TRUTH is
an Acronym for To Restore Understanding Trust
and Hope. The mission of the TRUTH Project, Inc is:
Together, we Empower Men to Share Their Truth and Restore
Community. We do this through weekly groups (TRUTH-groups or
T-groups) and weekend intensives (TRUTH Weekends or T-Weekends).
We are presently doing this work at two prisons. In these
prisons, we conduct one or two cycles of continually repeating
T-groups, and we also hold one or two weekend intensives per
year. We can also help men find similar support when they are
released into the community. Within the TRUTH Project, we refer
to the inmates as “inside men” and the volunteers as “outside
men.” We work closely with the prison to establish agreements
regarding the ground rules and security requirements for our
activities, and in our work with the inside men, we absolutely
honor these agreements. We do not get involved in prison or
correctional concerns.
We begin by inviting twelve men to a weekly group for twelve
weeks which qualifies them to participate in the weekend
intensive. The groups are cyclic, and we plan to offer the group
repeatedly with one week “off” before the next cycle or sequence.
In this way we are able to conduct four cycles of the T-group in
a year. The primary activity of the group is trust building and
the opportunity to “work” on personal and emotional concerns
within the context of a men’s support group. The groups are
voluntary, and they provide ongoing support, even after the
weekend intensive. They are structured in such a way as to
accommodate a changing population. As the group experiences
attrition resulting from men leaving, there is room to assimilate
new men into the group. New men enter at the beginning of a new
12 week cycle. Ideally, we have enough men participating in and
completing the T-group process so that we can have a larger
number of inside men (up to twenty) to participate in the weekend
intensive.
How to Participate in the TRUTH Project
Our
program is administered by volunteers. We need men to facilitate
our weekly T-groups and staff our weekend intensives. A man who
can be with another man in his emotional depths makes a good
volunteer. A man who has the ability to see into another’s heart,
past his crimes, and into his goodness, is essential to build the
trust needed to deepen our work together with the inside men.
Deep emotional trainings such as The Mankind Project, Taking It
Lightly, the Vets Journey Home, provide a foundation for the type
of work we do in the TRUTH Project. We provide training and
support to help translate your life skills into the prison
context.
We are always in need of donations of cash and services to hold our
trainings. Men come
from all over the country to staff our trainings. We need housing close to
the institution
during the weekend intensives for our volunteers. Depending on
circumstances, a camp ground or church facilities may work for this. We need
food for men to snack on before and after their time “inside.” In some
cases, we need travel expense money to help our volunteers to the training
(those whom themselves lack such means).
Donations (cash or in-kind) to support the work
of the TRUTH Project are gratefully accepted.
Donations may be sent to:
TRUTH
Project
c/o Doug Szper, Treasurer
8989 N. Port Washington Road - Suite 227
Milwaukee, WI 53217-1668
The TRUTH Project, Inc. is
recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt, non-profit 501(c)(3)
organization. Our Federal Tax ID is 83-0461724. All
donations to the TRUTH Project are tax deductible to the full
extent of the law.
