Re-Entry Curriculum

Re-Entry Curriculum

Student Handbook

Dear Student, How many of us TRULY prepare for that big homecoming day? We've missed our family, we've missed the friends and the good food and fun. However, how many of us have actually taken the time to prepare for a successful re-entry? How many of us even think about that? The sad reality of it is that most of us really don't. Most of us walk out without a resume, without social skills, without a foundation to build on or without the proper mind set to engage in a world that is not always willing to be so accepting or open to our backgrounds. I'm here to tell you, as a guy who served a sentence of more than 10 years, it is hard, without a doubt, hands down...it's very hard. I discovered there are no free hand outs and believe me I received 20 no's before I got ONE yes. This is the harsh reality you're returning to and it doesn't help to have a felony. With the cards already stacked against us, wouldn't it make sense to come up with a game plan BEFORE you walk out? Having said all that, how do we set all this in motion? Personally, I had to ask the obvious questions: Was my life worth the investment? Did I believe my life was worth taking the last few months before release to pull away from the crowd and prison politics and actually work on ME? Looking back, I hadn't realized how much time I wasted on absolutely nothing. Think about it! If you're reading, what types of books are you reading? This is not to say you can't have "leisure" time, but HOW much? And what do you do with the rest of your time? If you hang around with a crowd, is anyone in that group making you a better person? Going forward in life required that I take life seriously. Remember, every day is an opportunity to build on your life out here. Don't let the opportunity pass you by. Take it from me; it's easier to do the work inside than to wait until release. Prison is what you make of it; it can be an institution of confinement or an institution of preparation. There is no other time like right now...what type of prison do you live in? Before you answer that question take into consideration your family, your children, your victims, and your future. I did, and it has made all the difference.

Respectfully, Frantz Beasley President/Founder AZCOMMONGROUND Served 14 ? years

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Self Awareness ........................................................................................................ 1

Values .......................................................................................................................................... 2 What Do I Value In Life? ........................................................................................................... 3 Budgeting My Values ............................................................................................................. 4-6 My Early Values ........................................................................................................................ 7 Values and Behavior ................................................................................................................. 8 Values Conflict .......................................................................................................................... 9 *Uncle Mort Leaves You Money .............................................................................................. 10 *Specific Values ...................................................................................................................... 11

My Beliefs .................................................................................................................................. 12 Perception and Belief ......................................................................................................... 13-15 My Personal Belief Assessment .............................................................................................. 16 Roberto's Story ....................................................................................................................... 17 *What's His Belief?............................................................................................................. 18-19

My Goals............................................................................................................................... 20-21 Terry's Story....................................................................................................................... 22-23 Goals in my Lifetime........................................................................................................... 24-25 *Goals and Objectives............................................................................................................. 26

Needs, Wants and Desires................................................................................... 27-29 Need, Want or Desire.............................................................................................................. 30 Desire Chart............................................................................................................................ 31

My Personality .......................................................................................................................... 32 Introversion/Extraversion Personality Type ............................................................................. 33 Are You Right-brained or Left?........................................................................................... 34-37 *It's Me ............................................................................................................................... 38-42

My Learning Style ..................................................................................................................... 43 Learning Preference................................................................................................................ 44 The 4 Maps ......................................................................................................45-47 Learning Style Inventory..................................................................................................... 48-56 *Your Best Learning Environment ........................................................................................... 57

CHAPTER 2 - Expectations ...................................................................................................... 59

My Expectations........................................................................................................................ 60 Bill Gates................................................................................................................................. 61 Unexpected! ............................................................................................................................ 62 All I need to do is?.............................................................................................................. 63-64 *Expect ................................................................................................................................... 65

Parole Expectations.................................................................................................................. 66 Conditions of Supervision and Release ................................................................................... 67 Parole Officer Expectations ..................................................................................................... 68 *Housing Recommendations ................................................................................................... 69

(*) Designates Optional Exercise

CHAPTER 3 - Resource Gathering........................................................................................... 71

