TransformArte: Reentry through Art and Healing Practices

Social support networks

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Research shows there are primary factors in the healing and success of individuals post-release: strong social networks, scheduled and meaningful interaction, and individualized support. However, programs that 1) deliver these interventions effectively, 2) are tailored to meet the needs of those of Chicano, Mexican and Central American ancestry — a community disproportionately impacted by mass incarceration — and 3) are led by their own communities are few and far between.
Through our work serving system-involved youth and adults, we know — and our community has told us — that creative expression in a communal setting is healing and transformative. We uplift our community by centering ancestral knowledge to meet its unique needs. While we primarily cultivate social support networks and provide mental and emotional support through indigenous practices, we simultaneously harness the healing power of the arts to introduce participants to creative pathways on their journey to stability.

Our 8-week program exposes formerly incarcerated adults — primarily of Chicano, Mexican and Central American ancestry — residing in local reentry homes to a social network and Indigenous practices of talking circles to create a stronger sense of self, and more effectively navigate life after incarceration. Through an Indigenous lens, we take the concept of the sweatlodge ceremony and bring it into our program by way of a talking circle. This support circle — which provides brave spaces to be vulnerable — fosters communal care and builds trust amongst participants. To promote successful reentry through the creative industry employment, we will host guest speakers from a variety of fields such as culinary arts, media arts, visual arts, theater arts, creative writing, entrepreneurship and nonprofit management. Participants are offered transportation and a stipend to strengthen retention. By the end of the program, participants will have developed a greater sense of self and community, as well as the means to continue their personal and professional growth through Indigenous led resources such as local cultural bearers, healers, and sweatlodge circles. Unlike the carceral system, we view system-impacted individuals as empowered, with the capacity to rewrite their story as one of growth, creativity and healing. Our program promotes compassion and care — rather than punishment — to achieve stability.

TransformArte seeks to engage system-impacted adults in collectively creating healing and trauma-informed spaces catered to meet their unique needs. Participants will feel connected and supported, and have the resources to lead a successful and stable life. One individual at a time, we hope to transform Los Angeles County by shifting the dialogue on prisons and modeling culturally centered healing post-release. Ultimately, this program can be scaled and replicated at other organizations across Los Angeles to maximize its impact, reduce recidivism and help create a healthy, community-centric region. Our vision is for creative and brave spaces to be commonplaces and accessible entry points for individuals to build community and pave pathways into a fulfilled livelihood. As October 2024 marks the second iteration of the program, we increase the number of engaged participants and introduce more guest speakers that expose participants to new creative pathways.

While we have been providing art-centered reentry for system-impacted community members for six years, this iteration of the program is in its early stages. To learn about the needs of participants and impact of our program, we are intentional about breaking bread with and building intimate relationships with our participants. We were pleased to learn that our program was the first time many of our participants were exposed to Indigenous and ancestral knowledge practices such as talking circles. Participants found commonalities that formed their community and allowed them to navigate challenges together. To evaluate the success of healing arts education on participants’ professional and personal development, we track attendance and administer baseline and endline surveys. In addition to direct verbal feedback from participants, we conduct in-depth interviews. Outcomes and outputs are shared through reports with our leadership and regularly reviewed to refine future program iterations.