The Rebecca Project is rooted in the experiences of low-income parents and families, and strives to create opportunities for their agency and leadership on national and local levels regarding child welfare, criminal justice, and substance abuse policies impacting the lives of vulnerable families.
Parent leadership and agency is the driving force of “Sacred Authority”—a national leadership network of parent-advocates and their allies.
Sacred Authority parent-advocates bring the power of personal stories and lived experiences as parents in recovery from substance abuse, violence, and trauma.
Their work, as trained community leaders and experts, bridges the wide divide between Congress, state legislators, and the real lives of low-income families.
Sacred Authority parent-advocates and allies bridge this divide through public conferences, educational briefings with Congressional staffers and policymakers, and testifying as expert witnesses at Congressional hearings. Sacred Authority parents, by virtue of their own lived experiences and expertise, present the whole of their condition—and, authentically and persuasively—speak truth to power.
There are eleven Sacred Authority chapters across the country, all headed up by mothers in recovery, who also interacted with the child welfare and criminal justice systems during the course of their addiction.
Started in
2003
Who is helped?
Women who have been previously incarcerated, women with substance abuse issues, women with children.
Capacity:
200-250 women trained per year, 40-60 become advocates per year.
More Information
- Stages of criminal justice:
Jail-Based, Parole, Prison-Based, Probation, Reentry
- Areas of service:
Advocacy/ Empowerment/ Civic Engagement, Education, Employment/ Vocational Training, Family Support & Reunification/ Child Welfare, Health/Wellness, Housing, Legal Assistance, Mentoring, Substance Abuse
- Keywords:
Not available
- Program evaluation:
Not available
- Published curriculum available:
No
Last modified: 11/21/2011 8:47:25 AM