POPS The Club
POPS the Club enhances the lives of high school students whose lives have been impacted by the pain of the prison system (POPS) - those with incarcerated loved ones and those who have been incarcerated themselves. They serve students in 7 high school lunch clubs that offer community and emotional support as well as opportunities for publishing and performing their writings and artwork. Our grant of $5,600.00 will provide a Canon EOS video creator kit, lenses, filter, iMac 21”, Manfrotto fluid video, SanDisk Extreme, hard drive, Pro Editing software, and light kit for a new video production program. Approximately 30-50 kids at each school served will gain a new platform for telling their stories and will create training films so that other schools can duplicate their model. Having an incarcerated family member is a unique form of childhood trauma that combines shame and stigma that extends across a wide range of issues. The club offers these kids a peer/community-focused environment as a means of healing in a safe, nurturing and respectful space, where they can articulate their feelings and learn how to process what has happened to them and their families.