We are so proud of our capstone to our Give Back line, the Empowerment Planner!
These planners were co-created with the amazing women of the Arouet Foundation. These are custom made planners jam-packed with custom resources 100% donated to women either in or recently transitioning from prison.
Women in jail are the fastest growing correctional population in the country-increasing 14-fold in recent years. 43% of women in prison have been physically abused, and 39% have been sexually abused (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2006). Without resources to heal the hurts beneath their bad choices, many women stay stuck in a destructive cycle of crime and incarceration. When given a second chance with resources or programs like Arouet that give them hope,
recidivism rates can drop more than 70%.
Incarcerated women are often at the end of a long, difficult road, feeling rejected, worthless, and hopeless. Many are mothers. These planners were co-created
with Arouet Foundation with love to inspire and
empower these women and let them know they
are capable of a fresh start.
AROUET IS:
• A 501c3 nonprofit corporation
• A modern, innovative second-chance movement
• A local advocate for fair chance employment
• A supportive, inspiring, and educational resource that assists clients in meeting their personal and professional reintegration goals
• A workforce and career advancement center – specializing in workforce training, identifying fair chance employers, and full-service career placement
• A local organization dedicated to educating, supporting and training fairchance employers
• An educator for empowerment, services and education for women, their families and communities
• A holistic, inspiring, and educational center for success that assists clients in meeting their personal and professional reintegration goals
• Arouet's 3 year recidivism rate of 6.1% while Arizona's
3 year recidivism rate of 35.9%
• Many women that Arouet has as clients go on to become peer mentors of others earlier in the program.
The women of Arouet opening the first copies of the planner they created!
We were so grateful to have the opportunity to
co-create this planner with Arouet. The ladies of this organization are the content creators; bloom is simply a vessel. Connecting with the members of the organization in person and speaking directly to the women still inside was imperative to understanding their perspectives and the needs of the final user. We wanted the final product to contain all the necessary resources and contents to really make a difference in someone’s life who is or will be going through the transition to every day life outside prison walls.
We left Arizona and Arouet with our hearts full and heads spinning with the hopes of packing the planner with all the amazing content we wrote on the whiteboards that day. We are now able to say that the Empowerment Planner contains the vast majority of those ideas, organized into one book that is now helping so many women bloom into their best selves! With each page turn, the book develops with the user, beginning with personal purpose, values, self-love, and the core of what it means to have a balanced life and continues on to information about healthy and unhealthy relationships, job interview tips, budget tracking, and so much more.
A special thank you to the following who all contributed to the heart of this planner: Alicia Rasta, Michelle Cirocco, Brandy Smith, Korbi Johnston, Cristy Chacon, Deborah Jones, Jennifer Nichols, Donna Thomas, Samantha Gotzinger, Virginia Mireles, Raimee Wilde, Madeline Bullard, Natasha Bentley, Camille Livingston, Noelle Acuna, Christin Swansinger, Danielle Brightwell, Dr. Emily Bonistall Postel and her students.
•Alcoholics Anonymous: https://addictionrehabtreatment.com/alcohol/alcoholics-anonymous/
•Arouet Foundation: Preparation for reentry, successful community integration, and career and life success. www.arouetfoundation.org • (480)-771-6700
• Addicted.org: Information on substance abuse treatment for women. https://www.addicted.org/drug-rehabs-for-women-only.html
•Bureau of Prisons Reentry Hotline: Free and confidential service that helps find local resources (including reentry services) by calling 2-1-1 • www.211.org.
•Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): (800)-662-HELP/4357 (TDD: (800)-487-4889) • https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov
•National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Connect to a counselor in your area. (800)-273-(8255) www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
•National Mental Health Association: (703)-684-7722
•Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous Meetings: www.aa.org/pages/en_US/find-local-aa • www.na.org/meetingsearch
•National Drug Information Treatment and Referral Hotline: (800)-662-HELP
•Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: To set up a bank account visit www.consumer finance.gov/blog/guides-to-help-you-open-and-manage-your-checking-account/
•Budget and finance manager: www.MyMoney.gov
•Free tax preparation assistance: http://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep
•Free Yearly Credit Scores Report: www.annualcreditreport.com or (877)-322-8228
•Child Support: www.acf.hhs.gov/ programs/css/resource/state-and-tribal-child-support-agency-contacts
•Department of Education: (800)-621-3115 • www.nslds.ed.gov
•United Way: Housing assistance/referrals to housing and other programs. Dial 2-1-1 OR www.unitedway.org/find-your-united-way/
•StartYourRecovery.org
•Salvation Army: May be able to give lodging, clothing, food, and a cash grant for the first 90 days after your release from RRC placement. www.salvationarmy.org
•Goodwill Industries International, Inc.: Helps individuals and families with education, skills training, job placement services, transportation, housing, and clothing. www.goodwill.org
•Income Assistance Programs Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): The Department of Health and Human Services gives employment services and cash assistance to low-income families. www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/help
•Supplemental Security Income (SSI): Provides money to low-income individuals who are age 65+, blind, or disabled. www.ssa.gov/disabilityssi/ssi.html
•Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI): Provides income to people with physical or mental problems that prevent them from working. www.ssa.gov/disabilityssi
•Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): The Department of Agriculture gives assistance to low-income individuals and families. www.fns.usda.gov/snap/apply
•Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP): Each state sets requirements to determine who is eligible to receive free food. www.fns.usda.gov/tefap/eligibility-and-how-apply
•Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP): The U.S. Department of Agriculture also purchases food and makes it available to CSFP agencies in each state for
low-income people at least 60 years of age.www.fns.usda.gov/csfp/eligibility-how-apply
•GED test preparation classes: www.gedtestingservice.com/testers/ locate-a-prep-center OR (800)-626-9433.
•Federal Student Financial Aid: http://www.fafsa.gov • (800)-433-3243
The need for these free resources is overwhelming and, unfortunately, we cannot fill every single request. Most copies are reserved for Arouet's programs. We have, however, digitized the files so everyone can access the free tools, resources, and worksheets inside! If you, your friends, or family members have internet access, you can view, download, and/or print your own copy of the planner and all of its resources here: https://bit.ly/3Bl86La
We hope you find the curated tools inside these files helpful, empowering, and inspiring.
We do hope to print additional copies and also add more centralized distribution partners to get these much-needed tools in the hands of more women in need. If your facility or another organization like Arouet is interested in being a potential distribution partner and distributing full boxes of future copies, please have them contact us via the information below!
