From FORTE House
to YOUR House Issue #16 |
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Our First Resident Is Now Our First Graduate! |
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Marvin Ali Mays moved into FORTE House on May 1, 2020, as the world struggled to deal with a global pandemic. He was our first resident--and for a month, our only resident! While Ali has moved to another residence since then, he's still a member of our FORTE House family. And this month, Ali graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Justice Studies from Rutgers University-Newark. At his NJ-STEP graduation ceremony, Ali read a poem he wrote expressing gratitude for the people who helped him and others along the path. Listen to Ali's reading here. |
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Tia's Address to the NJ-STEP 2022 Graduates
Explores Identity at the Crossroads of Life
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FORTE House Founder Tia Ryans was "triple honored" to be one of the speakers who addressed the 2022 NJ-STEP graduating class of Rutgers University on May 13. Recalling her own experience as a graduate, Tia explored how we can accept an identity imposed on us from the past, or choose an identity based on our accomplishments, goals and capabilities. Listen to her super-powerful address here. |
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FORTE House is a proud co-sponsor of the book release party for Your Journey Beyond the Cell, a pre-release manual for people incarcerated in New Jersey. Tia calls it a "collective memoir," because it features the personal stories and advice of people who've gone through re-entry themselves. Many of our FORTE House residents contributed their stories to the book. If you want to celebrate with us on June 11, you can register for the party here. Meet the inspiring people who brought Tia's dream of creating this manual to life, and now share their stories to help others on the same path. |
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The Missing Ingredient:
Nutritious Food, Reliably Available |
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For people who are incarcerated, nutrition is rarely a priority. In fact, the carceral system conditions people not to prioritize healthy eating, which often leads to inadequate nutrition after release. Add to that the challenges of securing fresh nutrient-rich food in many urban communities, and healthy eating can become quite challenging. But at FORTE House, we're working to change that for our residents by including healthy groceries and food preparation in our support model. Your support for this effort with a donation would be deeply appreciated! | | |
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Last Month, Tia Ryans joined a powerhouse panel to discuss restorative justice and its history, characteristics and potential for positive impact. The panelists included (in alphabetical order) Chris Charriez, Volunteer Coordinator of the Petey Greene Program; Een Jabriel, Regional Manager of the Petey Greene Program; Ashanti Jones, 150 Years is Enough Campaign Manager for the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice; Tia Ryans, our Founder and Executive Director of FORTE House; and Christina Walling, Director of Academic Affairs for NJ-STEP at Rutgers University-Newark. You can listen to the program now to learn more about this essential topic. The panelists are knowledgeable, thoughtful, occasionally provocative and constantly inspiring. |
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