Fw: Participate in Prison Outreach and become a part of the humanist pen pal program

[JOHN BURCHFIELD]

On Friday, March 24, 2017 4:27 PM, Rachael Berman <rbe...@americanhumanist.org> wrote:

The American Humanist Association is currently seeking humanists interested in participating in a facet of our prison outreach: our humanist pen pal program.

We recognize how contact with the outside world fosters a positive, healthy, and hopeful attitude for those incarcerated. Research from inmate feedback has shown that having a pen pal helps combat feelings of isolation, encourage positive changes to self-identity, boost happiness, increase hopes for life beyond prison, and increase chances of successful reintegration.

All inmates are instructed to treat pen pal volunteers with the courtesy and respect they believe their pen pals would wish shown towards them. We have two options: either correspond with the inmate directly, or send/receive correspondence through us.

If you decide to send/receive mail from the inmate directly, we will provide you with the humanist inmate contact info and then you (those who will engage in letter-writing) decide which inmate(s) they prefer to write. Please update us regarding which inmate(s) are selected so we can keep track.

If you/folks decide to send/receive mail through AHA facilitation (which we prefer/recommend), here's how the process works:

(1) We provide the humanist inmate contact info. You decide which inmate(s) you prefer to write.

(2) Pen pal types/writes an intro letter to the humanist inmate(s). You can either email us a typed response in an attached word document or mail us the letter. We would prefer typed responses. We will then send that letter to your humanist inmate pen pal(s).

(3) Once we receive a response from the humanist inmate, we’ll scan and email their response. You will write a reply, and we'd continue the process this way.

Please let me know if you or members or your local group are interested in becoming a humanist pen pal. 

Best,

Rachael Berman

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Rachael W. Berman
Grassroots and Celebrant Program Coordinator
The American Humanist Association
1821 Jefferson Place  |   Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 202-238-9088  |   Fax: 202-238-9003
www.americanhumanist.org