FreeMindsBookClub.org
Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop is on a mission to "introduce young inmates to the transformative power of books and creative writing." This non-profit wants the help young men who are charged and incarcerated as adults unlock their potential, even though they are locked behind bars. According to board member Reuben Pemberton, Free Minds, "helps the kids that society forgets about."
They meet weekly with juvenile inmates to discuss contemporary books and to give them a safe forum to write and share their work. Free Minds continues to support the inmates who are sent to federal prison upon turning 18, sending them books and writing assignments and assigning them a penpal if they request one. One participant said that they kept in touch with him more than his family did. And once an inmate in the program is released, Free Minds provides them with re-entry support by connecting them to resources like job training, GED programs and SAT prep.
Authors, including Etan Thomas of the Washington Wizards, have visited Free Minds workshops.
Marvin Bistro and Bar donated space, food and wine for a reception that was held on March 25, 2009, so that the group could raise money and let the DC Community know about the work that they do to help juvenile offenders change course.Deputy Director, Tara Libert said,"The obstacles they overcome are awe-inspiring."
At the reception, men who had been through the program spoke about how much it meant to them. One man, who has plans to open his own businesses, credited the program with helping him get his GED. Another program graduate who wants to be lawyer, works for the program, has a job and is in school. He said that the books the program sent helped improve is vocabulary and thought process. (A list of books that participants have read is available on the group's website.)
Two other young men shared very moving poems that they had written. One poem ("Pain in the Dark") compared incarceration to war, while another ("Daddy's a Man Now", recited from memory) was dedicated to the writer's daugher.
The group accepts donations (money, books and other items) and they are also in need of volunteers
Each fall, Free Minds has an annual poetry reading where program participants share their work. The date has not been set yet, but check their website for details.
Free Minds Book Club
& Writing Workshop
2201 P Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
(202) 758-0829
mail@freemindsbookclub.org
Comments
Great! Young folks need all the help we can give them.
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