Changing Hearts and Minds & Creating Community
LEAP graduates leave prison completely transformed. They have accepted responsibility for their mistakes, looked within to examine the root cause of their past actions that led to prison, and acquired new skills to enable them to be self-sufficient and crime free. However, for our women to truly succeed, the hearts, minds and attitudes of our community must also change. Despite their hard work, and though they have paid for their crimes, women who have experienced incarceration continue to face almost insurmountable obstacles because of the stigma attached to their past.
LEAP is committed to hosting events to help change attitudes of society toward one of the most stigmatized groups – formerly incarcerated women. Over the years, events have included panel discussions, book groups, film screenings, legal symposiums, and art exhibits. We are also founding hosts of the Dade County 10 Days of Connection, which was founded by the Miami Herald, MCCJ, the Children’s Trust, United Way of Miami-Dade, Radical Partners and Miami Foundation.
Our two main current projects are the LEAP Women’s Reentry Simulation and the More Than initiative.