The Freedom to Choose Project

The mission of The Freedom to Choose Project (FTC) is transforming lives of individuals impacted by incarceration through compassionate experiential education. The Freedom to Choose Project is a life-changing, experiential program offered to the incarcerated and under served. Our unique curriculum provides the tools for emotional accountability and responsibility and inspires awareness of choice in any given situation; it promotes meaningful, lasting rehabilitation that begins from the inside and results in tangible change on the outside. Those that have participated in our workshops have reported benefits such as positive changes in behavior, thoughts and perspective. Participation in The Freedom to Choose Project appears to significantly reduce the risk of recidivism and fosters long-term change in participants, ultimately contributing to more peaceful, productive, and cohesive families and communities.

in 2018, FTC volunteers provided 25,000 inmate-hours of educational programs to incarcerated men and women at three California State Prisons: Valley State Prison and Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, and the California Institution for Women in Chino. In 2019, two Innovative Programming Grants from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation will provide the funding to add programs at the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo and the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility (SATF) in Corcoran, California. The SATF program will include a mentor program for the Youth Offender Program (YOP) at that institution. YOP is designed to pair newly incarcerated 18-22-year-old inmates with older, positive role model inmates. FTC will be training both the YOP participants and their mentors.