A Reawakening of Hope: Children of Incarcerated Mothers
Grant amount: $5,000
An unusual and powerful project with a modest budget of a little over $16,000 gives us a rare look at the relationship between children and their incarcerated mothers, as seen through the eyes of the child. The Campbell Family Foundation contributed $5,000 to support “A Reawakening of Hope,” a 12-week photographic internship by ProjectFocus Hawai‘i for 14 at-risk children.
Many of these children, ages 10 through 18, have been exposed to drugs, alcohol, sexual abuse, and domestic violence. They bear the stigma of having an imprisoned parent, and suffer the pain of long separations. The project’s goal was to help these children find a healing voice through photography, and through this process, strengthen the bonds between mother and child. “It’s our hope that each will come to understand the vital importance of family relationships, and how their choices — good and bad — affect their lives and the lives of those around them,” said Laurie Callies, one of ProjectFocus Hawai‘i’s co-founders.
“A Reawakening of Hope” culminated in a photographic exhibit that was on display in a series of public venues on O‘ahu throughout the year.
ProjectFocus Hawai‘i is a non-profit founded in 2005 by Callies and Lisa Uesugi, both professional children’s photographers, who conduct the annual photographic internships pro bono. The youngsters learn how to observe, express and gain perspective on their experiences through photography. In the process, they develop self-esteem, self-awareness and self-reflection — tools that will help them to rise above their situations and break the chain of intergenerational incarceration.
Each year, different, smaller non-profits that serve at-risk children and their families are selected as internship partners. The partners for “A Reawakening of Hope” were Ka Hale Ho Äla Hou No Nä Wähine, a correctional halfway house for women run by the non-profit group TJ Mahoney & Associates, Inc., and the Women’s Community Correctional Center, who selected participants for the project.