"Working to Build
A Better Community"
"The probability that we may fail in
the struggle ought not deter us from the support of a cause we believe to
be just."
~ Abraham Lincoln
§ SURVEY. The Stanley Jones Clean Slate Project (SJCSP), along with the William Monroe Trotter Institute at University of Massachusetts Boston, will be developing and administering a survey for community leaders.
§ WEB CURRICULUM. The SJCSP will use this website to develop a web-based curriculum including reports from urban institutions, educational institutions, experts, and ex-offenders, as well as strategies for empowerment and inclusion in an effort to educate advocates, organizers, law-makers, and the public at large. Over the last five years the SJCSP has worked with several institutions, organizations, businesses, and individuals to develop the curriculum. The site will also include a calendar of relevant civic activities and events.
§ CALENDAR. The SJCSP will post a community calendar featuring relevant civic activities.
§ HOTLINE. The SJCSP will eventually establish a 1-800 number to handle questions and provide answers and referral information.
§ ANNUAL CONFERENCE. On June 15th, 2002, the SJCSP was able to plan and organize the largest conference in New England sponsored by an ex-offender organization featuring issues for case managers, prison advocates and those affected by the CORI law and it’s restrictive procedures. The event was well-received and the SJCSP will organize this event annually to educate and empower ex-offenders and their supporters. These conferences will be held each June.
§ EMPLOYER DATABASE. The SJCSP plans to create a database of employers willing to hire ex-offenders and to establish contacts in state government to discuss limiting CORI regulations.
§ EX-OFFENDERS SPEAK. The SJCSP plans to organize a speakers bureau of ex-offenders who, after focus groups and training(s), will be available to speak to other community-based organizations, civic organizations, and businesses to tell their stories and to initiate and collaborate with other agencies on the development of a mentor’s program that will provide “debriefing sessions” for those returning from incarceration and assist them with reintegrating into the community.
§ COURAGE AWARDS. Each year in March the Stanley Jones Courage Award is presented to individuals and businesses in the community who have demonstrated leadership and commitment by helping ex-offenders with jobs, by advocating for better treatment and understanding of ex-offender issues or ex-offenders themselves who have demonstrated that if given the opportunity, a person can change and do positive things with her/his life.
§ EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS. The SJCSP will pay for the dubbing and distribution of videotapes of two workshops filmed annually to be shown on cable TV outlets in Boston, Worcester, Somerville and Springfield to further educate and empower. The videos will become part of the SJCSP’s lending library for other agencies to borrow and to learn from.
§ LAND TRUST. The SJCSP would like to develop a land trust so that we can begin to develop housing, e.g. (Single Room Occupancy) for those that will be making the reentry from incarceration. Presently, we are working on curriculum development for job training that will include counseling prior to job training and will include such skills as cement finishing, landscaping, (indoors-outdoors), window-washing, solar cell installation program, etc. As we develop our jobs, we need to develop our own housing to encourage our people to not to give up, but strive to be better.