Helping Prison Inmates make better Decisions
Volunteers are the lifeblood of an organization. Thresholds volunteers bring community involvement to the prison by assisting inmates in making decisions to resolve situations in their lives in a constructive manner. Volunteers are trained in the decisional model formulated by Mickey Burglass, and supported in their teaching sessions with the client/inmate. Training is done on a weekend workshop.
Skills needed as a volunteer are : a caring about the client/inmate an ability to be comfortable with new people an ability to explain and present a message/ideas clearly an ability to listen to the client/inmate and empathize with his/her situation an ability to be non-judgmental a desire to help another person succeed in their life a willingness to bring the human element of caring to someone who is incarcerated
Threshold volunteers who have worked with the inmate discover : how much the client is like a neighbor the positive effect the teaching and contact have on the client new insights about prison life, and about themselves in visiting there
What is involved : A one day weekend training in the Thresholds Method After training, a term of 6 to 8 weeks, a once a week session with a client, lasting 1 to 1 1/2 hours Each session entails teaching and reviewing material with client to ensure their understanding Veteran teachers and mentors are available to assist you in your work with client
If interested in learning more, contact us