About Us

The National Alliance for the Empowerment of the Formerly Incarcerated is a community-based organization working in the state of Illinois. The program involves partnering of male and female formerly incarcerated individuals with trained mentors, providing one-on-one mentoring, through counselling, life skills workshops, leadership development training and support from trained mentors.

 

Formerly incarcerated participants will be guided to transforming their lives. Formerly incarcerated individuals who volunteer to participate will be supported to achieve employment, educational and personal goals.

 

Mission Statement

Through mentoring, legal support and recidivism prevention training, the National Alliance for the Empowerment of the Formerly Incarcerated is committed to advocate and provide positive alternatives for the formerly incarcerated person.

 

Program Elements Include

• Leadership Development

• Conflict Resolution

• Recidivism prevention training

• Weekly re-entry support groups

• One-on-one with a re-entry coach

• Anger/trauma management

• Community projects

• Legal support

• Cognitive restructuring 

 

Program Objectives

• The formerly incarcerated will recognize patterns of behavior that result in recidivism.

• The formerly incarcerated will improve in social interaction with people at the work place and low risk area in the community.

• The formerly incarcerated will be able to cope with difficult situations without resorting to street crime, substance use, violence or sabotaging positive relationships.

• The formerly incarcerated will learn appropriate verbal/non-verbal communication skills to access employment and other meaningful personal gains.

• The formerly incarcerated will develop a support network with other formerly incarcerated people that are successful in new life style.

• The formerly Incarcerated will see themselves in a more positive image

• The formerly incarcerated will see the world different

• The formerly incarcerated will see themselves functioning in society different as a invested citizen

 

Project Goals

Ultimately, the goals of the project is to empower and support the formerly incarcerated toward restorative citizenship.

 

This entails supporting and guiding the formerly incarcerated as they learn positive ways of thinking, living and being, lives formerly characterized by involvement with drugs, gangs and the criminal justice system are transformed as the formerly incarcerated become accountable for their decisions and learn the meaning and rewards  of genuine self-care and respect for their community and others.

 

The formerly incarcerated will develop skills. Attitudes, and behaviour that are consistent with good citizenship including assuming responsibility for self-direction and making positive contributions to their families, workplace and communities. The formerly incarcerated will see themselves in a more positve self image and functioning in society as a productive member.

 

Re-entry Circle

Through the re-entry circle, and the support of a re-entry coach, the formerly incarcerated person can break the recidivism cycle. The re-entry circle can influence new beliefs that one can refrain from the thinking and behaviors that enable them to recidivism. Participants will be empowered to build new and healthy relationships with their families.  Peers and community, by attending the re-entry circle, participants are exposed to resources and a support network that will give them a new paradigm of life and themselves, participants can achieve this new view of their lives through the relationship with a re-entry coach, support network and community support.