HAPPY SOLSTICE and NEW BEGINNINGS for ALL

Hello Loves,

I am imagining the Happiest of Holidays, Winter Solstice, and New Year for Y'all!

I am enjoying the Texas storms and all the thunder and lightning that they bring! Mr. Lido (the dog) is not a big fan, but he manages to be brave... while in the bathroom, in his bed, under the covers, with a loud fan and music on so he can't hear the outside world :)

For my last newsletter of 2022, I’d like to share some information about the work I'm doing through the non-profit and how it benefits society as a whole.

First, I’d like to say THANK YOU to EveryOne that has donated financially already! Your support allows me to focus on BEing in the prisons, with veterans, and at-risk youth who would not otherwise have access to the healing sessions and self-awareness classes that I am sharing. As most of you know, my current focus is with our incarcerated communities.

Did you know that the United States of America has the highest rate of incarceration on the planet… that’s right, the entire planet!

If you added up all the individuals incarcerated in every other country in the world it would not add up to the 1.9 million people, we have incarcerated in our country currently. However, this number does not include all the other people affected by incarceration like the individuals on parole or probation, or children moving through the foster care system because their parents are in prison, which usually leads to these children entering the prison system or worse. There are also about 181,000 military veterans that are incarcerated in the U.S. with most experiencing some form of PTSD, mental illness, or depression with no consistent support or therapy while being housed in these facilities. And let’s be real… none of the people experiencing incarceration are receiving the therapy and support a person needs to rehabilitate and heal before re-entering the community.

In addition, many of the people that are incarcerated are pre-trial which means they haven’t even been convicted of a crime yet and most are considered “non-violent offenders”. The only crime they have committed at this point is not having the means to post bail so they sit in a jail cell and wait for their trial date which can take up to TWO YEARS or more depending on the backlog of cases. And, when they receive a trial date, most people take a plea bargain instead (even if they’re not guilty) so they will get time served and be released right then and there. Imagine these choices. Go to trial and possibly get sentenced more time or take the deal and get released. It’s a no brainer when you don’t have the financial support for a good attorney to go to trial.

Texas has about 155,000 incarcerated individuals 11,000 of which are veterans and 592 youths in juvenile detention centers. California comes in second with about 123,000 incarcerated adults with 7,000 of them veterans and 2162 youths in juvenile facilities. The two states have the highest incarceration rate of the whole country with 14% of the total incarcerated population.

The majority of government funded programs offered in these facilities are religious or vocational. There are medical services provided, but what I have heard firsthand is that they would rather wait until they are released for better care. Individuals with severe mental illness or that are in crisis are able to make an appointment for individual therapy, but the general population does not have this access. Mindfulness and CBT group sessions are offered in some facilities but sustaining improvements in behavior is challenging due to the environment and the patterns they have practiced since they were children.

I’d like to also bring attention to the lives of the correctional officers in these facilities. These officers experience incarceration in their own way as well. They experience forced over-time regularly because of the high turn-over of employees. They are inside the facilities, under the fluorescent lights, without windows the majority of the 12-hour shift. I personally know officers that have worked a 20-hour shift because their counterparts do not show up. Their life expectancy is 62-years-old compared to 74-years-old for the general population and the rate of divorce is 47%. I won’t even begin to get into the rate of suicides per year among officers and “inmates” alike.

As you can imagine, incarceration, mental illness, and trauma are not pleasant things to experience. Now, imagine that some of the most traumatized people in our society, living in sub-human standards are being managed by officers and staff with their own traumas and not the proper training to deal with trauma and emotions. In some facilities, there are 18-year-old kids being hired to manage people their parents and grandparents’ age. Mind you… the pre-frontal lobe in our brain (decision making center) is not fully formed until age 25. In addition, I have personally encountered staff that are there to exert power and are not so concerned about how people feel.  

The mission statement of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) “is to protect society by confining “offenders” in the controlled environments of prisons and community-based facilities that are safe, humane, cost-efficient, appropriately secure, and that provide work and other self-improvement opportunities to assist “offenders” in becoming law-abiding citizens”.

I would suggest that ALL of the above-mentioned need to be reconsidered and improvements made including not referring to human beings as “inmates” or “offenders” if you would like them to BE something different inside and outside of a prison.

The individuals (adults, veterans, and youth) housed in these facilities… no matter what they’ve done… are worthy of being seen, heard, and treated humanely, lovingly. You cannot lock someone up in a cage, feed them shitty food, give them one hour outside per day (unless there’s a lockdown for a week with no time outside due to lack of staff), have them sleep on metal bunks with barely any padding, no pillow, and expect them to return a productive member of society.

As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said…

“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only LOVE can do that.”

THIS is why I am so INTENT and PASSIONATE in serving and supporting these communities in particular… including the service providers.

I have received so much positive feedback from officers and the participants in the classes. Participants have shared that they feel more at peace with where they’re at and officers have shared that there is less fighting and more cooperation all around. The relationships I am building with EveryOne has been a powerful and uplifting experience.

We all need to be seen, heard, and loved in order to even be willing to consider changing our behaviors and beliefs about our Selfs. The sessions I am facilitating and the “work” I do, is not funded by the government. The services provided currently need to be sourced through grants and the community… Each one of You. Grants are accessible and Adara is one of many non-profits out there applying for them.

The classes we’re providing (sound healing meditation, movement, breathwork) promote:

- Self-Awareness, Processing / Regulating Feelings and Emotions
- Experience and Express the self in a healthy new way
- Sharing their new practice of mindfulness with their community in and out of the prison
- Creating safer neighborhoods through new awareness and reframing perspectives
- Healing on ALL levels, Mentally, Emotionally, Physically, and Energetically

I am asking you to consider supporting the services I am offering to about 200 people per month in 6 different prisons and high schools as part of your HOLIDAY GIVING. There are more schools and prisons that will be added in 2023, so I will need all the help possible to continue reaching more in these communities.

Financial support and/or a donation of a new/used vehicle so that we are able to hire more instructors, purchase, donate and transport supplies, and offer more classes within these detention centers. We feel that serving the most vulnerable members of our community is paramount in healing our society as a whole.

Are YOU and/or your ORGANIZATION aligned with our vision of creating safer neighborhoods, uplifting families, and giving second chances?

When you donate, you are helping someone’s parent return home with a healthier mind, body, and outlook on life.

When you donate, you are giving kids a chance to have a more loving experience with the adults in their life.

When you donate, you are providing opportunities for families to see another way and support their communities.

When you donate, you are helping at-risk youth avoid the prison system and remember they are worthy of more in this life.

Thank You for reading, listening, considering, and supporting!

I Love You,

Jess

WAYS TO SUPPORT AND CONNECT WITH THE ADARA COLLECTIVE

CLICK HERE to View the Website and Click the DONATE BUTTON on the site

CLICK HERE to Make a Donation Online

CLICK HERE to Make a Donation through the PayPal Giving Fund if you have a Paypal Account and donate here, there are no fees for donating!

CLICK HERE to Allow your Amazon SMILE Order to Donate a percentage to Adara

Inquire about CORPORATE DONATIONS and MATCHING (Receive the Gift of a Virtual or In-Person Sound Healing Meditation Workshop)

AND... You can still find all the information for PUBLIC GROUP SESSIONS on the Agada Energy Healing website under the commUnity page!