Jane Wilson was deeply troubled by what she saw all around when she was a teacher in jails. Rather than shrug her shoulders and continue teaching, Wilson decided that she had to do something about the poverty, lack of hope for the future and continuing cycle of recidivism that kept her students from advancing in life.
In her search for answers on to how to stop multi-generation criminal justice involvement that so negatively impacted the lives of the young adults she taught, Wilson obtained two graduate degrees and created a “supportive, education-focused alternative” model to help young adults involved in the criminal justice system how to evolve into educated young men with new opportunities.
Wilson met a kindred spirit in Jen Porter, a remarkable woman who was committed to prison reform since the age of 12. In 2012 they co-founded The Reset Foundation,. The name Reset comes from the first letters of the organization’s “Five Pillars:” Relationships, Education, Social-emotional supports, Employment, and Time.
The Reset Foundation tells us that 68 percent of former prisoners will be arrested within three years of release, and that half of them will be sent back to jail or prison. Lack of employment may be the major contributing factor for recidivism. The Reset Foundation points out that 89 percent of those who were sent back to prison were jobless at the time of their arrest.
Those involved with The Reset Foundation were determined to seek out other options than the current trend in the criminal justice system of the vicious soul-crushing and community damaging cycle of “catch and release.”
The Reset Foundation proposed an alternative to incarceration that has the potential allow participants to achieve dreams that were once denied them through poverty and lack of support.
According to The Rest Foundation website, instead of being sent to prison, “…young adults live at a residential “Reset campus,” where they are afforded the opportunity grow to become change makers and powerful forces for good—community leaders, positive role models, loving parents. Each Reset campus equips students with the mindsets, skills, and opportunities needed to succeed and build their communities in meaningful ways.”
The Reset Foundation explains what the Reset Model is based on:
1. Positive, supportive living environment: We seek to create the best possible environment for learning and growth. To do so, we create a 24/7 learning environment, integrating a rigorous day program and a supportive residential environment into a single strong, positive campus culture to enable transformation.
2. Community focus: We focus on reentry from “day one.” and begin preparing participants to be leaders in the community as soon as they enroll in our program. Participants move across three stages—called Ready, Reset, Reenter—to prepare for and facilitate a successful transition back into the community.
3. Customized, engaging education: We offer a personalized learning program for each participant. We integrate five RESET pillars—Relationships, Education, Social-emotional supports, Employment, and Time—into a customized, engaging program specifically designed for our students.
Relationships: We deliberately foster relationships between students, staff, and community members, to enable transformation and continue well beyond a student’s time living on campus.
Education: Our customized, project-based academic program looks dramatically different from the negative high school experiences that often did not serve our students well in the first place.
Social-emotional supports: We help students develop critical life skills and a healthy emotional well-being through a supportive residential environment, counseling, life skills classes, addiction recovery, and other social-emotional supports.
Employment: Students begin pursuing careers—not merely jobs, but jobs with advancement opportunities—through career readiness and skill mastery. We work with both the employer and the employed to provide job opportunities in demand industries.
Time: Our program is “24/7” and offered year-round. This increased time on task accelerates student growth and prepares students to succeed academically, professionally, and personally.
Since its inception The Reset Foundation has been highly touted and has won the “Most Impactful" award in the Harvard Business School's Alumni New Venture Competition of Silicon Valley. Reset has also been given a $400,000 investment by the Tipping Point Community for its work with low-income prisoners in the 18 -24 age group who have not completed high school or obtained a GED. Reset has also partnered with YouthBuildCharter School of California to provide high school diplomas for Reset participants.
The story of The Reset Foundation is empowering and a shining example of how ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things.
Click here to learn more about The Rest Foundation.
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