Extended Family has conducted our Going Home Workshop for more than 1,700 individuals near the end of their incarceration sentence. This program is designed to help prepare prisoners to transition back into life as a “returned citizen” to the ever-changing world – imagine going into prison from a world of pay phones and returning years later into a world of cell phones! The Going Home Workshop goal is to help prepare the returning citizen to be successful after incarceration and to reduce the rate of recidivism (committing another crime and going back to prison). However, we recognize that some returning citizens need more comprehensive help to be successful after incarceration. To meet this need, we have created a new program called Extended Success for Life.
Extended Success for Life (ESL) is a reentry program provided by Extended Family to men leaving incarceration and returning to their homes and communities. We know that returned citizens have unique challenges to achieving success. Our staff will be working one-on-one with these individuals to assist them in overcoming obstacles, while helping them create a plan for their future.
ESL helps returning citizens address challenges with a three-part approach: dream, learn, and live. The first step is to teach these individuals to dream, through a series of activities and lessons, and to set goals for their physical, mental, and emotional success. The second step is to provide classes, interactive activities, and community-based resources to help the returning citizen learn how to set actionable steps towards reaching their goals. Finally, with individualized support, returning citizens are given what they need to work toward their goal and step-by-step guidance to help them make their dream a reality.
ESL is a pilot program being introduced in 2024 to Cherokee, Etowah, and DeKalb counties in Alabama. Reentry Coordinator Jerry Clemons will meet with program participants once a week for twenty weeks to provide leadership and help the returning citizen navigate the process to dream, learn, and live their way into a successful life after incarceration. ESL is provided free of charge to those who want to change their life and set higher goals than they have in the past, while giving them the tools necessary to change their behavior and create better outcomes.
For more information, contact Reentry Coordinator Jerry Clemons, 256-927-3038 or jerry@extendedfamilyhelp.org.
