Lester Young – Speaker
Lester Young
Coach “Overcoming Setbacks”
Lester Young, Jr is a native of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. At the age of 19, Lester was given a life sentence (with the possibility of parole after serving 20 years). During his time in prison, Lester struggled with finding redemption and often wondered what his purpose was. While journaling he asked himself this question, “What is the footprint you want to leave in this world?” It was then that he realized his purpose was to be “that” voice to help at risk youth. With approval from the warden, Lester along with the prison chaplain began meeting to create outlines, programs, and classes to instruct and mentor fellow inmates. This is where the idea of him establishing his non-profit organization “Path2Redemption” got its start. On May 15, 2014 (22 years and 5 months later), Lester was released on parole. Even after his release, the outlines of his programs are still being taught in prison.
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Lester has hosted numerous workshops for at risk youth as well as incarcerated individuals. He works religiously to volunteer wherever and wherever he can be of assistance. He’s always doing more to be a “better him”. He’s now a “Certified Life Coach”, and author of his first self-help booklet entitled, “The 5 Stages of Incarceration”, which breaks down different emotions some individuals may suffer with during his/her time of incarceration. You can read a brief description of Lester’s life (before incarceration) found in the book “The Trigger” written Daniel Patinkin.
Mr. Young is setting a new standard for “living a life of redemption”. His commitment to advocating for criminal reform is changing the way society has been proportioned to deal with incarcerated individuals transitioning back into society upon release from prison. As the “Statewide Organizer for South Carolina at JustLeadershipUSA, he specializes in developing and managing innovative campaigns in multiple cities. Lester is widely known for his work with the Mayor of Columbia, SC; in having the first statewide ordinance passed for JustLeadershipUSA’s current campaign entitled “#Banthebox”. This campaign gives incarcerated individuals the chance to complete applications, job and/or housing, without being discriminated against for past convictions