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Our Work
THE AHIMSA COLLECTIVE OFFERS THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS:
PEOPLE FIRST REENTRY
Effective reentry from incarceration requires that a person be in an environment that is supportive (not stressful), caring (not traumatizing), and where basic needs are met (not deprived). Many reentry housing programs deprioritize these basic human needs in favor of control and authority and thereby perpetuate cycles of trauma and re-incarceration over the long run. Our People First Reentry Program provides holistic housing, individualized resources, and a community of support for individuals transitioning from incarceration. Launched in May 2021, our model was designed in contrast to conventional reentry housing approaches that replicate carceral dynamics or exploit the vulnerabilities of returning citizens. Our commitment is to create a reentry experience that upholds our participants' dignity, freedom, and agency. More broadly, to foster a new culture of reentry in Oakland and the country, we offer mentorship and training to community leaders who seek to do reentry differently. This memo, articulates a new model for reentry.
PEOPLE FIRST REENTRY
HEALING PATHWAYS
Healing Pathways is the home for The Ahimsa Collective’s offerings to those seeking healing and accountability in the aftermath of violence without resorting to punitive responses. We see individual and collective healing as a part of a wider movement to transform how our society deals with serious harm. Practically, we offer restorative and transformative justice processes, survivor groups, in-prison groups, and 1:1 support to individuals and groups navigating interpersonal harm and violence. We aim to work collaboratively, first and foremost, with historically underserved communities and folks most impacted by carceral violence in ways that recognize the innate power in each human to heal, repair, and transform themselves and the world around them.
HEALING PATHWAYS
SANTA CRUZ HEALING & JUSTICE CENTER
LAND HEALING & LIBERATION PROJECT
The Ahimsa Collective stewards 25 acres of land nestled in the redwoods in Santa Cruz, California. This space has been lovingly created to support the healing and strategic growth of our various movements for justice and the people in them. We support BIPOC communities and other folks (survivors, formerly incarcerated, queer, poor, intersectional) who often don’t have access to land, time, space, or resources to focus on deepening their internal capacity and health, connections to each other, and the strategic building of our work.
LIFE COMES FROM IT
A grantmaking and movement-building circle. It supports grassroots and community-driven work rooted in restorative justice, transformative justice, Indigenous peacemaking, and land-based healing. Life Comes From It is led by practitioners and elders of color. We give grants to projects and organizations led by people of color and work with local projects to meet their needs with minimal bureaucracy. Alongside financial support, we are bringing convenings, webinars, consulting, education, and the wisdom of elders to the movement. Life Comes From It has its own identity and advising structure and it is also a program of The Ahimsa Collective.
LOCAL ENGAGEMENT
Over the past eight years, our work in healing and justice has brought us into local collaborations with organizations working in justice and the arts, the campaign to end child sexual abuse, reentry, and so much more. Some collaborations last a few months, while others span a few years. Also, since our inception, we have also offered various types of presentations, workshops, and training locally and across the country. Interested in getting involved? Learn more here.
LOCAL ENGAGEMENTS
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