PROJECT AVARY - Approved
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PROJECT AVARY is a national leader in supporting children with incarcerated parents.
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Sun Wee Yun
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03-13-2023
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03-06-2024
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02-13-2025
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How To Contact
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General Number
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Program Director, Kellene VanBrackle
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1623 Fifth Ave
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Suite C
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San Rafael
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CA
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More Information
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03-13-2023
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03-13-2025
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free
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0.00
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Project Avary
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94901
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Helpful Links
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Detailed Information
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We are community weavers at Project Avary.
We give children a long-term community of support and belonging that inspires healing, dignity, and empowerment. We are a community of care (and fun!), where youth receive social-emotional support, leadership development and job training. Youth enter our program as young as age 8, move up through the ranks to become teen leaders and junior counselors where they break free from generational cycles of incarceration and become the leaders and healers of the next generation of youth.
Explorer Program (AGES 8-13)
Throughout the year, our youth gather with the Avary Family at our annual sleep-away summer camp and on outings tailored to teach and challenge, as they gain the critical social and emotional life-skills to break the cycle of generational incarceration. Summer camp provides children a safe place in nature for self-discovery, reflection, and for connecting with the curative powers of the outdoors. The school-year program offers weekly weekend outings (kayaking, rock climbing, surfing, mountain biking and more!) and retreats that strengthen connections to the Avary community, introduce children to a diversity of experiences and perspectives, build resilience, self-confidence, and develop basic social and life skills.
Junior Counselor Program (AGES 14-18)
At age 14, teens go on a wilderness rite-of-passage backpacking trip to mark their transition from the Explorer program to the Junior Counselor program. Summer camp and monthly outdoor and wilderness outings build community, leadership, and important social and emotional skills. The Junior Counselor program, beginning at age 15, empowers teen leaders to guide and counsel younger children in both the Bay Area Explorer Program and the national Online Program. Weekend retreats, one-on-one leadership mentoring, and paid job training as Junior Counselors help teens develop the professional skills and self-awareness necessary for the world of work.
One-on-One Mentoring Program (ALL AGES)
The central task of Avary Mentors involves the journey of awakening the unique, inner spirit of each youth. The Avary Mentor helps to guide and awaken a young person to their potential, revealing the gifts they have to give the world. The mentor honors the nobility and inner spirit of the youth. They see and respect the brilliance within the mentee, reflect it to the child, and support the youth to claim and live their truth in life.
Studies show that youth with mentors are far more likely to stay in school and attend college, form positive social attitudes and relationships and are better equipped to deal with challenging life transitions. Nothing has more impact in the life of a child than positive relationships.
Group Mentoring Online (NATIONWIDE, AGES 8-18)
Youth from anywhere in the country can connect with the Project Avary Community through our National Group Mentoring Program for children with incarcerated parents.
For years we’ve gotten requests to bring Project Avary to other parts of the country (and world!). Through our exploration of these requests and our commitment to developing a program that was rooted in our values and integrity, we learned that it was 100% possible to create a phenomenal container for community, healing, and transformation in an online space while also powerfully incorporating the four key Avary Way strategies: a supportive community, a common experience of familial incarceration, play and fun, and real talk. And, we’ve done just that...
Our Online Program is our newest, most scalable offering. Alongside our on-the-ground Bay Area programs we are now utilizing the power of technology and harnessing the expertise we’ve acquired over the last 20+ years to fuel our vision to bring Project Avary to every corner of the United States.
Outdoor Leadership Program
It is our mission to end generational cycles of incarceration by responding to and supporting the unique emotional needs of children with a parent in prison. And, since 1999, our year-round Outdoor Leadership Program has done just that.
Children come into our program at the ages of 8, 9, or 10, and we offer each child a 10-year commitment of service, community and support, guiding them as they heal from the impacts of their parents' incarcerations. Throughout the year, our youth gather with the Avary Family on outings tailored to teach and challenge, as they gain the critical social and emotional life-skills to break free from generational cycles of incarceration.
Our immersive and empowering Leadership Program is broken up into two sub-programs: the Explorer Program (ages 8-13) and the Junior Counselor Program (ages 14-18). Have a look at the “Timeline of an Avary Youth” below to get a rich understanding of the journey to leadership each youth embarks upon when they join the Avary Family.
- PROGRAM REFERRAL:
Whether you’re a pediatrician, social worker, educator or concerned parent looking for answers and support, if you know of youth that could benefit from our services, please consider referring them to our program by filling out this form.
- PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS:
• The youth has a parent who is incarcerated or recently released
• Is between the ages of 8-18
• Is aware of their parent’s incarceration
• The youth has someone who can get them to/from one of our pick up locations located in San Rafael, Richmond, Berkeley/Oakland or San Francisco.
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Eligibility Information
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- CA
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- Elementary School
- Teen
- 8-12 years old
- All Age Groups
- Middle School
- Adult
- High Schooler
- 6-18 years old
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- English
- Spanish
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