909 Two Day - Monday & Tuesday, July 12 & 13
Keeping FAITH (Keeping Families And Inmates Together in Harmony)
Ron & Cathy Tijerina, Sherod Miller, PhD
Teach this prison reentry program
that combines Couple Communication and fatherhood
skills to reduce recidivism by 62%. $100 spouse discount. See Institute #111.


Research indicates that teaching inmates to be parents may be the most promising potential for keeping the next generation out of prison (Turner & Peck, 2002) 

This training will help you have a part in creating “No More Good-byes” between fathers and their children for generations to come!    

The Ridge Project’s Keeping FAITH is a fatherhood, marriage and family strengthening program for incarcerated fathers and their families.  This program teaches fathers how to intentionally lead their children down the right path rather than unintentionally leading them toward continued generational cycles of incarceration, welfare dependency and violence.  In the United States 1 in 31 adults are under some type of control within the correctional system (Pew Center Report, 10/09). Statistically, over 6 million children are left socially fatherless in the United States due to the incarceration of their fathers. The children of incarcerated parents are the forgotten victims of crime. Statistics show that the children of incarcerated parents are six times more likely to be incarcerated and eleven times more likely to engage in violent behavior, which puts us all at great risk.  Keeping FAITH helps fathers go home – and stay home!  When fathers stay out of prison, they help keep their children out of prison.

 Keeping FAITH is a program developed by a formerly incarcerated father who successfully kept his family intact through 15 years of incarceration.  Unlike other programs, Keeping FAITH attacks the cultural barriers of incarceration and produces responsible, healthy fathers, families and citizens.  By reaching and teaching incarcerated fathers, a whole new breed of fathers is empowered – fathers committed to stopping the cycles of welfare dependency and incarceration that have plagued their families for generations.  Fathers who are now mobilized as warriors, what we call TYROs (warrior/someone learning something new): returning to the community and their families to defend their children and their legacies and embrace their role as father/husband as their highest calling. 

Fathers impacted by incarceration learn: The fathers learn how to effectively communicate with their spouses and/or mother of their children and with their children – how to overcome the obstacles of their incarceration and transition back into their homes and communities successfully and permanently.

 *The results from a pre/post evaluation of program participants include:

·      18% increase in participants not interrupting their partner while disagreeing

·      13.7% increase in participants who believe it is more important to understand their partner than for them to be right

·      22.5% increase in participants ability to talk calmly

·      15.6% increase in participants listening to family members        

·      21.4% decrease in arguments that erupt over minor events

·       98% of program participants say they would recommend this program to others

In addition, program participants have a 60% lower infraction rate inside the prison walls and a 62% lower recidivism rate upon release into the community!

Keeping FAITH integrates and builds upon concepts introduced with Couple Communication, a marriage education program which has set the standard for healthy communication and collaborative relationships for over forty years.  

Keeping FAITH is a 24-hour program that can be divided into weekly classes—or a three day weekend retreat perfect for seminars.  This program meets all federal requirements.  A Christian version is also available for prisoner ministries/outreaches and a new Spanish version will be available in the summer of 2010.

Who should attend?

·       Marriage Educators   With the staggering statistic from Pew report that 7.3 million adults are currently under some form of correctional control in the US, every marriage educator will benefit from having this additional training to address the unique obstacles couples and families face when one parent is incarcerated.   This program works with every demographic. Materials are available in a Christian version and will be available in Spanish in the summer of 2010.  This program works inside the prison walls, in communities and churches!

·       Fatherhood Educators  This is a perfect enhancement to any fatherhood program!  Fatherhood facilitators will be provided with dynamic workshops and innovative techniques to reach fathers incarcerated or formerly incarcerated.

·        Therapists.  Keeping FAITH will provide valuable insights into the unique circumstances families faced with incarceration must navigate.  Use the Keeping FAITH activities and materials in your practice with couples, singles, families

·       · Outreach, Head Start, and Social Workers  Due to the current high demand for assistance in working with incarcerated and re-entering populations, every outreach or social service worker will be better equipped to meet the needs of the families they serve by attending this Institute! 

After taking the two-day Institute Training, you will be an authorized Keeping FAITH Instructor and qualified to teach Keeping FAITH Module One.  You can order materials, advertise yourself as an authorized Keeping FAITH curriculum instructor and qualify to work toward becoming a certified curriculum instructor and program facilitator.  There are no prerequisites for attending the Institute.

Experienced Couple Communication Facilitators  By taking the Keeping FAITH instructor training, CC facilitators will qualify to become certified in the Keeping FAITH program and reach a whole new demographic by integrating services into local re-entry efforts! If you have already been trained in Couple Communication, this training is all you need to implement the full Keeping FAITH program and begin working toward your KF certification. You can take the Couple Communication Training at Smart Marriages on Wed & Thurs, see Institute 111. Or take it at a later date.

What materials will I receive?

All attendees of this training Institute will receive a Facilitator Manual and one TYRO® Journal as well the opportunity to purchase additional materials at a 25% discount!

What have other participants said about this training?
- The authenticity of the facilitators and the focus on the needs of today’s families dealing with incarceration is a true strength of this program
- Learning the culture of incarceration helped me address the challenges of incarceration and be better prepared to work with couples and families in the future!
- This training gave me a glimpse of the reality of the effects of incarceration and created a newfound compassion for these families!
- Interactive nature of the training equipped me to immediately grasp the concepts and apply them!
- I now understand the relevancy of  the “TYRO” lifestyle and its role in creating personal ownership of the concepts
- The imparting of knowledge about the mindset of inmates was invaluable.  I now have new tools to help the fathers and couples I work with!
- 100% of previous workshop attendees rated this training as Outstanding
- Applicable to every facet of family and marriage strengthening work today! The value of hearing it from a couple who has not only “lived to tell about it,” but also LOVED and can tell about it, has impacted me deeply.

*Results gathered from over 2,000 administered pre/post surveys with 869 fully matched surveys.  Results reviewed by James Bell Associates (JBA) and all changes reported as statistically significant.  JBA is the Evaluation T/A Contractor for US Dept of HHS, Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Grants.

For more information contact:

Christopher Ridley
phone:  419-782-1511 (office) or 419-789-2724 (cell)
email:
chris@theridgeproject.com
visit us online: 
www.theridgeproject.com

This institute is part of the week-long Smart Marriages conference.

Register for the Institute and the Conference: Click for Information on Conference Details, to download a conference brochure, REGISTER ONLINE, hotel & travel information & discounts, etc.

 

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