Organizations Merge to Support Teens Affected by Family Incarceration

Two organizations dedicated to supporting teenagers affected by family incarceration have joined forces, creating an expanded resource that benefits youth throughout the Los Angeles area, including students at nearby Culver City High School.

The PATHfinder Club, an Oregon-based nonprofit, has merged with POPS the Club to “expand support for hurting teens in need of a community and safe place as a result of having a family member incarcerated.” Many of these youths, the organizations note, “often feel as if they have to hide the truth about why their loved one is absent from their lives.”

According to research cited by the organizations, 1 in 14 children in the United States has or has had a parent serve time behind bars. This statistic likely applies to families in Inglewood and surrounding communities, where youth may face similar challenges and stigmas.

The merger coincides with the release of a new book titled “HOME AND AWAY: Poetry, Stories & Art” (Out of the Woods Press), which features “deeply personal reflections and creative expressions from members of The PATHfinder and POPS Clubs nationwide.” The volume is edited by Amy Friedman, Leticia Longoria-Navarro, and Victor Trillo, Jr.

“Home represents places of familiarity and often comfort even, perhaps especially, in the midst of chaos,” the editors stated collectively. “As teens’ experiences with the incarceration or deportation of loved ones, their expressions are so myriad, it is hard to talk about commonalities, though perhaps if there is one it is complexity.”

The editors emphasize that it is critical to support young people in “opening up about pain, loss, shame, and anger as it relates to a parent’s incarceration.” They note that unlike those who lose a loved one to death or military service, “teens with loved ones who have been incarcerated or deported are ignored or, worse, stigmatized.”

The program has made a difference for students like Hailey Garcia Garcia, a senior at Culver City High, whose photographs are featured in “Home and Away,” including the volume’s cover. “I love POPS the Club because I feel so supported in our club meetings and because I am able to express my feelings and my ideas without fear of being judged,” she says. “And I am so grateful to be able to publish my work.”

The mission of PATHfinder and POPS the Club is to “create a safe, empowering space for these youth, transforming shame and stigma into hope and dignity so they can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally, now and as adults.” The organizations are working to expand support across the country and to educate educators “so that all of these young people feel safe, understood and honored.”

The editors suggest that teachers and community leaders in all communities, including Inglewood, “can pay attention especially to those who may be particularly quiet and/or may be struggling to thrive. So often these behaviors indicate need, and so often all it takes is for just one person to offer a hand, an ear, their heart.”

For Inglewood families and educators interested in learning more about these resources or bringing similar support to local schools, additional information is available at thepathfinderclub.org.