Oregon Prison Project Update 11/21/2010
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| The Oregon Prison Project is partnering with PHOENIX Rising Transitions in order to increase the effectiveness of our programs. |
ORNCC is celebrating the growth during 2010 of the Oregon Prison Project coordinated by Fred Sly, founder of Rose City NVC, who is being assisted by a growing team of volunteers.
In this project update you will find:
- Current Happenings
- Report From the Peace Center of Bend
- MacLaren Youth Facility
- OPP Trainings and Needs
- OPP Volunteer News
Current Happenings
Current classes at OSP. The two current classes at the Oregon State Penitentiary have met weekly for several months. There are currently 25 participants in level 1 and 17 in level 2. Two of the participants in level two have self-identified as wanting to participate in peer-facilitators training and are doing so at present. They complete extra homework and will complete a quarter as co-facilitators next fall as part of their training. Fred plans to add one more class in January and a practice group in April. Currently there are 19 volunteers actively teaching in OSP and 6 additional Oregon Prison Project volunteers working in other facilities.
Other Opportunities: Fred met with the counselors of OSP in order to propose offering an NVC based "Batterer's Intervention Program". The counselors were excited to be able to refer selected inmates to NVC classes especially because graduation may enable inmates that are serving time on domestic violence cases to then begin seeing their children again. Additionally, Fred has been asked to provide training for the inmates that form the "suicide watch", strengthening their empathy skills so that they can more effectively intervene with inmates threatening suicide.
Report From the Peace Center of Bend
Bryn Hazell of the Peace Center of Bend arranged a volunteer's workshop in August, after which she and her team have been offering training at Deer Ridge Correctional Institution in Madras, Oregon. In November she sent this report to Fred:
"Tonight is the last of the 8 week classes for the tutors, inmates who tutor other inmates in the COCC programs (GED, wood and metal shops, etc.). There are 15 people in the class, including a COCC staff person. Evelyn (who was in your training here) came last week and will come again tonight. She intends to go through the volunteer training as soon as possible.
"I have so enjoyed the class. The guys are very interested in growing and learning new skills, and I enjoy the learning and connection we experience together. I have a sense of making a difference with the skill-building, as well as offering a safe place for the guys to speak honestly. We also laugh a lot. Tonight I'll hand out Certificates of Attendance and we're hoping that the kitchen will provide some popcorn to add to our celebration.
"I have volunteered to facilitate a practice group for those in this class who are interested. I have heard that 8 to 10 of the participants have expressed interest... They have books and workbooks so I plan to use the books as the centerpiece of our practices, as well as having flexibility for empathy, role plays, etc. for whatever might be up for someone. Evelyn is planning to co-facilitate. The COCC staff person wants to continue with the practice group as well….We had planned to do an 8-week class for the general population starting later this year, but the Transitions program that it would be under has been cut so I don't have anything planned for the general population at this point.
"I will be doing an 8-week class for the COCC staff at the prison starting in January at the request from the head of the COCC program there."
MacLaren Youth Facility
Chaplain Craig Cutting from MacLaren Youth Facility in Woodburn would like Fred and his team to consider offering a weekly class for ten men aged 14 to 24; he is working with the counseling department in order to have the program included under "evidence-based best practices" in the prison. Late in July Fred offered training in OSCI for participants in a "Victim/Offender Conferencing" program organized by Rachel Foxhoven who is on the staff of the Conflict Resolution Department of PSU. She and her cohort are asking for a partnership with us in order to strengthen their curriculum with NVC, specifically empathy skills.
OPP Trainings and Needs
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| From l-r: Jane Selby of Grace Associates, Allison Meyer of the Oregon Prison Project, and Karen Meurer of PHOENIX Rising Transitions. Our three organizations are collaborating in order to increase the effectiveness of inmate post-release support. |
On September 29th along with Gray Moen, Fred offered an introduction to NVC in CRCI in Portland. Harry Osborn and Karen Meurer of PHOENIX Rising Transitions who are hoping that NVC could become part of their current curriculum invited them. As a result they have been invited to offer classes on Mondays between 5:30 and 7:00pm beginning in January. This is an ideal opportunity for Portland-area trainers that would rather not drive to Salem but who still are inspired to offer classes in prisons.
These illustrations of our expanding program also create an opportunity for trainers who are inspired to participate. Please notify Fred if you are interested.
Current Needs: At the beginning of each quarter participants in the current classes receive a textbook and workbook that we hope supports their efforts to adopt NVC skill and consciousness. In the past books have been purchased for the program through personal donations made by a very few individuals, and by using the training fees collected in other classes. We are hoping to expand the field from which we receive donations. Anyone that gives $20.00 buys a text and workbook that will be distributed to inmates in our program at OSP. We currently have 50 copies of both the text and workbook in the OSP Chapel Library; eventually we will need 100+ of each to support our program in OSP, so we need about $1100.00 for books alone.
There are additional teaching materials that are also necessary and we would like to raise funds for those. Please contact Fred for details about those needs.
OPP Volunteer News
Trainings: Four of our current volunteers have traveled to Washington State to participate in a five-day Training offered by the Freedom Project. This training provided participants with 5 days toward certification through CNVC and addressed teaching in the prison system. The Freedom Project made this training available for an amount that covers their expenses but does not cover trainer's fees. Some funds collected were donated to the Freedom Project in an effort to support their trainers.
New volunteers: A relatively recent addition to the all-volunteer teaching team is Kristin Harper, who sent Fred the following message about her interest in the program:
"My name is Kristin Harper and Gray Moen forwarded me your email address because I am very interested in the NVC work you are doing. I am finishing my masters in marriage and family therapy at Lewis & Clark and took a class on NVC from Carol Placer about a year ago. I was so impressed with the simplicity and depth of NVC and decided I wanted to find ways to incorporate it into both my professional and personal life practice.
"Anyway, before I met Gray I had been thinking a lot about volunteering and also increasing my understanding of NVC, so I felt like our meeting was somewhat serendipitous. I ended up talking quite a bit with him about my previous work as a juvenile probation officer and some work I've done locally with incarcerated parents, and so he told me about the NVC groups you are running at OSP.
"I feel like I am still at the beginning phases of my experience with NVC, but I would love to be involved and support your efforts in whatever way possible. I am now participating in a group with Sarah Peyton (NVC and interpersonal biology) and would like to know about other practice groups or other ways to grow in NVC.
"I was wondering if you could let me know how to become more involved - both in the NVC community and specifically in supporting NVC groups at OSP or other institutions. I would be willing to meet in person, or talk over the phone if you have time. Thanks so much and I look forward to meeting you.
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