specific practices to unfold each of those tools in themselves, for example practicing the right introspection (observing emotions and thoughts daily that lead into behaviors/actions). 

As mentioned before, this will not only transform the life of the inmates, but also their relationship between them, the environment with the guards, their interaction with their families and the approach they will have with society when out of prison.