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.

Besides writing, Gary enjoys traveling around the country with Lillian in their RV. They’ve visited all fifty states and seen all the national parks, including the eight in Alaska. Gary chronicles their travels on his Bound for Glory blog.

https://garyzelinski.com/

Throughout his 45-year writing career, Herb has authored or co-authored over 1,100 articles in national and Rhode Island newspapers and trade publications.The James P. Adams Library at Rhode Island College (RIC) will house digital copies of all his published articles, along with copies of reports written, newsletters and newspapers that he has edited. This collection, titled, “Herb Weiss papers,” covers 45 years of reporting on health care aging and medical issues, will be available to RIC students, researchers and health care programs across the nation.

Herb will discuss his three volume books Taking Charge: Stories on Aging Boldly, where he covers issues on aging including care, retirement and leisure, mental health, care-giving and sage advice on how to age gracefully. The stories in his books provide research findings, aging policy updates and practical tools to live a happy, fully engaged and empowered life in their later years. He will also share interviews with experts and everyday people who have shared their keen observations about growing older.

LINKS:

https://herbweiss.com/author

https://herbweiss.blog/list-of-publications/

https://rinewstoday.com/herb-weiss/

https://smallstatebighistory.com/herb-weiss/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/herbweiss/

Gail Lukaisk is freelance writer, editor, college lecturer, and author. She will discuss her new book "What They Never Told Us", which us tells the stories of ordinary people who made extraordinary, life-changing discoveries. These discoveries are about their parentage and/or race and ethnicity that fractured their identities and prompted two fundamental questions: Who are we? And what exactly is family?

Gail will also the devastating psychological trauma of uncovering a hidden family secret with all the twists and turns of a mystery novel, starting with how the discovery was made; to why it was kept secret.

ABOUT GAIL LUKAISK

Gail Lukasik is a freelance writer, editor, college lecturer, and the author of the bestselling book White Like Her: My Family's Story of Race and Racial Passing, which the Washington Post named "One of the Most Inspiring Stories of 2017." Gail has appeared on PBS's Genealogy Roadshow, BBC World News, and NBC's Megyn Kelly Today. She is also a contributor at the Washington Post and the author of several mystery novels featuring the character Leigh Girard.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Gail grew up in the suburb of Parma. Her mother, an avid moviegoer, took her Friday nights to the local movie theater. That’s where she fell in love with stories of all kinds. Her dream was to be a movie star, a ballerina or a writer.

As luck would have it, she realized two of her three dreams. She was a member of the Cleveland Civic Ballet Company. And she’s the author of five mystery novels, a memoir, a book of poetry, and numerous poems, essays, and short stories.

After earning a PhD and MA in English with a specialization in writing poetry, Gail decided to write a mystery novel at the urging of her son. Destroying Angels, the first book in her Leigh Girard mystery series, was described by Kirkus Reviews as “a riveting debut thriller.” She went on to write two more books in the series, Death’s Door and Peak Season for Murder, which won a Lovey Award for Best Traditional Sleuth. The Lost Artist, her stand-alone mystery, reflected her love of the visual arts and 19th century history.

Wilfred Aguila, "Dr. A" M.D. Bariatric Surgeon, author and radio show host, has dedicated his career to helping people live healthier lives. Dr. Aguila has served as a health and wellness advocate and has been in practice since 1996, specializing in bariatric medicine. He founded Weight Success Centers™, LLC to help patients suffering with weight problems conquer their struggle and live healthy. Dr. A will discuss how stress affect diet, and the components of the right exercise and nutrition, the science behind GLP-1 drugs and when to consider using them.

.

.

ABOUT DR WILFRED AGUILA

Wilfred Aguila, M.D. is a native of Florida and has served communities in Florida since he graduated from the University Of Miami School Of Medicine in 1991. In Tampa, Dr. Aguila completed his surgical residency at the University of South Florida in 1996 and was Chief Resident in Surgery from 1995 to 1996. Dr. Aguila has served as a health and wellness advocate since he graduated from the University of Miami School of Medicine in 1991. He has been in practice since 1996, specializing in bariatric medicine. He founded Weight Success Centers™, LLC to help patients suffering with weight problems conquer their struggle and live healthy.

https://weightsuccesscenters.com/

Nancy Seabold is a Voice Coach who trains high school singers college entrance, and careers in classical music as well as piano lessons.She is freelancer writer, author of books for youth and adults. Her new book "The Congruent Rhyme of Opposites: A Spiritual Perspective on Intimacy", speaks to how to find a compatible partner in love, upon knowing how to love oneself. The message in this book will inspire adults, young and old how to build a great foundation—honoring each other in a way that creates a beautiful circle of giving and receiving. Nancy will discuss topics that include self help, relationships, mind, body, and spirit.

www.spiritscript.net

On Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/3ukctemz

Audio: https://tinyurl.com/Sampling-Congruent-Opposite

ABOUT NANCY SEABOLD