The aim of the ROOTS program is to provide children with an incarcerated family member with the support and tools to question and interrupt the legacy of incarceration and violence. ROOTS provides a safe space for these youth to share and process their experiences, to make healthy choices, and to understand and analyze the circumstances of being a child of incarcerated parents, thus increasing their chances of succeeding at school, both socially and academically. The program currently has six locations: Balboa High School (SF), Visitacion Valley Middle School (SF), McKinley Elementary School (SF), International Studies Academy (SF), El Cerrito High School (EC), and Edna Brewer Middle School (Oakland).

ROOTS combines counseling and case management; opportunities for leadership development, community engagement, skill building and creative expression through the arts; an in-school elective class; an after-school program; and support for the youths’ caregivers. By integrating these components CW is able to provide an effective and innovative menu of strategies that can be adapted to each school site. ROOTS at Balboa consists of an in-school elective class and an after-school spoken word program. The program at Visitacion Valley includes an after-school group 2-3 days/week. The program at McKinley consists of a weekly pull out group.

ROOTS program objectives are to:

• Provide a safe space within which youth increase their ability to critically examine and address specific issues they face;
• Develop youth’s ability to utilize the skills and vocabulary of one or more art forms to derive meaning from their experiences and imagine new possibilities;
• Increase youth’s self-awareness and positive self-image;
• Increase participating youth’s sense of belonging to a caring community of youth facing similar issues, and the larger community.

ROOTS is funded by:

SF Department of Children, Youth and their Families

     California Arts Council and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act