Support for Teens with Incarcerated Family Members

For most teens, home is a place where they can be themselves, where they can relax and breathe, and where they feel safe, nourished, and valued. For teens who carry the weight of having a loved one incarcerated or deported, home is also a place where they are not judged, where they are seen, heard, and respected by adults, and where they find unexpected connections with teens in similar situations. In the arts-based support meetings provided by The PATHfinder (Paving a Trail of Hope) and POPS (Pain of the Prison System) Clubs, these young people have a place that, in their words, “feels like home.”

Drawing on their understanding of innocent young people who have been traumatized and stigmatized by their association with the criminal justice system, Friedman, as well as Leticia Longoria-Navarro and Victor Trillo of the PATHfinder Network, as well as youth they serve, will discuss, Supporting teens affected by parental incarceration and emotional struggles is critical—safe spaces like The PATHfinder and POPS Clubs help them share pain, build judgment-free friendships, and express themselves through writing and art. Schools and communities must promote mental health awareness, challenge stigma, and create empowering environments that foster healing, connection, and activism.

https://thepathfinderclub.org/

Amy Friedman Leticia Longoria-Navarro

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Amy Friedman an author, Out of the Woods Press editor, and criminal justice activist, founded POPS the Club in 2013, with her second husband, Dennis Danziger, a writer and high school teacher, as an inclusive space for youth who have been stigmatized and silenced by their experiences with the criminal justice system. Having been previously married to a man who was in prison, Amy’s stepdaughters inspired her to find a way to support youth in ways that her girls never were. From a single club at Venice High School in Los Angeles, POPS the Club expanded to schools across the country.

Leticia Longoria Navvarro is the Executive Director of The Pathfinder Network, a nonprofit that provides justice system-impacted individuals and families the tools and support they need to be safe and thrive in our communities. Having been personally impacted by parental and family incarceration, Leticia is an expert on the profound impact of incarceration on the whole family. She is an advocate and founding team member of The PATHfinder Club.

UNLOCKING LIFE'S TRUE POTENTIAL

Olivia Chadwick—a personal trainer, young mother, and her family’s primary breadwinner—first met insurance magnate Garnet Morris before dawn on a winter morning in Saskatoon, Canada. Her task was to help prepare her new client for the grueling, 100-mile Kananaskis relay. She knew very little about him going into it, except that he could be unpredictable and they were separated by a generation—at the time, Garnet was just over 50 and Olivia was approaching 30. Yet gradually, their training sessions led to profound conversations and a life-changing bond.

In 17 RUNS: The Unbeaten Path to Unlock Life's True Potential Olivia Chadwick and Garnet Morris chart the course of their year-long journey of discovery and mutual transformation. Through opening up to one another during their runs, Olivia and Garnet learned that they had experienced similar troubled childhoods and struggles with loss. What’s more, they shared similar values. While coaching Garnet, Olivia came to realize that she needed coaching herself—on self-esteem and self-forgiveness. And Garnet, who had lost 130 pounds, quit smoking, and rebounded from bankruptcy to build a phenomenally successful new business, needed a reminder on the renewing power of friendship.

Honoring all the emotional, philosophical, and deeply personal topics they discussed, again and again, Olivia Chadwick and Garnet Morris can offer the benefit of their insights and wisdom to inspire your audience to re-envision what is possible, overcome obstacles, and find the strength and confidence to run toward a life they truly choose. Along with a gift for telling stories—some heartbreaking, others heartwarming and amusing—with meaningful lessons, Olivia and Garnet have developed exercises to help anyone move from feeling hopeless and stuck, based on where they are, to finding a way up.

Dynamic speakers and true believers in their life transforming message, Olivia and Garnet can also share their secrets for cultivating resilience, the power of celebrating your idiosyncrasies, and the magic that happens when you surround yourself with supportive, caring people—your chosen family.

https://literarytitan.com/tag/garnet-morris/

OLIVIA CHADWICK, MSc Kinesiology, is a mental performance coach, certified exercise physiologist, podcaster, speaker and founder of Movement Medicine, a first-of-its-kind coaching practice consisting of an integrated team of world class leaders in the application of exercise science. As the host of the “She Knew Better” podcast, she aims to showcase guests that offer expert and loving advice to help us overcome life’s challenges, deal with mistakes and setbacks, and level up. Chadwick lives in Saskatoon in Saskatchewan, Canada. 17 Runs is her first book.

GARNET MORRIS is an entrepreneur with over 40 years of experience in the insurance industry. With only a high school education, he founded The Targeted Strategies Group (TTSG), the premier Canadian brokerage firm dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and their families protect, preserve and optimize their net worth through life insurance policies. At the age of 40, he transformed his health by losing 130 pounds, after which he became passionate about personal fitness, self-development and lifelong learning. Morris was born and raised in small towns in Saskatchewan, where he still resides. 17 Runs is his first book.