GATEWAYS FOR INCARCERATED YOUTH

Strategic Plan 2004 – 2006

Introduction

Finding answers to juvenile crime and delinquent behavior is a difficult and daunting task. Most community members can agree that there is a need to understand and find ways to reduce juvenile crime. Gateways is part of a much-needed effort to reduce the juvenile recidivism rate. Often times the needs of incarcerated youth go overlooked by a system that is not equipped to address the complexity of the issues facing these youth. Gateways works in tandem with State juvenile institutions and community members and organizations to build the strengths and skills vital to incarcerated youth’s success upon release from the institution.

Our foci are education and cultural awareness. Research has shown that education is a key factor in reducing juvenile recidivism; therefore one of the main priorities of Gateways is to provide incarcerated youth the tools necessary to pursue a meaningful education. We believe there is a great value in developing a deeper understanding of self and others through cultural awareness. We provide opportunities for incarcerated youth to participate in activities and dialogue aimed at creating a greater understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures.

Since 1996, Gateways has provided a learning environment for incarcerated teenage boys to build self-esteem, develop and strengthen their cultural identities, achieve educational goals, and learn with and from college students as they earn high school and college credits. We have had the privilege of seeing many talented and intelligent young men realize their full potential as learners and valuable members of our society to date, and as the complexity of issues facing youth continues to mount, we anticipate a need for Gateways far into the future.

Strategic Priorities

Change the way society thinks about incarcerated youth's needs. Create a new climate of opportunity and responsibility, and move away from limitations and blame.

Enhance the community’s knowledge of and investment in the potential of incarcerated youth to learn, grow, and become responsible and empowered adults.

Inform the community, institution, staff, and volunteers on the ramifications of the disproportionate rate at which young men of color are being locked up. Continue building cultural knowledge and pride while being sensitive to the varying needs of each individual.

Recognize the knowledge and experience of Incarcerated youth and ensure that each of the services to youth is guided by youth to increase youth investment in, responsibility for, and benefit from programming. Gateways believes that youth are the experts on their own culture and identifying the services that will benefit them. In other words, service providers cannot successfully build programs for youth without directly involving youth. In addition, youth involvement in developing programs increases their investment in their own success.

Strategic Goals

Goal: Improve and Enrich Cultural Identity Programming

For over seven years Gateways has been providing incarcerated youth with the critical support and education needed to develop a greater sense of cultural awareness and positive self-identity.

Gateways addresses the disproportionate rate at which young men of color are incarcerated by providing specialized programming in the area of cultural awareness and identity. If our program is effective we will help reduce the recidivism rate of youth of color, therefore balancing out a judicial system that is not designed to fairly sentence minority youth.

If Gateways is to achieve its vision, it must stay committed to recognizing the needs and strengths of each individual, while keeping cultural awareness and education as the focal point of its efforts.

Gateways must continue to ensure that all staff, students, and volunteers are culturally competent and aware of their own privilege and prejudice as they enter into the institutions and act as co-learners, facilitators, and/or workshop leaders.

Objectives :

Goal: Create youth investment in meeting educational goals

Gateways programs are youth driven, therefore it is imperative that we actively engage youth in creating meaningful and realistic educational goals. Gateways combines compassion and hope with academically rigorous programs that challenge and encourage participants to work to their fullest potential. They do this not because they have to, but because they want to. This desire to learn lies at the heart of Gateways achieving its mission to empower incarcerated youth to create a positive future for themselves.

Many youth enter the institution with little or no personal investment in their education and the institution is ill equipped to meet the varying and ongoing needs of each student. Incarcerated youth are required to attend school as part of their rehabilitation; unfortunately the act of attending requires very little effort and produces very little investment. Gateways draws out the individual needs and interests of each student, which in turn creates a classroom full of active participants. Once the youth are invested in their education, learning begins, potential is recognized, and goals are set.

Gateways strives to create an effective learning environment where everybody is valued and respected. This learning model has proven effective in creating interest and investment in developing realistic educational goals on an individual level.

