Clicc Inc

MENTORING AND LITERACY ACTIVITIES TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNICATION AND DEEPEN BONDS BETWEEN CHILDREN AND THEIR INCARCERATED PARENTS AND TO REDUCE RECIDIVISM RATES FOR INCARCERATED MOTHERS AND FATHERS, WHILE ALSO REDUCING THE SHAME AND STIGMA THAT THEIR CHILDREN CAN EXPERIENCE.

CLICC, INC. RECEIVED ITS IRS DETERMINATION LETTER IN JUNE 2020. PREVIOUSLY THE CLICC PROGRAM WAS OPERATED UNDER THE FISCAL SPONSORSHIP OF CONNECTICUT APPLESEED CENTER FOR LAW AND JUSTICE, INC. CLICC INC. USES SKILLED MENTORING AND LITERACY ACTIVITIES TO INCREASE COMMUNICATION AND DEEPEN BONDS BETWEEN CHILDREN AND THEIR INCARCERATED PARENTS. OUR GOALS ARE TO HELP INCARCERATED PARENTS READ BOOKS AND DEVELOP THE COMMUNICATION AND PARENTING SKILLS THEY NEED TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND REDUCE THE RISK OF RECIDIVISM. AT THE SAME TIME, CLICC MENTORS HELP CHILDREN READ BOOKS THEY HAVE SELECTED AND PROVIDE CARING SUPPORT TO MITIGATE FEELINGS OF SHAME, STIGMA, SOCIAL ISOLATION, TOXIC STRESS AND TRAUMA THAT THESE CHILDREN CAN EXPERIENCE.CLICC CONTINUED TO BE AN IMPORTANT RESOURCE FOR FAMILIES IMPACTED BY INCARCERATION IN 2021, AS THE COVID PANDEMIC LIMITED ACCESS TO PRISONS AND POSED HEALTH RISKS TO PEOPLE IN PRISON AS WELL AS THE GENERAL PUBLIC. CLICC LITERACY AND MENTORING HELPED BRIDGE THE COMMUNICATION DIVIDE BETWEEN PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN, AND ALSO PROVIDED CRITICAL BASIC-NEEDS SUPPORT TO PARTICIPATING FAMILIES ACROSS CONNECTICUT. WE WORK SIMULTANEOUSLY, BUT SEPARATELY, WITH INCARCERATED PARENTS IN CONNECTICUT AND THEIR CHILDREN. IN THIS WAY, READING BOOKS SELECTED BY THE CHILDREN BECOMES AN ACTIVITY PARENT AND CHILD CAN SHARE, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE APART.1) CLICCS CHILD MENTORING OPERATIONS CONTINUED ONLINE SO CLICC MENTORS COULDCONTINUE PROVIDING CARING SUPPORT EVERY WEEK TO CHILDREN WHO HAD LIMITED ACCESS TO THEIR PARENTS AND ALSO EXPERIENCED SOCIAL ISOLATION DUE TO THE PANDEMIC.2) INTEREST IN MENTORING CHILDREN (AGES 5-17) REMAINED STRONG. CLICC TRAINED APPROXIMATELY 40 VOLUNTEERS IN 2021, MOST OF WHOM WERE STUDENTS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE, SOCIAL WORK OR EDUCATION FROM CLICCS 15 CONNECTICUT COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY PARTNERS. BY EDUCATING AND RAISING AWARENESS AMONG THESE STUDENTS ABOUT THE CHALLENGES FACED BY CHILDREN AND FAMILIES OF THE INCARCERATED, CLICC HELPS TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS IN THEIR FIELDS.3) BOOKS AND MATERIALS CONTINUED TO BE MAILED TO PARTICIPATING PARENTS IN SEVEN (7) CONNECTICUT PRISONS, THANKS TO RELATIONSHIPS CLICC HAS DEVELOPED WITH THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION.4) CLICC ENROLLED AND SERVED ITS FIRST CHILD WHO LIVES IN ANOTHER STATE BUT HAS A PARENT INCARCERATED IN CONNECTICUT. ALL CHILD-MENTORING OCCURRED ONLINE. IF THIS IS SUCCESSFUL, THEN CLICC HOPES TO OPEN ENROLLMENT USING THIS METHOD TO CHILDREN ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. 5) CLICC RECEIVED GRANTS FOR GIFT CARDS TO GROCERY STORES AND GENERAL RETAILERS FOR ENROLLED FAMILIES ACROSS CONNECTICUT.6) IN 2021, CLICC ENTERED ITS THIRD AND FINAL YEAR OF DATA COLLECTION FOR AN EVALUATION OF THE CHILD EXPERIENCE WITH CLICC. PRELIMINARY RESULTS ARE EXPECTED IN EARLY 2023. CLICC MITIGATES PRESSING CHALLENGES:1) STRAINED, OFTEN DESTRUCTIVE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG FAMILIES WHICH INCLUDE AN INCARCERATED PARENT. REINFORCING THE LITERACY SKILLS OF RE-ENTERING PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN WILL HELP TO EASE THEIR TRANSITION, HELP THE FAMILY MOVE FORWARD MORE COHESIVELY, AND BETTER EQUIP FORMERLY INCARCERATED PEOPLE TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE.2) CHILDREN OF THE INCARCERATED CAN EXPERIENCE A COMBINATION OF SHAME, STIGMA, TRAUMA AND TOXIC SHOCK THAT, IF LEFT UNCHECKED, CAN THWART HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT AND POSE HEALTH CHALLENGES THAT LAST A LIFETIME. HAVING AN INCARCERATED PARENT IS ONE OF 10 ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES, AS CLASSIFIED BY THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION. CARING ADULTS, SUCH AS CLICC MENTORS, CAN HELP.THE CLICC MODEL CALLS FOR VOLUNTEER CLICC PARENT MENTORS TO MEET AT THE FACILITIES TO HELP PARENTS READ BOOKS AND WRITE LETTERS TO THEIR CHILDREN, WHILE CHILDREN DO SIMILAR ACTIVITIES WITH THEIR OWN MENTORS AT COMMUNITY SITES NEAR THEIR HOMES. CLICC PLANS TO TRANSITION FROM ONLINE MEETINGS TO IN-PERSON CONTACT WITH INCARCERATED PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN ONCE IT IS SAFE TO DO SO.THE PROGRAM ALSO INCLUDES CHILDRENS CAREGIVERS, WHO TEND TO HAVE COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIPS WITH INCARCERATED PARENTS, YET ARE SO IMPORTANT TO THE FUTURE OF THE CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES.CLICC MATCHES PAIRS OF MENTORS AND CHILDREN. CLICC MENTORS SERVES ON AVERAGE FAMILIES COMPOSED OF ABOUT 20 PARENTS AND 30 CHILDREN, FOR A TOTAL OF 50 PARTICIPANTS.

PRO BONO MENTORING ESTIMATED AT 2,000 HOURS, VALUED AT $15 / HR, $30,000.

CONTRA - PRO BONO MENTORING SERVICES, NOT INCLUDED IN PROGRAM SERVICES IN FORM 990, PART I OR PART VII, REVENUES.