From Truth Be Told, this month’s spotlight nonprofit:
At Truth Be Told, our mission is to empower justice-involved women through programs that promote healing and personal transformation. Since our inception, we have been dedicated to providing support, education, and resources to help women thrive beyond the criminal justice system. We believe in the power of storytelling and healing, offering a safe space for women to express themselves and reconnect with their communities.
Who We Serve
Women in Texas prisons are released back into the communities where they did their crime with $50 and a bus ticket. Studies show that 2 out of 3 people released from prison are rearrested, and more than 50% are incarcerated again within three years of being released. For the past 30 years, the number of women incarcerated in America has grown exponentially, increasing at nearly twice the rate of men’s incarceration. With only five percent of the world’s female population, the U.S. accounts for nearly 30 percent of the world’s incarcerated women. More women are incarcerated in Texas than in any other state in the country. Truth Be Told is helping to stop the cycle of incarceration. We provide opportunities for personal growth and healing through our prison, jail, and reentry programs. Creativity, effective communication and community-building skills can give previously incarcerated women and their children a chance to start a new life of benefit to all Texas communities.
We currently offer four unique programs for women behind and beyond prison walls, all of which teach transformational tools of community building, communication skills, creativity and self-care.
Talk To Me
This 16-week series consists of three classes, with a goal of 15 new members, and 1-2 mentors, each semester. We hold two semesters per calendar year. We offer three modalities that students can choose from, focusing on public speaking, writing, or creative self-expression. All class members track their life experiences on a graph, called a ‘life line,’ and learn to journal about their feelings around sharing their stories with others.
Pay It Forward
Pay It Forward provides an ongoing support group for alumni of Truth Be Told’s Talk to Me programs. Each Pay It Forward class features activities which continue to build on TBT’s core transformational tools: Community Building, Communication Skills, Creativity and Caring for Self.
Healing Trauma
Developed by Dr. Stephanie S. Covington and Eileen M. Russo, this 6-week program is a short intervention that focuses on identifying trauma, power & abuse, and teaching grounding techniques. In 2021, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we launched Healing Trauma Virtual, which brings this curriculum to students from a distance.
Beyond
When former class members leave prison, Truth Be Told encourages the women to stay involved and join our Beyond Bars peer-led programs. We track their reentry progress and offer them support in the following ways:
- Participant check-ins offered every 3 months
- Private peer group connection through social media
- Weekly Zoom Support Call: Keep On Talking Empowerment Call
- Invitations to speak at special events and/or to write for our TBT Blog
- A Quilt Project that celebrates 3 years of freedom, a benchmark for avoiding recidivism
Learn More
Find ways to get involved with Truth Be Told including becoming a volunteer, donating and more by visiting our website at www.truth-be-told.org. For questions, contact us at (512) 292-6200 or volunteering@truth-be-told.org.
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