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We bring Hope and Purpose to those marginalized by gang affiliation and it's impact on communities.
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Folks,

Thank you for all you do and for standing with us on the margins.  With your assistance, Second Chance Outreach (Hope for Homies) is providing safe and positive environments and resources where kids, homies and others can grow and develop a community amongst themselves.

Growing up as a marginalized Mexican, I was not blessed to have outreach mentors to open up doors for me.  I wasn't able to go somewhere and say "I feel..."  I was always met with a "chinga tu madre-Go f$#k your mother" by our own mom.  It made no sense.  I wasn't able to express my passion to be a basketball player or advocate for myself wanting to learn English.  My world was constantly in turmoil because the toxic environment wouldn't let me be seen. The adult folks who where supposed to protect me where either too busy, drunk or high.  Schools had a hard time understanding the needs of marginalized Mexicans who create and live in internal worlds because of immigration concerns, CPS and language barriers.  I'm one of many homies who have gone through similar scenarios and still have a hard time asking for help.
 
It's 2021 and we are still trying to figure out how to break down these barriers and create a better outlet for our youth - youth who continue to fall into the School to Prison Pipeline.  I want to tell you more on what we been developing here at Hope For Homies.

 
In 1960, two criminologists who had been researching juvenile delinquency presented a groundbreaking theory that identified lack of opportunity for youth as the major contributor to delinquency. The work of Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin became known as “opportunity theory.” They saw lack of opportunities for youth as the problem and root of delinquent/criminal behavior.
 
We at Hope For Homies have created a few outlets that we feel have been a way of coping with the chaos in our culture's life.  We partnered with Sherra from MePowerment.org who comes Mondays to give our lil homies life skill coaching.  We offer time as mentors to be present with homies who feel their lives are non-existent.  On Wednesdays our new colleague Tairyn, who for years has dedicated her life to loving nature and embracing the serenity of the earth, brings her passion to our youth with a twist by offering up Hoods In The Woods outdoor experiences.  These experiences get our youth out their four block radius, where all you see is all you know, and help homies intertwine their stories with the natural world.  Fridays we have Emmy from Arts With Purpose come and offer her time to teach our lil homies different dance styles and art.  She helps lil homies be happy with their appearance, and teaches them to place their hearts into movement, their words into art, and creates a sense of belonging through creativity.
Building Hope
Hope is what we want to install into our lil homies lives - a better way to look at the scenarios life provides us.  We may not be able to fully take our lil homies out of their broken environments, but by providing a few resources, a community, and most importantly our time, we help them build resiliency to better navigation their lives at home, school and in their neighborhoods.

The Hope is to one day be able to break that generational and traditional aspect of our culture that keeps us inside ourselves.  The aspect that has been embedded into our hearts and that keeps parents at a distance from having everlasting compassion for themselves.  We want our lil homies to connect on another level.  Developing these groups lets parents slowly open up to their child and gives a bigger voice to our community.
While we are building up our lil homies with all of this good stuff, we are continuing our reach into detention facilities in Washington to reach those that society has thrown away or gladly forgotten.  We have 2 homies looking at being released soon, and another appealing the length of his sentence.  We ask for your prayers for their success, because the roads they will travel are not easy ones.  Transitioning from a restrictive environment and being thrust into a life of open choices, responsibilities, and unfamiliar faces is tough.  But we will walk with our homies as they navigate new roads, clear hurdles, and discover themselves anew.  
Program Manager
Meet Tairyn Tennyson, our new staff member.  Tairyn oversees the weekly rhythm at our Everett center where youth have a safe space to work on their homework, receive life coaching and mentoring, and participate in nature walks, writing, dance, and art through our TurnAround Youth program.  She leads the nature walks and believes that taking the youth out of their four block radius and into a new atmosphere that is safe and peaceful will not only plan the seed of hope, but also build resilience.  Tairyn is also part of the team that mentors youth in Echo Glen Children's Center, and will be active in our summer programs at the Hope for Homies farm.  Welcome Tairyn!
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neaners@HopeForHomies.org

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