Transforming Families thru Re-Entry
Re-entry programs support individuals transitioning back into society after incarceration, providing services like job training, housing assistance, substance abuse treatment, and mental health support to reduce recidivism and promote successful reintegration. These programs aim to help formerly incarcerated individuals overcome significant barriers to become productive members of the community.
This work is a continuation of the original focus to use higher education as a pathway out of poverty and the pursuit of this American dream. A holistic approach is the important component, as youth are a key part of the transition after incarceration of a family member.
Navigating the landscape of resources is overwhelming, they include employment housing, mental health and legal assistance. Ann Jacobs from John Jay College summarizes the challenges as “A person’s successful re-entry into society can be viewed through how adequately they are able to meet six basic life needs: livelihood, residence, family, health, criminal justice compliance, and social connections.” Attaining each life need presents unique challenges, many of which are interconnected.”
Lastly, all initiatives share one common goal, which is to reduce recidivism.
Mental Health in Middle School
The mental health of students can affect their education, social life, and emotional well-being. BIPOC students are particularly affected as they are more likely to have experienced trauma in their young lives.
Young people need to learn advocacy skills and adults need to do more listening and less talking, practice patience and grace. Our children have already demonstrated their resilience, but that doesn’t mean they can maintain the tough exterior forever.
Remember “back in the day” the number of distractions for youth was alarming; gangs, the war on drugs, hip hop music. And as every generation looks back, they are reminded and amazed by the progression of challenges facing the younger generation.
I think there’s consensus that technology has expedited the progression and increased the range of these social ills. It has also provided a more rapid response and access to information to tackle the problems.
George Floyd Impact
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It’s an heavy emotional sense of disbelief, like a movie or a nightmare. At the end there’s an awakening, a social consciousness, that’s painful. And that pain is scary, because it could be your family member, your son, your brother, your father.
The only balm that soothes the discontent is pushing through for social justice and continuing the work that was started a decade ago, to boost the social consciousness of young people. Just as the civil right movement, was my fathers hope that things will be better. This movement can help galvanize communities to support the work of people of color to correct the ills that plague society; police brutality, silencing of black and brown voices, political corrosion, miseducation of poor people, and health inequality. All this awareness during a pandemic or because of the pandemic?