- Reentering society after incarceration
- Prison marriages and relationships
- Incarcerated fathers
- Incarcerated mothers
- Waiting for loved ones to return home from prison
- At-risk teens
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Think Outside the Cell Week is part of a global movement to inspire people to overcome self-defeating beliefs, attitudes and behavior, and to achieve their full potential.
The week was conceived on September 15, 2007 by Joseph Robinson, the author of “Think Outside the Cell: An Entrepreneur's Guide for the Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated.” He initially had the nation's millions of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated persons in mind, but he soon realized that the universal themes on which the week rests are easily applicable to all people.
Because spring signifies new beginnings, Think Outside the Cell Week is the third week of April.
Each day of the week is dedicated to one of 7 Pillars of Success: Education/Personal Growth; Entrepreneurship/Employment; Family/Community; Health & Fitness; Financial Literacy & Stability; Spiritual Enlightenment, and Building Institutions/Leaving a Legacy. The pillars are essentially themes around which empowering activities are to take place. It is not expected that all activities proposed here will be carried out, but that at least one of the activities, or a similar one of your own creation, will be done each day.
Though officially observed for a week, the 7 Pillars of Success should be implemented daily throughout the year.
7 Pillars of Success
Day 1: Education/Personal Growth
- Take up a hobby
- Learn a new skill (especially computer literacy)
- Go back to school
- Attend a seminar or workshop
- Make a commitment to learn something new every day
- Evaluate/Rethink your values and beliefs
- Work on eliminating self-defeating attitudes and behavior
Day 2: Entrepreneurship/Employment
- Begin writing a business plan
- Register your business
- Seek free business advice from organizations like SCORE/SBDC
- Write and submit job resumes
- Look for a job
- Learn a new marketable skill or trade
Day 3: Family/Community
- Dedicated one day a week to “family time”
- Adopt a community elder
- Mentor a young man or woman (in your own family and/or in the community)
- Adopt a single parent
- Sit in on local government meetings and hearings
- Network! Network! Network!
Day 4: Health & Fitness
- Establish and stick to a balanced diet
- Begin exercising daily
- Get regular checkups
- Seek professional counseling
- Join a support group
Day 6: Spiritual Enlightenment
- Live with purpose
- Identify and pursue your passion
- Pray and/or meditate daily
- Set aside time each day for introspection
Day 7: Building Institutions/Leaving a Legacy
- Form coalitions with progressive members of y our community to identify and address the community's needs
- Create, build and maintain “community issues forums” (including online)
- Form a nonprofit organization to meet the needs of the community
- Volunteer time, money and expertise to community-based and other nonprofit organizations
- Sponsor a youth league or other youth-oriented leadership and team-building association
- Commit to living a life of service
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