The Creative Response to Conflict (CRC) Women Support Group serves formerly incarcerated women, their children and family members who are impacted by incarceration. Meeting weekly, the program provides a safe space to discuss all kinds of issues such as health concerns, fears about COVID and other illnesses, financial issues related to inflation, and conflicts with children and other family members. We try to meet the needs that arise and often provide food, clothing, furniture and household goods. We find culturally empowering presentations such as plays, art exhibits and presentations that both women and children attend. The children are offered summer camp, mentoring and sports like horseback riding. And we celebrate birthdays and holidays together.
Children come in and out of sessions and let us know how they are doing in school or if they are going to camp or on special trips. Some recent achievements are:
- One child was recently accepted into a 4 week STEAM summer camp that focuses on arts and science including robotics.
- Another high schooler is doing really well in sports and is working hard at keeping his grades up in hopes of receiving a sports scholarship for college.
- Several children are interested in being part of the Clearwater Summer Camp. They stay on a boat and learn about cleaning up the Hudson river.
Continuing our earlier work, we have done many restorative circles with a halfway house in Queens called My Mother’s House.
Lastly, Jen Mancuso, who worked with us in My Mother’s House, is organizing a workshop called Well Being, a train the trainer, trauma informed, personal empowerment workshop for formerly incarcerated women. CRC has contributed supplies to this and we hope to be working more with them in the future.
