Madeline Estes

Last week, the Juvenile Justice Project had the opportunity to talk with students at Belle Forest Community School and City University School. On Wednesday, we spoke to several 4th grade classes about the Juvenile Justice Project and other program areas of MSPJC. The students had very thoughtful questions on homelessness issues, community organizing, and how they could help make our city a better place for everyone. Thursday, we went to City University School for their service fair and met with teens interested in learning more about criminal justice reform and taking direct action around issues in their communities. Many were interested in volunteering with MSPJC over the summer. We have a lot of opportunities for canvassing, meeting with lawmakers, conducting Know Your Rights Theatre Workshops, and serving on the Youth Council. The JJP Youth Council is an exciting opportunity for students to come together and organize around issues directly affecting them. They will present these issues and initiatives for change to partners of the Juvenile Justice Project in order to coordinate targeted community service projects. We look forward to a busy summer!

This week, we are proud to be working with teens all over Memphis in preparation for National School Walkout Day. This Thursday, students across the nation will be walking out of school in solidarity with Parkland School students in Florida. Young people in our city are using this time to educate each other on criminal justice reform and other areas of activism so that they can come together to make lasting, systemic change in Memphis. We are so proud to have been invited to work with these motivated young people.

The JJP is working with Juvenile Court to build networks of churches and organizations to address our high number of youth with unserved court-ordered community service and the shortage places for them to complete those hours, specifically in the areas of Hickory Hill & Bartlett. Studies continue to show that punitive measures often lead to continued entanglement with the criminal justice system, as opposed to more rehabilitative & restorative opportunities. MSPJC is guided by the idea that those most affected by the issues facing our communities must be involved in developing solutions to these problems. We believe that youth are the solution–not the problem, so we work with them to find transformative opportunities to fulfill their hours in their own neighborhoods. Help us build a better Memphis and partner with our youth!

For more information or to become a JJP Service Site Partner, contact Faith Pollan, (901) 725.4990 or faith@midsouthpeace.org

StreetWise INK is Memphis’ only T-Shirt Screen Printing Workers-Cooperative that is organized and operated exclusively by individuals with experiences of homelessness. We provide high-quality, custom, hand printed t-shirts for a variety of needs. Individuals who have experience or training in screen-printing are able to subsidize their income by working with StreetWise INK as well as to hopefully gain skills of the industry, and possibly become potential member-owners after incorporation.

We Had You Covered This Weekend at the Healthy Memphis Festival at Railgarten! StreetWise INK has been tabling at   events, selling our new T-shirt designs to fundraise our way to COOPECON 2018 in Alabama this weekend for a training in   Cooperative Business. We have several sweet new prints that will be available for a suggested donation of $20 or more at   MSPJC for folks who couldn’t make it out Saturday. (Call first to see if we have the sizes in the designs you want before   swinging by.)

 Get Wise With StreetWise INK Community Trainings! MSPJC has been hosting free screen printing and cooperative   business trainings for people with experiences of homelessness every other Saturday for the past few months. While we’re   learning more this weekend at COOPECON, the regularly scheduled Saturday trainings will be postponed, as the materials   are being updated and times and dates rescheduled to better serve our community by being more accessible to people with   transportation obstacles and other barriers. Keep an eye on our Facebook for updates on future training dates!

Support StreetWise INK! We’re extremely grateful to everyone who has been interested in joining our Advisory Board! If you have certain skills you think might be helpful to StreetWise or even just want to help our Advisory Board from time to time, we truly appreciate whatever way people can contribute. We’re currently seeking people with screen printing skills they’d like to teach and individuals who are experienced in business ownership and management to volunteer for whatever amount of time you have to offer to help us expand our skills and base.

We gladly accept all donations, as your support is what keeps the free trainings free, and us too. Thank you.

NEED SHIRTS??

****For Custom Order Inquiries, please fill out our Price Quote Form****

Follow us on Twitter & Facebook and send us an email at streetwise@midsouthpeace.org  if you have any questions.

StreetWise INK is a proud Community Coop Partner with Democracy at Work!

H.O.P.E. (Homeless Organizing for Power and Equality) is going to have a Tent City Event at Morris Park, located at 747 Poplar Avenue, on Saturday, May 5, 2018, from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m.  The National Low-Income Housing Coalition is planning a National Housing Week of Action to bring awareness affordable housing for low-income recipient on May 1-8, 2018. H.O.P.E wants to join the fight! So in conjunction with the Low-Income Housing Coalition, H.O.P.E’S Tent City will stand as a mirror image of what it is like for those experiencing homelessness.

May 5th will consist of many events. In the beginning will be a rally, then there will be a community cookout, and to finish the evening there will be a movie. H.O.P.E would like to make sure that this event is serving our community and those directly affected by homelessness, so we choose Morris Park, where hundreds of those experiencing homelessness and low-income come to receive a meal on any given Saturday for those wonderful groups who serve out of the kindness of their hearts.

