Group Helps Offenders Rejoin Community
Devika Rao (REPRINT)
For the AJC on GameChangers4Real.com
Group Helps Offenders Rejoin Community
In Georgia, the recorded rate of recidivism – the number of offenders re-convicted within three years of release – is 30 percent, but the actual recidivism rate is 50 percent, according to the Georgia Center for Opportunity.
A new nonprofit based in Marietta is working to do its part to reduce the recidivism and incarceration rates in Georgia, which has the nation’s fifth-highest prison population, with 53,00 people incarcerated.
Dr. Rhonda Travitt, the founder of Restoring the Years Global Ministries in Marietta, founded Game Changers Re-entry and Mentorship Program in spring 2018.
“I started the organization after mentoring numerous people through a faith-based organization. I noticed people who were returning to society from serving time in prison with no direction or desire to become productive citizens,” she explains.
Focused on strengthening the fabric of local communities, Game Changes stresses re-entry and mentorship by promoting successful reintegration of returning citizens, ultimately reducing recidivism in the state of Georgia.
“We understand that the re-entry process begins the day incarceration begins, but the reintegration process is much more in-depth and takes time and customization”, said Travitt. “We believe in changing the mindsets through mentoring, education, and advocacy to involve cognitive thinking as well as service programs tailored to meet the needs of our individual clients.”
Some of its service programs include mentoring and counseling, workforce development, adult literacy, GED classes, and family reunification. Game Changers also partnered with the Department of Community Supervision and is looking to build and leverage the partnership to accomplish a great work.
The nonprofit offers counseling, including group and individual therapy, life, and family coaching; mentoring with licensed and certified mentors who provide guidance, direction, and resources; work readiness resume writing assistance and computer classes, among other services; parent-child relationship counseling and family counseling sessions, with the goal of reconnecting clients with their loved ones.
Game Changers also helps with learning, vision and dental screenings, blood pressure and glucose checks; a program to achieve personal goals relating to adult literacy, obtaining a general education degree, enrolling in college or trade school, and more; And services tailored to an individual’s path to recovery.
The organization has also partnered with the Department of Community Supervision to serve as a Station of Hope and a resource for the departments I Choose Support mentoring movement.
Additionally, volunteers play an essential role in supporting the work of Game Changers. Through their time and expertise, volunteers can help by providing tutoring, resume participation, and other services. It also welcomes returning citizens involved in giving back to their communities.
Kenneth Cooper was helped by the organization and now is on the path to success.
“Dr. Travitt changed the game of reentry for me by mentoring me prior to my release. I’m currently a student at Chattahoochee Technical College drug-free and winning at living life! I’m a product of what can happen with the support of Game Changers”, he shared.
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