Ted Talk: A Father Daughter Dance In Prison

I first watched a Ted Talk called “A father daughter dance in prison” by Angela Patton. In this Ted Talk, Angela told a story about how she formed an organization called “Camp Diva”. This organization helps fathers and daughters stay connected in each other’s lives. She believed that in preparation for growing up and their own woman-hood, they needed the opportunity to have a way to invite their fathers into their lives on their own terms. Girls in her camp decided to have a dance. Once the dance was a success, they decided it would be annual. But for the second year of the dance, one girl’s father couldn’t come because he was in jail. The group felt that the girl needed to experience the dance as well, so they had the dance in jail. More girls with fathers in jail were invited, and it was described as a very beautiful and moving night.
Growing up in a pretty well-off town, I have never met somebody in jail or seen a jail myself. Watching this Ted Talk opened by eyes to exactly how hard it would be if you knew your own father was still alive, but you could never see him. Growing up without a father figure in your life sounds very tough but it was never something I really thought about. I thought the woman in this Ted Talk had a very big heart. To create this organization to help keep a connection with fathers in jail was a very risky thing to do, but also sounded very rewarding. These girls will now be able to live their lives differently knowing that they have this small connection with their fathers, which I think is very