Gateways is a strength-based program and builds on knowledge that each student already possesses. Many incarcerated youth experience their first success as a student and recognition as a valuable member of a learning community in the Gateways program. This is a tremendous accomplishment for both the student(s) and Gateways.

Objectives:

Goal: Increase community involvement (TESC, JRA, Volunteers)

One of Gateways’ greatest strengths is its connection with capable and committed Evergreen students and faculty. Evergreen students fill the critical need for enthusiastic volunteers that many organizations depend upon to deliver their programs. Evergreen faculty volunteer their time to teach the college and pre-college programs at Maple Lane and Green Hill. Through these quasi- Running Start programs Gateways is able to offer high school and college credit to program participants. This makes Gateways a unique and highly effective education based program that is made possible by community involvement. The commitment and dedication of Evergreen Students and faculty are an invaluable resource to Gateways.

Gateways’ relationship with the Washington State Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration allows Gateways to bring community members with a strong commitment to diversity and social justice into the institutions. This serves two important purposes. The first is to connect incarcerated youth with positive and caring individuals that are willing to lead by example by to sharing their time and knowledge. The second is to bring a face and a voice to the hundreds of youth incarcerated in Washington’s juvenile system by increasing opportunities for positive self-expression. This goal is achieved by actively involving youth in public speaking engagements, publications, and cultural and educational activities and performances.

One of Gateways’ priorities is to provide culturally relevant programming, and one way we do that is to bring workshop leaders and guest presenters that reflect the different cultural groups we serve. We seek out community members that can speak from experience about confronting racism and the struggles they have encountered growing up as a minority in the United States or as an immigrant to the United States. We have found that real life experience speaks louder than training manuals and textbooks when it comes to addressing oppression and racism. The involvement of community members is a key component in ensuring Gateways diversity and effectiveness in empowering incarcerated youth.

Objectives:

Goal: Strengthen, expand and diversify financial support base

Gateways cannot fulfill it’s mission, as outlined in this planning document, without increased funding. We are in a position where it is critical to cultivate relationships with corporate and private donors that will lead to the funding necessary to sustain our current programs. Gateways primary funding source thus far has been the Discuren Foundation with a grant totaling $98,000.00 to be distributed over a two-year period. Unfortunately we are nearing the end of the two-year funding cycle and must take a good look at our fundraising strategies.

In 2003 Gateways received $18,500.00 from contracts with Green Hill, Maple Lane, and the Rochester School District, $1500.00 from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, $4000.00 in book sales, and $6000.00 in other donations. In addition, Gateways is able to maintain extremely low overhead and administrative costs thanks to the donation of office space, phones, grant management, etc. from The Evergreen State College and the Evergreen Foundation. Gateways must maintain it’s current contracts and donations, while seeking additional funding to support a budget of at least $79,000.00 annually.

Gateways has an opportunity to strengthen the profile and affluence of board membership by recruiting new members with a commitment to fundraising program development. Gateways has not tapped into the potential of private donors and should be aiming towards an increase in program visibility and community awareness as a way to raise the interest in investing in the Gateways program.

Objectives:

Goal: Create infrastructure to support and manage growth

Gateways started in 1996 as an offshoot of an Evergreen State College academic program being conducted by Gateways founder Carol Minugh. Since that time, it has grown tremendously, offering 6 different programs at two JRA institutions. Gateways currently employs a full time Assistant Program Director, in addition to continuing uncompensated supervision by program founder and Director Carol Minugh.

As a grassroots organization that is flourishing and vital to the success of many incarcerated youth, Gateways must begin to develop the infrastructure to ensure its ability to continue and grow. With the continuing support of The Evergreen State College and the Evergreen Foundation, Gateways need not face some of the infrastructure challenges faced by many small non-profits, such as accounting, audits, securing office space, etc.

However, the program does face challenges such as documenting program services, evaluating program effectiveness, ensuring ongoing quality, securing funding, and planning for program growth. Gateways is embarking on a longitudinal study that will provide research-based documentation that will measure program effectiveness.

Objectives: