Support for DC's Previously Incarcerated Youth

Dear Free Minds Friends,

We have had a busy spring here at Free Minds, and we can’t believe how the time is passing!  Recently, formerly incarcerated Free Minds members led their 8th poetry reading as part of our booming Community Outreach initiative, “On the Same Page: Free Minds Poetry in the Community and the Classroom.”

Free Minds Reentry members are committed to education, awareness, and to stopping the cycle of youth incarceration. Using poetry as a tool for healing and preventing violence, “On the Same Page” unites diverse audiences in DC and begins a vital dialogue to find community based solutions. Reading works from our literary journal They Call Me 299-359: Writings from Incarcerated Youth of Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop Free Minds members  lead participants in a discussion on the causes of youth entering the criminal justice system. Recently our Free Minds poets took their powerful message to youth in the juvenile justice system at DC’s Youth Services Center. The ability to share from their past experiences  to help others has been life-changing.   Free Minds member Dashon describes why he facilitates “On The Same Page” sessions:  “It allows me to help youth avoid the same path that I was on when I was their age and gives them a start on a new road. I  show them that doing positive is always more fruitful.” Recent “On the Same Page” events have also been held  at Bell Multicultural High School, Booker T. Washington Public Charter School, and Georgetown Law Criminal Justice Clinic.

But that’s not all we’ve been up to!  Some of our other recent activities include:

• Free Minds member Michael was part of a group that met with Attorney General Eric Holder to promote PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act). Michael’s group was successful; immediately following the meeting, the Department of Justice issued regulations that take important steps toward protecting vulnerable children in adult jails and prisons from sexual abuse.

• Reentry members joined writer Gabe Feldman at the Free Minds office for a writing workshop. Free Minds members, whose writing has improved significantly during their time in the program, are eager to continue writing and growing once they are released. This workshop provided them with the tools to continue writing as they transition to life in the community. The writing workshop also helps members become more effective facilitators for our “On the Same Page” events.

• We have continued our monthly Write Nights with great success. Reentry members join volunteers from around the community to read poems and give feedback and encouragement to members still incarcerated. This past Write Night included a guest who had traveled a bit farther than usual to attend our community event. Terry, visiting from Guatemala, was touched to hear about H.M., who made the perilous journey to the U.S. from Central America when he was only 8 years old. She wrote back to H.M. in Spanish encouraging him to continue writing and not to give up hope. Terry´s experience this past Write Night epitomizes the connection we try to foster between the Free Minds members and the supportive community outside.

We are continually awed not only by the achievements of our members but also by the breadth of support in the community.  We could not do as much nor reach as many people without your generosity and belief in the transformative power of writing.  Thank you so much!

Links:

• Learn more about Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop
• Comment on our blog!
• Like Free Minds on Facebook

Dear Free Minds Friends,

                We can’t believe it’s already turning into spring! Free Minds has had an active few months in the Reentry phase of our program. We couldn’t do it without your support, and we’re excited to share a few achievements with you here:  

• Since our last report, Free Minds has led several sessions of Reentry Apprenticeships, where members returning home from prison work in our office, simultaneously giving back to the community and gaining valuable job skills. Free Minds members consider it such an important opportunity that we now get letters from members still incarcerated who are planning ahead and writing to request a spot in a the next cohort of apprentices! Next week we begin another set of apprenticeships, where, among other work, they will help us with planning the book club sessions they once participated in as 16 and17 year olds.

• Following the fall release of “They Call Me 299-359,” Free Minds’ Literary Journal, we have been using the book as a tool to reach diverse audiences across the city and even globally! Free Minds Reentry members have led readings and discussions aimed at understanding the root causes of youth violence and incarceration with international Congressional Fellows, adult GED students, teachers at the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, and members of the Daughters of the American Revolution, to name a few. One Reentry member called the book “"a very good way to bridge the gap between worlds,” and these sessions have truly demonstrated the power of poetry to both connect and educate.

• Another initiative begun in 2011, Free Minds’ “Volunteer Write Night,” has continued to blossom. If you’re in the area, consider joining us for this monthly volunteer opportunity- email mail@freemindsbookclub.org for more information! Free Minds Reentry members gather with volunteers from across the area to write feedback on the poems of members still incarcerated, allowing Reentry members to give back and encourage fellow writers. One recent recipient of feedback wrote enthusiastically: "I would like to thank all the people that showed love to my poems. I didn't know that they were that appreciated. Thanks for the motivation I'll keep 'em coming just for y'all no question!"

• Free Minds Reentry members have also been practicing increased civic engagement, attending several DC City Council hearings and writing testimony on their personal experiences of job-seeking after incarceration.

• Free Minds Member and Reentry Coach Michael has continued his activism on reentry issues. He continues to coach other Free Minds members returning home, while also discussing his own life story at a variety of public speaking engagements to educate about the repercussions of charging youth as adults. He recently attended SOUL’s National Youth Organizer Training in Oakland, CA, and just had a piece published in the Washington Post!

Your support not only helps us to provide opportunities for members returning home from prison, it sends a powerful message of your belief in their abilities to choose positive new life paths. We are so grateful!

You can stay up to date by liking us on facebook, visiting our website, and reading new poems every week on our writing blog.

Links:

• FM Member Michael's Article in the Washington Post
• Follow us on Facebook!
• Learn more about Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop