Each Saturday you can find GOGI Campus ~ Lynwood graduate, Andrea, busy at work in the GOGI offices.  The soon-to-be Peer Coach Andrea has accepted the responsibility of outreach to students who have been released as well as reviewing the homework completed by the students of GOGI Campus.

“I like watching them grow,” said Andrea of her job of reading and assessing their progress through their homework assignments.  “One of my goals is to go back in, but this time I will be wearing a GOGI Coach shirt!”

The GOGI Campus ~ Lynwood  project provides Coaches to students who leave the facility.  The project also involves prior students in Peer Coach training programs and volunteer opportunity.

When told the GOGI Campus students had designed an inmate-led workshop titled “Integrity,” Dr. Kimora wanted to share this message…

“Integrity” is such an amazing term. When I think of people who exhibit integrity, I remember those who are consistent with their core values that build community. Those folks stress personal honesty and they exhibit that honesty every day in the way they speak to others and treat others. Finally, I think that people who exhibit integrity are seeking the truth that will enable them to serve (but not control nor fix) others.

This sense of moral responsibility can be reflected in the work you do on the GOGI campuses.  For example, on page 79 of her book Prison: Getting out by Going in: Freedom from release , Coach Taylor writes about the importance of clearly defining boundaries. She writes, “Forgiveness of yourself means that you protect yourself enough so that you do not invite experiences that require forgiveness. Stay away from troublemakers or those whose integrity or honor is questionable. Stay true to your word and expect that others will do the same.” Coach Taylor is so clear about the meaning of “integrity” here. She is telling us that it is important to demand of yourself that YOU be ethical and that you demand the same of others.

Our world would have so much more integrity if people followed Coach Taylor’s advice! Her words sound simple, but they are not. It is so much easier to get angry with someone, to attempt to control another person, or to be stubborn and think and say that we are right and YOU are wrong.

Let’s get on the yellow brick road to integrity by remembering something else that Coach Taylor says on page 79 of her book: “Having clearly defined boundaries means that you will need to forgive less often because individuals will behave differently around you.” That is practicing “integrity”. 

Have a great July, GOGI Campus!

~ Dr. Kimora, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, July 1, 2008 ~ kimora@jjay.cuny.edu

Initial funding for a critical staff member for the GOGI Campus ~ Lynwood pilot program was secured, making it possible for the team of more than 20 volunteers to benefit from one staff member responsible for coordination of campus events.

“While our model relies heavily on community volunteers and masters and PsyD level psychology students, drug treatment counseling students, and social worker students, we needed a staff position to coordinate our activities.  We are excited to report we have received initial funding for this position,” said Coach Taylor.

The GOGI Campus concept coordinates community efforts and serves as an educational opportunity for individuals seeking licensing and certification to work in the mental health fields.   While the team of GOGI volunteers is actively seeking formal grant and foundation funding at this time, the private gift permitted immediate hiring of a key personnel.

“Our benefactor is anonymous at this point,” Coach Taylor said, “but the women in the campus and the volunteers are grateful beyond measure.”

GOGI Campus ~ Lynwood is a pilot program designed to reduce the recidivism rate among women detained at the Los Angeles County Century Regional Detention Facility.  While in its early stages, it appears as if the pilot program is meeting its goal of dramatically reducing recidivism among Los Angeles County women.

“We were approached by the Inmate Services Division of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and asked if we thought the way we work with inmates at  a  Federal Prison might work in achieving the Sheriff’s Department’s goal of reducing the number of women returning to the facility on voilaiton or new charges,” Coach Taylor said.  “We took on the challenge. ”

The unique community collaboration reentry project dubbed GOGI Campus ~ Lynwood began on Februrary 16th, 2008, with a small group of 24 inmates.    Since its opening, nearly 70 women have participated in the total immersion program.

“The exciting fact is that we are holding at a zero recidivism rate with our GOGI Campus Students,” said Coach Taylor.  “Facility statistics hover around 50 percent of the women being rearrested within the first year, if I am not mistaken.  Our goal is to provide every reason for the women to be successful and we seem to be doing just that.”

GOGI Campus ~ Lynwood focuses on the simple tools taught in the book published by GETTING OUT BY GOING IN.  The book, available at all online booksellers, is titled PRISON: GETTING OUT BY GOING IN, and was written to support the GOGI workshops and classes.

In an unprecedented move by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the inmates participating in GOGI Campus ~ Lynwood were escorted out of their cells and transported to a larger module of 124 detained women.  In a 45 minute “talent” show titled “Tools of Talent”, the 24 GOGI Campus participants shared skits and music describing their use of the GOGI tools.  The audience was provided with examples of how to use relaxation and other cognitive tools to avoid addiction and illegal behavior.
“This is exactly what we were hoping would happen,” Coach Taylor said when asked about this unique privilege.  “If we can get the 2,800 women detained at Lynwood to understand they CAN change and if we can get them to see other women who ARE changing, then we can make miracles happen.”

