Purpose

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Purpose

• This presentation has been designed to stimulate
  enthusiasm around an existing event and encourage
  cooperation between federal, state, and local
  agencies, criminal justice professionals, faith
  and community-based organizations, for observing
  a series of national days of recruitment to
  mobilize volunteers to serve as specialized
  mentors.

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WANTED 2007 Justice Sunday National
Recruitment Initiative Partners

• Weed and Seed sites
• MCP Grantees
• Faith-based organizations/churches or other
  religious institutions
• Correctional and law
• enforcement agencies
• Community-based groups

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Background of Justice Sunday

• January is National Mentoring Month.
• Since 2001, the National Alliance of Faith and
  Justice has honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
  by declaring the Sunday prior to the federal
  holiday as Justice Sunday.
• Each year, use of Dr. Kings texts and images for
  Justice Sunday have been authorized by the M.L.
  King Center for Non-violent Social Change in
  Atlanta, Georgia.

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More background about Justice Sunday

• The MLK Day of Service on the federal holiday and
  other related activities allow us to salute Dr.
  King by looking beyond our differences, whether
  racial, cultural, or otherwise, to unite around
  service.
• NAFJ termed and included Sunday to pledge service
  as a symbolic gesture to honor Dr. King as a
  Baptist preacher.
• Volunteer service to better criminal justice is
  compatible with NAFJs mission, but more
  importantly . . .

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More Background about Justice Sunday

• . . . We are able to mobilize volunteers around
  a specific set of issues, as Dr. King did.
• Through it, we honor Dr. King by uniting persons
  of diverse faiths, cultures, ethnic backgrounds,
  and other divides to serve this present age, as
  Dr. King did.

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Justice Sunday

• Justice Sunday is recognized by the Corporation
  for National and Community Service (CNCS), a
  federal agency, as one of six intermediary
  commemorations affiliated with the Annual MLK Day
  of Service.

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Basis for Justice Sunday National Recruitment
Initiative

• According to an Issues Brief published by NGA
  Center for Best Practices
• An estimated 640,000 persons released from state
  prisons in 2005.
• Half of the males and two-thirds of the females
  had children with whom they desired to reconnect
  following prison.
• Nationwide, about 1.5 million minor children and
  360,000 households have a parent who is
  incarcerated.

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Basis for Justice Sunday National Recruitment
Initiative

• By show of hands in numerous worship settings,
  NAFJ surveyed black congregants
• Sadly, an average of 70 in each service
  admitted
• Having one or more family members in jail or
  prison
• Knowing someone or having a family member who
  recently released from a prison or jail.

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Justice Sunday National Recruitment Initiative

• In making the 2007 MLK Day of Service
  commemoration the largest it has been, NAFJ and
  other intermediaries will work together and with
  CNCS to increase participation in service across
  the country, but particularly in certain
  locations, to honor and memorialize the life and
  teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
• We specifically desire to mobilize volunteers as
  mentors and entire communities in service.

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• In January 2005, Big Brothers Big Sisters
  affiliates, U.S. Dream Academy Centers,
  faith-based groups, chapters of the National
  Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, and
  others partnered with NAFJ to commemorate the
  First Justice Sunday National Day of Recruitment
  to attract mentors for children whose parents are
  in prison and to recruit adults to mentor other
  adults preparing for release or already released
  from prison.

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Justice Sunday National Recruitment Initiative

• For 2007, NAFJ is extending an invitation to new
  and additional partners to join us in designating
  Justice Sunday 2007 as the Second National Day of
  Recruitment.
• As there is adequate time to plan, we can pool
  our energies to ignite a nationwide fire
  particularly volunteerism to bring a mentor into
  the lives of a boy or girl whose parent is
  imprisoned or into the lives of their releasing
  parent.

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Justice Sunday National Recruitment Initiative

• 2007 Justice Sunday National Days of Recruitment
  January 12 15, 2007
• Recruitment drives should target
• Adult volunteers, aged 21 or older
• Volunteers willing to commit no less than one
  year of service
• Volunteers willing to undergo background
  screening and program training

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2007 Justice Sunday National Recruitment
InitiativeEfforts should recruit volunteers to
serve as

• Mentors for youth who are at greatest risks
• Mentors for children with one or more parents in
  prison
• Tutorial, employment, financial management and
  general support mentors for adults and juveniles
  preparing to and those who have released from
  prison or jails
• Couples to serve as marriage and family mentors

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The value of mentors

• Mentors may serve as a concrete example of
  educational, occupational achievement,
  demonstrating qualities that younger children,
  adolescents, and adults might wish to imitate.
• Mentors can serve as a valued source of attention
  and approval, and they can also help younger
  youth, adolescents and adults define other
  beneficial reference groups
• (Darling et all., 2002 Jekielek et al., 2002)

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2007 Justice Sunday National Recruitment
InitiativeThe Goals and Measurable Outcomes of
this project are

• To reduce the lure of disruptive behavior and
  that which might result in arrest or suspension
  by filling idle time with wholesome activities
  provided by a trustworthy, caring adult
• To raise the profile of prisoner reentry as a
  public safety issue
• To engage one-on-one mentors to help correctional
  staff improve how prisoners are prepared in
  prison for release and in initial stages of
  community transition

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2007 Justice Sunday National Recruitment
Initiative

• For partners offering recruitment drives, NAFJ
  will
• Design and provide one flier from a choice of two
  customized templates which may be used to
  advertise your event
• Customize fliers to include name of recruiting
  organization, website, point of contact, email,
  and telephone number (to be provided to you no
  later than Nov. 1, 2006)

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2007 Justice Sunday National Recruitment
Initiative

• For partners offering recruitment drives, NAFJ
  will
• Contact your citys mayor or county commissioner
  to obtain a proclamation for Justice Sunday
• Circulate your customized flier throughout our
  electronic network to promote and attract support
  for your event.
• List your event on our website and provide your
  event to CNCS to be listed on the MLK National
  Day of Service website.

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• For partners offering recruitment drives, NAFJ
  will
• Provide up to 10 DVD copies of To Serve This
  Present Age Reentering Through Faith (more upon
  request) which may be shared with key volunteers
  to assist them in understanding reentry and
  mentoring children who have a parent in prison or
  with leaders of faith in to educate them and
  assist in gaining their support on these issues.

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2007 Justice Sunday National Recruitment
Initiative

• Ideal sites for Justice Sunday volunteer
  recruitment efforts include, but are not limited
  to
• Malls
• Recruitment events following worship services on
  Justice Sunday weekend
• Recruitment of volunteers in conjunction with MLK
  Prayer Breakfast events
• Recruitment which occurs in locations with
  generous public access

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2007 Justice Sunday National Recruitment
Initiative

• To participate in the 2007 Justice Sunday
  National Recruitment Initiative
• Download, complete, and return the sign-up form
  from our website, www.nafj-nabcj.org, no later
  than September 15, 2006.
• Email it to us by October 31, 2006, at
  nafj2000_at_aol.com or fax it to us at (703)
  765-9761.

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Our nettlesome task is to discover how to
organize our strength into compelling power . .
.Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.We can do it for
the 2007 Justice Sunday National Recruitment
Initiative!!!
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• www.nafj-nabcj.org
• P.O. Box 77075
• Washington, DC 20013
• [phone]