PW was launched in 2006 by Community Works. In year one, the youth were instrumental in researching, creating, and piloting a training curriculum for teachers and social workers. The interactive training provides participants with tools to effectively serve children with parents under the supervision of the criminal justice system. Recently, the team expanded its target audiences to include additional service providers, public officials and agency leadership.
By December 2007, the PW team reached over 1,000 service providers and public officials through 17 trainings and presentations. Participants included caregivers at the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and their Families Children’s Summit; foster care professionals at the Casey Family Programs Annual “It’s My Life” Conferences; physicians, hospital personnel, and community health workers at Oakland Children’s Hospital; staff and interns at Legal Services for Prisoners with Children; social workers, parole officers, and community service providers at a conference sponsored by the Greater Bay Area Child Abuse Prevention Coalition; educators at the Teachers 4 Social Justice Annual Conferences; and family service providers at Alameda County First 5.
The PW team also developed the Resource Guide for Teens with a Parent in Prison or Jail. The eighty-page guide, originally released in May 2007 and updated in May 2008, answers common questions that children have when a parent is incarcerated. It has an entire section that explains complex jail and prison visiting procedures in plain language. It also includes compelling stories written by youth, along with a CD of the stories read aloud. The guide is being distributed to more than 1,000 youth and service providers through community agencies, via free download on our website, and at conferences. Youth who want a free copy should contact the Community Works office.
Project WHAT! was launched with a generous grant from the Zellerbach Family Foundation. We have also received support from Youth Funding Youth Ideas, San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and Their Families, East Bay Community Foundation, Bank of the West, GGS Foundation, Morris Stulsaft Foundation, and generous individuals.
HIRING YOUTH
HIRING FOR 2008 IS COMPLETE!
We hire youth each year in the spring to begin work in the summer. We ask for a one-year commitment from you. Our team is diverse in terms of age (we accept applications from ages 15-25), race, gender, and interests. In order to work with Project WHAT!, at least one of your parents MUST have been incarcerated at some point in your life, and YOU must be willing to speak publicly about how their incarceration affected your life.
Hiring for 2008 is complete, but if you’re interested in learning more about the youth positions, download the job description below. We’ll be hiring again in the spring of 2009. Thanks for your interest in working at Project WHAT!
Project WHAT! Job Description
UPCOMING EVENTS
June 25-26, 2008 (time TBD): Sacramento, CA. Project WHAT! youth will present at a plenary session and workshop for Annie E. Casey’s Family to Family Western Region Convening. Approximately 400 child welfare workers and administrators from California, Washington and Alaska will attend the conference. This event is only open to child welfare agencies that are part of Annie E. Casey's Family to Family Initiative.
July 2, 2008, 2pm: San Francisco, CA. We will present to summer interns and other staff at Legal Services for Prisoners with Children as part of their 2008 summer intern training. This event is NOT open to the public.
July 25, 2008: Portland, OR. Project WHAT! will present at the Children’s Justice Alliance Children of Incarcerated Parents Statewide Leadership Summit. The event will bring together leaders from Oregon’s various local, county, and state level agencies which serve children, families, or parents impacted by parental involvement in the criminal justice system. Location: Portland State University—Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom. We will present at the morning panel and participate in an afternoon workshop on client self-advocacy and parent/child participation in program design and policy setting. For more information or for registration information, contact Lauren Booth at 503-892-5396 or Lauren@childrensjusticealliance.org.
August 5, 2008, morning—time TBD: Vacaville, CA. Project WHAT will present to a group of community service providers (including child protective services, probation officers, mental health counselors, and others). The conference is being organized by the Solano Community College Kinship and Foster Care Education Program.
Thursday, August 14, 2008, 5:30-7:30pm: San Francisco, CA. Second Annual Project WHAT! Fundraiser at Cafe Royale, 800 Post Street (at Leavenworth). This is a free event. Please bring your checkbook to bid on silent auction items and make a donation. RSVP to rsvp@communityworkswest.org
September 15-17, 2008: Portland, OR. Project WHAT! has been invited to present at the Child Welfare League of America Western Region 2008 Training Conference. The conference will be held at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower Hotel. Our workshop date and time is TBD. We will update this listing as more information becomes available. To learn more about the conference, visit: http://www.cwla.org/conferences/2008westernrfp.htm or contact Cheryl Gully at cgully@cwla.org.
Click here to view past Project WHAT! events.
RESOURCES
NEW! Download the Project WHAT! Resource Guide for Teens with a Parent in Prison or Jail, updated May 2008 PDF (This file is very large--11.4 MB. It may take a while to download, especially over a slow internet connection. Please be patient as it downloads).
The 80-page guide answers common questions that children have when a parent is incarcerated. It has an entire section that explains complex jail and prison visiting procedures in plain language. It also includes compelling stories written by the Project WHAT! youth, who themselves have dealt with a parent’s incarceration, along with a CD of the stories read aloud.
We want to hear from you! If you have used our guide and have feedback, please email us at projectwhat@gmail.com.
To get copies of the guide:
If you are a YOUTH, we will mail you a free copy. Please contact us and give us your name, age, phone number and full address. Also let us know how you heard about us. Thank you.
If you’re an agency or individual, for one guide, send us a check for $5 made out to Community Works, along with your name, full address and phone number. If you want multiple copies for your staff or youth, please contact us. If you cannot afford the $5 fee, please contact us and explain your situation, we can send limited copies to individuals free of charge.
Download the Project WHAT! Research Summary published in March 2007 pdf
Download a one-page fact sheet about Project WHAT! updated April 2008 word
MEDIA COVERAGE
Read personal stories from Project WHAT! youth, as published in The Beat Within:
Demel’s story—issue 12.27
Tiffany’s story—issue 12.28
Luis’ story—issue 12.29
Zoe’s story—issue 12.30
Anthony’s story—issue 12.33
Kashka’s story—issue 12.34
Marriah’s story—issue 12.35
Therese's story—issue 12.37
Kyle's story—issue 12.38
RiRi's story—issue 12.39
Articles about Project WHAT!:
What Kids Can Do Feature Story link pdf
Vacaville Reporter pdf
Vallejo Times Herald pdf
Radio Interviews:
Project WHAT! youth were interviewed for a half hour radio show broadcast on KALX/North Gate Radio. To hear our four-minute segment, click here.
