The mission of POPS the Club is to create a safe, empowering space in high schools for the children and other loved ones of the incarcerated. POPS uses self-expression, self-empowerment and community engagement to transform stigma and shame into hope and dignity.
POPS (Pains of the Prison System) the Club started in 2013 at Venice High School as a method of transforming the stigma and shame that affects youth who have loved ones in prison to hope and healing. POPS stands for Pain of the Prison System. POPS was established as a 501 c 3 in early 2014, and as of June 2019, clubs have been established in eight high schools in Los Angeles, with pilots in Atlanta, Georgia, New York City, Baltimore, Maryland and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. POPS publishes an annual anthology of POPS students' (and graduates') writings and artwork. Our goal is to bring the POPS program to high schools across the country. The impact of the support of peers, a curriculum focused on self-expression (writing and artwork), self-empowerment (mindfulness) and community engagement (with a vast roster of guest speakers) has been profoundly healing.
Below please find links to a few stories that help to tell the tale.
LA Weekly
https://www.laweekly.com/a-lit-club-at-venice-high-school-is-transforming-students-harmed-by-mass-incarceration/
Edutopia Magazine
https://popsclubs.org/2019/02/04/https-www-edutopia-org-article-locked-away-toll-mass-incarceration-students/
NPR Press Play
https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/press-play-with-madeleine-brand/families-of-prisoners-reality-tv-culture-and-water-rules/teens-with-family-in-prison
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