Northwest Credible Messenger

OUR MISSION IS TO EMPOWER NEW AND EMERGING BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITY LEADERS, RETURNING CITIZENS AND COMMUNITY-ROOTED ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH CAPACITY BUILDING TEACHING THE TOOLS TO BUILD A SEAT AT THE TABLE, POLICY ADVOCACY BUILDING ACUMEN FOR LASTING TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE, AND POSITIVE YOUTH JUSTICE INVESTING IN THE NEXT GENERATION OF BLACK AND BROWN LEADERSHIP.

CAPACITY BUILDING: NWCM SERVES AND PROVIDES CAPACITY BUILDING SERVICES FOR BLACK AND BROWN, NEW AND EMERGING, YOUTH LEADERS AND PREVIOUSLY INCARCERATED LEADERS TO HAVE ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVENTIONS, CAREERS, CONTRACTS, GRANTS AND POSSIBILITIES TO FURTHER THEIR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, LEADERSHIP AND PROGRAMS ACCOMPLISHMENTS: THIS CONTRACT DOES NOT HAVE DELIVERABLES AND IS FOCUSED ON SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR PARTNERS AND OUR ABILITY TO GROW AS AN ORGANIZATION.

"HEALTHY MASCULINITY: HEALTHY MASCULINITY IS TO VALUE AND RESPECT WOMEN, GIRLS, AND LGBTQ+ PEOPLE, AS WELL AS RESPECTING AND VALUING ONESELF BY STRIVING TO LIVE AUTHENTICALLY. OFTENTIMES IN THE MEDIA CHARACTERISTIC OF MASCULINITY ARE DEPICTED THROUGH THE DISRESPECT OF WOMEN, AN INDEPENDENT MENTALITY, AND EMOTIONALLY GUARDEDNESS. THIS IS EMPHASIZED AND ENFORCED CULTURALLY IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, PLACING AN INCREASED PRESSURE IN YOUTH OF COLOR WITHOUT THE TOOLS OR RESOURCES TO NAVIGATE THEIR EMOTIONS AND MENTAL HEALTH. IN CONTRAST, HEALTHY MASCULINITY ANALYZES THE SOCIOCULTURAL FACTORS IMPACTING THE INDIVIDUAL AND PROVIDES RESOURCES AND TOOLS TO HELP THEM NAVIGATE THE WORLD AND PRESSURES THEY ARE UNDER. LEARNING ABOUT AND EXERCISING HEALTHY MASCULINITY PREPARES THE INDIVIDUAL TO DEVELOP TRANSFORMATIVE AND POSITIVE ROMANTIC, FAMILIAL, AND PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS AND SUPPORTS THE INDIVIDUAL'S EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH. IN RESPONSE TO THE INCREASE IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, NORTHWEST CREDIBLE MESSENGER'S HEALTHY MASCULINITY CURRICULUM HAS YOUTH PARTICIPATE IN GROUP DISCUSSIONS SURROUNDING THEIR DEFINITION OF MASCULINITY AS IT IMPACTS THEIR LIVES. REFLECTING ON THE IMPACTS CULTURE, FAMILY, TELEVISION, AND SOCIAL MEDIA HAVE ON THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF MASCULINITY, YOUTH ARE THEN GIVEN TOOLS AND LANGUAGE TO NAVIGATE THEIR EMOTIONS SURROUNDING LIFE'S PRESSURES.DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HAS DISPROPORTIONATELY HARMED BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES AND IT IS TIME FOR US TO TALK ABOUT THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS SILENT KILLER. ACCOMPLISHMENTS: WHITE PAPER ON OUR PROGRAMIN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE INSTITUTE FOR INNOVATION IN PROSECUTION AND IT WAS SHARED WITH 17 JURISDICTIONS NATIONALLY. HTTPS://WWW.PROSECUTION.ORG/S/BEYOND-BIG-CITIES-INTIMATE-PARTNER-VIOLENCE-PAPER-FINAL.PDF "

"VEF - POLITICIZING OUR YOUTH CAMPAIGN: THIS PROGRAM SPECIFICALLY FOCUSES ON TEACHING YOUNG PEOPLE HOW TO GROW THEIR POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE AND ACCESS THEIR REPRESENTAITIVES THROUGH THEIR ADVOCACY AND AMPLIFY THEIR VOICES FOR NEEDED COMMUNITY LEVEL CHANGES. IT IS NON-PARTISAN AND FOCUSED ONTHE YOUTH AND THE POLITICAL PROCESS VS CANDIDATES. OUR GOAL HERE IS TO EMPOWER YOUNG PEOPLE TO UTILIZE THEIR VOICES, GAIN SKILLS AND TRAINING ON THE POLITICAL PROCESS. ACCOMPLISHMENTS: DURING THE PAST GRANT YEAR, WE ENGAGED IN 3 EVENTS WITH THE GOAL TO EMPHASIZE THE VOICE OF BLACK AND BROWN YOUTH, SETTING THE GROUNDWORK TO EMPOWER FUTURE LEADERS. THROUGH THE CONNECTION WE MADE WITH CIVIL SURVIVAL WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE A SLOT TO SPEAK ABOUT MASS INCARCERATION, RESENTENCING, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, AND IMPACTS ON BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES. WE WERE TASKED WITH A 10-MINUTE SPEAKING SLOT, AND OUTREACH TO REPRESENTATIVES TO SPEAK AS WELL. "