How can the community help?  We need to get tents, donations of bottled water, and snacks for the actual day.  We also need monetary donations to purchase National Low Income Coalition’s stickers and t-shirts to wear the day of the event. We also need volunteers to pass out the snacks and to help with signs.  If you would like to donate to HOPE ‘s Tent City or volunteer please contact Tamara by cell at (901) 254-5964 or by email at tamara@midsoutheace.org.

Feed the Movement!

H.O.P.E  is a supportive advocacy group for people with the experiences of homelessness. One of the ways in which we learn about the aforementioned needs and strategize how we can best support one another through this work is through our weekly Wednesday meetings in which we invite people experiencing homelessness to fellowship, share, and brainstorm. It is very important that H.O.P.E. continues to hear from the homeless community about the differing levels of oppression that many of us may face when attempting to navigate through the impending hardships of scarce services available in Memphis. For many groups and organizations offering free food at meetings is a plus for their attendees, but for H.O.P.E. it is a necessity, due to the fact that most often the meal offered at H.O.P.E. meetings may be the only meal they will have that day.

As H.O.P.E. grows in numbers our expenses grow as well. How can you help? You can help by donating prepared foods on Wednesdays to our meeting that afternoon. Don’t have time to cook or buy prepared foods and bring them to our meeting space? We also accept monetary donations towards this cause. Neither of those options seem feasible for you presently? We are also looking for restaurants willing to donate food to our meetings. As always, all forms of donations are completely tax deductible.

If you would like to discuss how you can offer support to HOPE please call Tamara @ 901-254-5964 or email tamara@midsouthpeace.org.

StreetWise INK is Memphis’ only T-Shirt Screen Printing Workers-Cooperative that is organized and operated exclusively by individuals with experiences of homelessness. We provide high-quality, custom, hand printed t-shirts for a variety of needs. Individuals who have experience or training in screen-printing are able to subsidize their income by working with StreetWise INK as well as become potential member-owners upon incorporation.

Big Thanks to MCA for the Invitation to table at Art in the Park Festival this past Sunday!
As you all may know, StreetWise INK is currently selling T-shirts at events in order to fundraise to pay our way into COOPECON 2018 for a much needed weekend long training in Cooperative Business. We had a great time seeing all the great art and listening to the bands who played directly across from our tent. We sold some t-shirts and met some amazing people!

This Saturday at Railgarten! StreetWise INK is grateful to have been invited to come table at the Healthy Memphis Festival this Saturday (April 14th) from 11am to 7pm. We will have info about our various types of trainings: Group Trainings & FREE or Pay-What-You-Can Trainings  as well as our hand printed T-shirts for sale to raise money to pay for our COOPECON training expenses in Alabama next weekend. Can’t wait to see you there!

****For Custom T-Shirt Order Inquiries, please fill out our Price Quote Form****

Follow us on Twitter & Facebook and send us an email at streetwise@midsouthpeace.org  if you have any questions.

StreetWise INK is a proud Community Coop Partner with Democracy at Work! You can check out our Coop Profile here.

On March 22 the Rhodes chapter of Zeta Phi Beta invited the Juvenile Justice Project on campus for a Know Your Rights Theatre Workshop. Over 30 students from Rhodes and other visiting colleges participated in this immersive, improv theatre based workshop. Thank you so much for having us out! Memphis United and the Juvenile Justice Project offer this free workshop to schools, churches, camps, and other organizations all over Memphis. We are currently booking summer sessions. This workshop can be adapted for elementary students all the way to adults and can last 30 minutes to an hour and a half depending on how much time you have.

Most of us, even us “woke” folks, have been well schooled on what we think our rights are when it comes to encounters with police officers. Cop dramas and movies have informed many of our beliefs about the way police interact with the public, and often this has shaped the way we engage with law enforcement in real life either consciously or unconsciously. Memphis United and the Juvenile Justice Project (JJP) want to clear up these misconceptions so that we can all be successful when we encounter law enforcement.These unique workshops use interactive theatre to educate young people about their rights and how to better communicate with law enforcement. Participants become the actors playing out real-life scenarios without the real-life consequences of an encounter law enforcement. We run these workshops for free and we’ll come to you. We love visiting schools, youth groups, clubs, etc.

The JJP is also excited to announce that our partner, New Direction Church, is further opening their hearts and their doors to young people who need to fulfill court ordered community service hours. They will now be taking on teens every Wednesday in their youth group to serve their hours by helping set up, break down, and engaging alongside their peers. It takes a village to raise successful kids and New Direction exhibits that every day. We are so thrilled about these transformative opportunities for change these young people are being offered. But it takes more than one church in our great city to really help turn the tide on the school-to-prison pipeline. We need YOU, your church, youth group, or organization to come on board today and help us find better ways for these kids to serve their hours.

