Reentry Programming
Reentry Programming
Our Reentry Programs at Youth Empowerment are designed to support individuals at various life stages as they transition back into their communities following incarceration. Both our youth and adult reentry initiatives offer comprehensive support, focusing on providing the resources and guidance necessary for successful reintegration. These programs emphasize personal development, employment readiness, and community connection, ensuring that participants have the tools they need to navigate the challenges of reentry and succeed in reestablishing their lives with confidence and support.
Youth Programming
Our lived-experience Credible Messengers facilitate our Youth Mentorship Program. It serves close to 300 young people yearly, aged 13 to 24. A current government contract serves mentees who are on Juvenile Probation, including but not limited to those under Gang Supervision, Youthful Offender Supervision, or otherwise appropriately referred by a Probation Officer through the Community Resource Directory. Curriculums can include Forward Thinking & Interactive Journaling, Healthy Relationships, Seeking Safety, and Parents on a Mission for young parents. However, if help is requested and a commitment to work hard is recognized, no young person is ever turned away from Youth Empowerment. Mentors are trained to work with traumatized individuals. The program is funded by individual fundraising, contracts and grants.
Adult Programming
Also facilitated by Credible Messengers, the Adult Mentorship Program serves close to 200 mentees per year. Special funding has been received to serve 18- to 60-year-olds on Post-Release Community Supervision individualized support and comprehensive wrap-around services. Curriculums include The Courage to Change (Social Values; Responsible Thinking; Self Control; Peer Relationships; Family Ties; Substance Use) and Parents on a Mission, which addresses self confidence and self-imposed guilt, and targets how to deal with feelings of failure. The goal of this program is to help adults successfully re-engage with their communities following incarceration and to avoid recidivism, as well as providing a bridge to support tumultuous parent/child relationships. Mentors have lived experience and are trained to work with traumatized individuals. The program is funded by fundraising, contracts and grants.