Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop
| WISH LIST
$100: postage for
256 encouraging letters written to
incarcerated youth;
$500: 1 month
of metro fares for 9 recently returned
youths attending school;
$1000: 100
new books for teens at the DC Jail
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In 2006, 111 males ages 16 and 17 were charged as adults for felony crimes and
incarcerated at the DC Jail. On average, they read at a fifth-grade level, and
schooling at the jail is woefully insufficient: many see criminal activity as their
only recourse when they return home. Free Minds Book Club & Writing
Workshop uses books and creative writing to empower young inmates to
transform their lives. The club meets weekly at the jail to discuss a work of
literature. Most inmates report that they have never before read an entire book; for many, it is the first time they
have felt connected to one. And writing encourages reflection – on the consequences of their actions, their
dreams for the future. After they move to federal prison, books and correspondence keep coming. Educational
and career opportunities – from GED preparation, to job training programs – are offered to those who reenter
the community. Free Minds engages young inmates in the life-changing power of reading and writing. And
transformation is a beautiful thing.
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