The JJP is working with Juvenile Court to build networks of churches and organizations to address our high number of youth offenders and the lack of opportunities for court ordered community service, specifically in the areas of Hickory Hill & Bartlett. We believe that youth are the solution, not the problem so we work with these teens to help them find their place in their​  communities through transformative service opportunities. Studies continue to show that punitive measures often lead to a continued life of crime as opposed to seeking more rehabilitative opportunities, MSPJC firmly adheres to the idea of working with those most affected by the issues. Help us build a better Memphis and partner with our youth.​​

If your organization or group would like to partner to provide opportunities for our young people, please take a minute to fill out this form: https://goo.gl/forms/4SpkBGu2NBuFwHOp2

To book a Know Your Rights workshop or learn more about partnering with the Juvenile Justice Project call Faith Pollan at 901-725-4990 or email at faith@midsouthpeace.org

H.O.P.E.(Homeless Organizing for Power and Equality) had our Art is Love fundraiser last Saturday at Evergreen Presbyterian Church. The evening consisted of beautiful artwork from local talent, artists with experiences of homelessness, including bios of the artist, soft music, food, and even a cash bar serving wine. The artists submitted work that week, while the HOPE group members pulled together and set up the area and hung the art. We received submissions ranging from sketch art to oil paintings. We even had one artist who donated a piece  so that HOPE would receive 100% of the profit. All of the HOPE artists got 100% of the profit of each item of theirs that sold as well.

Cee Cee, a long time H.O.P.E. member, out of homelessness and making a living by selling her jewelry and artwork. Cee Cee is a very independent person so she incurred all the costs of making her artwork and jewelry. Unfortunately,  the costs left her with no money for her upcoming utility bill. But with the promotion of the art show, Cee Cee was able to make not only her utility bill from her sales but have a little extra as well for bus passes. This is one of the many stories of H.O.P.E., where we teach our people to be self-sufficient and support them in anything they may need. The art show was a success  because we pulled together 100% to make this happen which strengthened our membership roles and prepared us to be more hands on with our financial business.

H.O.P.E. would like to thank all the HOPE members who took the time to set up  and help plan Art is Love, the artists who participated, those who came out and purchased the wonderful artwork, as well as the staff at Evergreen Presbyterian Church . We could not have put on such a great event without you and HOPE looks forward to doing more events in the future. If you would like to donate to HOPE or volunteer please contact Tamara by cell at (901) 254-5964 or by email at tamara@midsoutheace.org. More to come and Power to the People!

Feed the Movement!

H.O.P.E  is a supportive advocacy group for people with the experiences of homelessness. One of the ways in which we learn about the aforementioned needs and strategize how we can best support one another through this work is through our weekly Wednesday meetings in which we invite people experiencing homelessness to fellowship, share, and brainstorm. It is very important that H.O.P.E. continues to hear from the homeless community about the differing levels of oppression that many of us may face when attempting to navigate through the impending hardships of scarce services available in Memphis. For many groups and organizations offering free food at meetings is a plus for their attendees, but for H.O.P.E. it is a necessity, due to the fact that most often the meal offered at H.O.P.E. meetings may be the only meal they will have that day.

As H.O.P.E. grows in numbers our expenses grow as well. How can you help? You can help by donating prepared foods on Wednesdays to our meeting that afternoon. Don’t have time to cook or buy prepared foods and bring them to our meeting space? We also accept monetary donations towards this cause. Neither of those options seem feasible for you presently? We are also looking for restaurants willing to donate food to our meetings. As always, all forms of donations are completely tax deductible.

If you would like to discuss how you can offer support to HOPE please call Tamara @ 901-254-5964 or email tamara@midsouthpeace.org.

The Klondike Smokey City Neighborhood has been chosen by Whole Child Strategy Inc., a funding source for neighborhoods to implement a neighborhood focused child centered program. The concept is to equip neighborhood stakeholders to organize a grassroot neighborhood council that will be able to advocate for the needs they have identified for their community. These needs are in reference to a child’s attendance, behavior and course completion. To divide the work and work towards solutions, committees will manage such tasks. We have started with the Transportation Committee and will have other committees follow that represent the issues identified by meeting participants. Those proposed committees will be; Community and School Relations; Mental Health and Wellbeing; Crime and Safety; and others that are designed to help KSC thrive as a community.

Because Whole Child believes that the communities and neighborhoods are the most important resource network for young people and their families, Whole Child Inc. is dedicated to making sure the community is the driving force behind the work, they are providing support to ensure the success and sustainability of the KSC Neighborhood.

The support includes partners that provides a host of resources that allows the Klondike Smokey City Neighborhood Council to be the neighborhood’s connection to community resources such as counseling, child and family advocacy, youth mentoring, parenting resources and so much more.

The next Neighborhood Council meeting is March 22, 2018 at 5:00 pm at Dave Wells Community Center. The first Satellite Meeting Series, which is titled Neighborhood Empowerment Workshops are designed to provide economic, personal, and family support to the community, will be March 31, 2018 at 10:00 am at Katie Sexton Community Center. You are welcome to join the movement.

The KSC has a Neighborhood Council meeting every month. Keep an eye out in the newsletter for more information about the project and upcoming meeting dates. If you have any questions, or you’re interested in joining our work, contact organizer Cassandra M. Smith at cassandra@midsouthpeace.org

In Solidarity, 

The Staff of the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center