Mentoring program in the works for kids of jailed parents
JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) - For children with incarcerated parents, life can be full of questions, uneasiness and fear.
They may have confusion, sadness or anger about their parent, and in the middle of the family crisis, the child may be left feeling alone.
But leaders of a new program in the works in Southern Indiana aim to change that, helping to create positive outlets and opportunities for middle school-aged children whose parents are in jail or prison.
Help Empower Youth, or HEY, is a nonprofit mentoring organization started by Jeffersonville resident Lee Ann Meixell, to help give youth healthy outlets and life and communication skills to deal with their family situations.
Through partnering with adult mentors and attending group sessions with other kids in the same situation, Meixell said she hopes the experiences can also help divert the teens from falling into crimes themselves.
"The goal is to reach these children and show them a different path," she said. "To offer them something different and show them they have the support of the community."
Help Empower Youth reported that according to the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health, Indiana was second on the list for the number of children with one or more incarcerated parents. Data from a 2014 fact sheet from the National Resource Center on Children & Families of the Incarcerated listed that one in 28 children in the U.S. are affected.
Meixell got the inspiration to start the group after working in a similar setting in Louisville - the YMCA-based Y-NOW, Children of Prisoners program. She said that through that she saw changes in the kids, starting with behavior.
"Kids are worried, they're scared, concerned and anxious," Meixell said. "And all those emotions they don't know what to do with so they'll act out in school or other places."
To compound things, parents and relatives may skirt the issue - with the goal of retaining privacy or protecting the children. But it can end up leaving them feeling isolated, Meixell said.
"You don't talk to anybody about it, the kids don't talk to anybody about it," she said. "So (they) like they're the only one with an incarcerated parent going though this."
She recalled a trip the kids took in Louisville to a men's halfway house - something she said both sides could benefit from.
"It was a chance for (the kids) to hear what the adults are going through as they're in jail, and what they think of their families outside of jail," she said. "It was also great to give the kids a chance to say 'well this is how it affects us.'"
Dan Moore, board member and senior judge in Southern Indiana, said he's seen his fair share of children who could benefit from this kind of mentoring and support.
"(Some) kids get to see their parents in the context of a court case across the room for maybe 10 minutes," he said. "It's a real disconnect. Girls and boys look at role models and when one parent disappears or goes to jail for a while, you've really got to give that child some special attention, try to redirect them to some positive choices."
Part of this can come through their weekly sessions with mentors, and part can come from the other outlets that will be available - group meetings, writing or talking about what they're going through, "to express how they're feeling," Meixell said. "And (that) it's OK to have these feelings and these are normal feelings."
The program achieved 501c3 status in December, and has a board of directors and plan of action in place. But to come to fruition, Meixell and her team are seeking adult volunteers to mentor the kids, a small office space and funding to support the salary of a program director.
Although the first initiative of the new program will focus on children with parents in jail, Meixell said she wants to branch that out to others, such as kids with addicted parents. Literature for the organization promotes goals such as focusing on school improvement, improving social behavior and coping skills and setting personal goals.
"We hope to establish this and be able to grow from that," she said. "You want to focus on one at a time and kind of lay the groundwork for the basic coping skills, being able to deal with your emotions."
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Source: News and Tribune
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Information from: News and Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind., http://www.newsandtribune.com