According to research, 1 in 14 children in the U.S. has or has had a parent serve time behind bars. This can lead to those children being labeled troubled, or trouble, by authorities. However, it’s not the fault of the children that the criminal justice system is deeply flawed.
For those reasons The PATHfinder Club, an Oregon-based nonprofit, has merged with POPS the Club to “expand support for hurting teens in need of a community and safe place as a result of having a family member incarcerated. Many of these youths often feel as if they have to hide the truth about why their loved one is absent from their lives a voice and the freedom to express their visions.” Some of the children being helped are at Culver City High School.
A new book called HOME AND AWAY: Poetry, Stories & Art (Out of the Woods Press) is a collection of “deeply personal reflections and creative expressions from members of The PATHfinder and POPS Clubs nationwide.” The latest volume in an annual series is edited by Amy Friedman, Leticia Longoria-Navarro, and Victor Trillo, Jr.
“Home represents places of familiarity and often comfort even, perhaps especially, in the midst of chaos,” they said collectively. “Much of the artwork we received in the early days were images of the various places the artists considered to be home—in some instances that was the city where they were raised; in others it was their literal home; in others it was the schoolyard, the playground, and sometimes the people. As teens’ experiences with the incarceration or deportation of loved ones, their expressions are so myriad, it is hard to talk about commonalities, though perhaps if there is one it is complexity. Sometimes they feel hurt, pain, loss; sometimes they feel separate from those who may be blood but are no longer part of their loves. Often they wish those who are gone would or could return, sometimes they are angry and feel betrayed.”
The trio of editors say that it is critical to support young people in “opening up about pain, loss, shame, and anger as it relates to a parent’s incarceration.”
“People who have never experienced this kind of loss seldom give a moment’s thought to the fact that when someone is incarcerated or is deported, loved ones frequently are left behind,” they say. “However, unlike those who lose a loved one to death or, for instance, to the loss military service entails, teens with loved ones who have been incarcerated or deported are ignored or, worse, stigmatized. As a result, they often become secretive and silent in order to avoid the stigma and misunderstanding they might otherwise face. But we know that one of the most painful parts of loss and grief is the way it can alienate us even as we most need understanding and kindness. Grief can create an island, and for those who have never experienced this particular kind of loss and grief, it often feels impossible to find real empathy, for even those who do not judge may have no idea what to say or do.”
The mission of PATHfinder and POPS the Club, they say, is to “create a safe, empowering space for these youth, transforming shame and stigma into hope and dignity so they can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally, now and as adults. We are working to expand this support across the country and to working with others to educate the educators so that all of these young people feel safe, understood and honored.”
Apparently it works. Hailey Garcia Garcia is a senior at Culver High, and many of Hailey’s photographs grace the pages of Home and Away, including the volume’s cover. “I love POPS the Club because I feel so supported in our club meetings and because I am able to express my feelings and my ideas without fear of being judged,” she says. “And I am so grateful to be able to publish my work.”
Ultimately, there are many misunderstandings about people who are incarcerated and their families.
“We have encountered numerous teachers and other supportive adults who feel empathy for children who are impacted (if they are aware), but sometimes this empathy is translated through a lens of misunderstanding and judgment,” they say. “For instance, the very fact of holding the belief that if a child has an incarcerated parent, he or she is more likely to become so, is stigmatizing, and can lead to a child learning to keep their true experiences a secret from even close friends. Additionally, children and others impacted by incarceration are incredibly resilient and have great wisdom that is powerful and an asset and specifically when they are empowered through support and relationships.”
The joy of this program is that it can help teachers and community leaders learn how to help the students who need it.
“[They] can pay attention especially to those who may be particularly quiet and/or may be struggling to thrive,” the editors say. “So often these behaviors indicate need, and so often all it takes is for just one person to offer a hand, an ear, their heart. One of the reasons we publish our books and work hard to get them into the hands of educators and community leaders is because we know how easy it is to forget this population, to forget how many young people are struggling with this kind of loss. And we try, by amplifying their voices and their visions through these books, to deepen everyone’s understanding.”
Find out more at thepathfinderclub.org.