GOGI Campus ~ Lynwood opened on February 16th, 2008 with a module of 24 girls.  Since its inception, the campus boasts a zero recidism rate with its participants.  “We are still at the early stages,” Coach Taylor said, “but all indications look positive for future successes with the GOGI Campus format.”

The GOGI Campus model for the incarcerated utilizes trained psychological masters and PsyD level volunteers as “coaches” and welcomes a strong community collaboration to support successful reentry.

Jennifer R Steps Into Leadership

GOGI Campus student, Jennifer R, has worked her way onto the leadership team of the GOGI Campus ~ Lynwood.  She is doing an excellent job assisting the class president and other leaders.  Jennifer, pictured next to her son, will be leaving the facility soon and has committed to taking GOGI with her.
“I am a woman of integrity now,” Jennifer said recently when interviewed about what GOGI Campus has meant to her.  “Before I didn’t know who I was.  Now I know.  I am a good mother.  I am a good woman.  I can do good.”
As a member of GOGI Campus, Jennifer participate in a fulltime scheudle of classes and campus responsibiblies comparable to a college curriculum.  “What differentiates GOGI Campus from other settings of incarceration,” founder Coach Taylor explains, “is that we permit the participants to create curriculum, teach classes, and support each other through our PEER COACHING program.”  In the case of Jennifer R, she volunteered to help design portions of the inmate-led INTEGRITY CLASS.  The class, designed and taught by GOGI Campus residents Deanna H and Jennifer R has proven powerful as a teaching tool and learning experince.
The coaches of GOGI Campus congratulate Jennifer R for stepping into a powerful leadership role and we support her continued growth as a woman of integrity.

GOGI Wayside Workshop a Success!

I’m still overwhelmed by the whole experience of teaching the GOGI tools to the inmates at Los Angeles County’s Wayside facility but impressions linger in my mind.  The faces of the men as they each took turns reading from the GOGI Book, the respect with which they listened to the GOGI principals and how humbled I was by the creativity they displayed as they taught the tools to each other.  Yes, it was an exhausting and challenging day but as I left the camp, I felt that I had spent the day among extraordinary men who were ready to make a commitment to changing their lives and I was proud to have been a part of such a group and to feel like a messenger of hope.

Thanks again,

Coach Sherry

GOGI Campus Student Contributes Art

GOGI Campus ~ Lynwood student, Jennifer B, is an on-going contributer of art to the GOGI Campus  projects and her art will be shared with others for years to come in the soon-to-be-published GOGI book titled, WOMEN IN PRISON:

GETTING OUT BY GOING IN.  Jennifer has excelled in the GOGI program and will soon be released to a program where she will continue to prepare herself for a sober and productive existance.  Jennifer B has been a true blessing to the campus, offering her talents to anyone who needed her assitance.  GOGI Campus will miss her greatly and we look forward to the publishing of the new GOGI book so that her work can be shared with countless others.

GOGI GRADUATES SUCCEED!

GOGI Campus graduates Andrea and Maria C are pictured here at the GOGI Campus offices recently.  Both GOGI Campus graduates have chosen to spend their extra time supporting the growth and expansion of the GOGI Campus project into other settings of incarceration.  Andrea is currently PEER COACHING a women training to become a provaiton officer and Maria has turned her home into a sober living environjment for her tenants.
GOGI applauds the continual success of our graduates.  Since its inception in February 16th, 2008, not one of the GOGI Campus graduates has been rearrested.  With a Zero recidivism rate, GOGI Campus is setting the standard for all settings of incarceration.  People DO CHANGE and people do want to be successful.  It takes a little information and a lot of support, but change is possible.
Congratulations Andrea and Maria.  You are stellar GOGI Grads!

Letter from a GOGI Graduate,

I GRADUATED!  I am home!  Needless to say, with God’s guidance, I am doing great.  I miss all of  you who are still at GOGI Campus ~ Lynwood.  I am downstairs at the GOGI Campus office at the Lynwood Jail with Coach Taylor.  Ladies, let me tell you, you have a support group like nobody’s business.  If you should start for one minute thinking that you are alone, think again.  You have all these wonderful coaches, you have women like myself and Andrea and countless others who are all rooting for you.  But more important than that, you have God and if you hang on to him for dear life he will not let you go.  And I am speaking from experience.  Life CAN change.  Life DOES get better.  It doesn’t depend on anyone else for you to make that change.  You only need to believe in yourself and decide to change and after that everything will start falling into place, sometimes fast…. Sometimes more slowly.   So have faith and believe, believe, believe, like Coach Taylor told us about the Bumble Bee who should be able to fly, but they do!  I love and miss all of you and will see you at GOGI on the outs, soon!

I don’t believe in good and bad only good gone bad – struggling to be good again.

Maria C.
GOGI 2008