Freedom Project

Description of Organization

The concept behind Freedom Project was sparked in 1998 at the Twin Rivers Unit at Washington State Monroe Correctional Complex, in Monroe, Washington. Marshall Rosenberg, founder of Nonviolent Communication, visited the prison facility to give a lecture. Among the participants was an inmate who was deeply moved by the talk and requested continual engagement with Nonviolent Communication for people in prison. This inmate co-founded Freedom Project in 2001. Freedom Project facilitates the personal and social transformation for the incarcerated through:

• Fostering practical skills of Nonviolent Communication and Mindfulness Based Emotional Intelligence through prison and community programs,
• Facilitating relationship healing between people in prison and their families and communities,
• Supporting Prison Mentors- people in prison who provide peer support and coaching,
• Holding Community Circles where formerly incarcerated persons, family, friends, and those affected by crime/violence gather to share empathy, healing, and story-telling.