Preventative

R.I.S.E. to Empower

Empowering girls and young women to make positive choices! 

Co-founder and author Amy Wise and I are thrilled to be working diligently on founding our Nonprofit, R.I.S.E. (Reflect, Internally, Share, Externally) to Empower, Inc, a nonprofit dedicating to empowering girls and young woman to make positive choices. Currently, we are working on a writing a workbook and a three-month program, which will include; deep thought, practice and exercises, reading and answering reflected questions about my memoir, Trafficking the Good Life, and using Amy’s inspirational quote book, Believe in Yourself, Inspire Others, Spread Joy, as a daily meditational tool. The program will begin by focusing on teen girls grades tenth through twelve. Our goal for 2014 is to complete the workbook and program and to facilitate two pilot groups in the fall! We will be working with a university to measure results and outcome. Our goal is to raise $10,000 in the next six months! Please contact Jennifer at jenmyers198@gmailcom to donate to R.I.S.E.!!

Our Incredible Workbook Cover!

Amy & Jen 

Re-Entry

 LA Myers Consulting, Expressive Arts SD, Survivor’s Truths’

The Inside/Out Project

The birthing of this project came together after Tish, owner of Expressive Arts, graciously offered to host a book signing for my new book last summer at her gallery. The idea quickly grew to include prisoner’s art, and art focused around incarceration and our justice system, which grew into the Inside/Out Project, and a collaboration with Survivor’s Truths, L.A–a series of workshops designed to work with women that have been incarcerated and incarcerated youth, or youth with incarcerated parents. Our first two workshops took place inside Los Colinas, San Diego’s county jail for female offenders, and Serenity House–a halfway house for women that have been incarcerated. The workshops were a success! We came away with two incredible media pieces, and visual art the woman had created. Later, Tish and I went to Phoenix University to give a two hour workshop around incarceration, where we showcased  the video’s we made, Tish led art exercises, and I spoke about my experience and invited questions. The participating and impact was amazing, and touching. Everyone opened up! Currently, we are looking to raise $6,000 to produce to workshops with youth that have had incarcerated parents, we have scheduled for June 2014.  Contact Jennifer at jenmyers198@gmail.com to donate to the Inside/Out Project!!

 Amykathryn designs empower women

 My Bag is Her Bag: The Freedom Collection

Through “My Bag is Her Bag”, women around the world are supported and empowered by making handbags for LA designer Amy Hall and amykathryn handbags. Our next “My Bag is Her Bag” project is the “Freedom Collection”. Amy and I are working with a group of women that have recently been released from prison to teach them to make the designer bags. Every bag will tell a woman’s story. We want to give them a second chance. Please contact us if you’d like to donate to this program, or refer us to a boutique that would be interested in carrying the amykathryn collection and supporting a great cause that empowers women!

 

Bringing Qigong into County Jails

Meditation: A Path to Healing inside Prison

Qi (pronounced “chee”) can be defined as a combination of life force, energy and consciousness. Gong means practice or cultivation. Qigong is a comprehensive physical and emotional self-cultivation process that has been used to increase wellness for thousands of people all over the world. Using gentle movements, intention, guided visualizations and breathing techniques, many health benefits can be achieved. We are in the beginning stages of trying to bring the qigong practice into female county jails. County jails are overcrowded with limited programs and space. Qigong can be practiced in a small space, and on a daily basis. The breathing techniques can be executed from an inmates bunk, or sitting against a wall or locker. Standing movements need no more than a 4 x 4 space. Qigong can benefit everyone–especially someone incarcerated where violence, stress levels, and depression run high, and a person’s state of health is a constant concern.