Identification ............................................................................................................................. 72 Information .............................................................................................................................. 73 Important Documents .............................................................................................................. 74 Getting Information.................................................................................................................. 75 Personal Data Sheet (PDS) .................................................................................................... 77 *Gathering Information ............................................................................................................ 78

Housing ..................................................................................................................................... 79 Where....from Here? ............................................................................................................... 80 Should I live on my own? ........................................................................................................ 81 *Roommate / Family Living Agreement ................................................................................... 82 *Community Placement Investigation ...................................................................................... 84

Transportation .......................................................................................................................... 85 Transportation........................................................................................................86 Getting a Driver's License ....................................................................................................... 87 Public Transportation .............................................................................................................. 88 *Driver's License or I.D. Card ............................................................................................. 89-94

Social Security .......................................................................................................................... 97 Social Security Disability Eligibility .......................................................................................... 98 What Laws Help Me? ......................................................................................................... 99-98 Applying for a Social Security Card ......................................................................99-104

CHAPTER 4 - Finances ........................................................................................................... 105

Money Management................................................................................................................ 106 Sam's Budget................................................................................................................. 107-108 Planning a Budget.......................................................................................................... 109-110 My Budget............................................................................................................................. 111 Budget Explosion ........................................................................................................... 112-113 *Grocery List ......................................................................................................................... 114

Do the Math ............................................................................................................................. 115 Credit Cards................................................................................................................... 116-118 Paychecks - Do the Math ...................................................................................................... 119 Transportation - Do the Math................................................................................................. 120 Bank Accounts - Do the Math......................................................................................... 121-122 *Credit Repair ................................................................................................................ 123-124

CHAPTER 5 - Life Skills.......................................................................................................... 125

Parenting ................................................................................................................................. 126 Positive Ways for Guiding Children ....................................................................................... 127 The Ideal Parent.................................................................................................................... 128 *Concerns of Working Parents ....................................................................................... 129-130 *Parents Expectations ........................................................................................................... 131

Positive Attitude...................................................................................................................... 132 An Attitude Inventory ...................................................................................................... 133-135 Understanding Attitudes ........................................................................................................ 136 Attitudes, Emotions, Thoughts............................................................................................... 137 *Taking Charge ..................................................................................................................... 138

(*) Designates Optional Exercise

Communication....................................................................................................................... 139 Forms of Communication ...................................................................................................... 140 Non-Verbal Communication .................................................................................................. 141 The Way We Communicate................................................................................................... 142 Speaking and Listening ......................................................................................................... 143 *Communicate ...................................................................................................................... 144 *Assertive Communication .................................................................................................... 145 *Passive, Assertive, Aggressive Communication................................................................... 146

Decision Making...................................................................................................................... 147 Decide................................................................................................................................... 148 Collect Your Thoughts........................................................................................................... 149 NASA Exercise: Survival on the Moon .................................................................................. 150 *Decisions....Decisions ......................................................................................................... 151

Anger Management................................................................................................................. 152 The Anger Survey ................................................................................................................. 153 How Do You Handle Conflict? ............................................................................................... 154 Handling Conflicts ................................................................................................................. 155 *Identify the Conflict .............................................................................................................. 156

CHAPTER 6 - Health ............................................................................................................... 157

Physical Health ....................................................................................................................... 158 Physical Wellness Assessment ............................................................................................. 159 Making Smart Choices .......................................................................................................... 160 Stress Inventory ............................................................................................................. 161-162 Stress.................................................................................................................................... 163 *Good Health Habits ............................................................................................................. 164 *Ways to Reduce Stress ....................................................................................................... 165

Mental Health .......................................................................................................................... 166 Mental Health Wellness Assessment ............................................................................. 167-168 Mentally Healthy.................................................................................................................... 169 *Tips for maintaining Mental Health....................................................................................... 170

Substance Abuse .................................................................................................................... 171 Risk Factors for Substance Abuse ................................................................................. 172-173 Assessing Your Use .............................................................................................................. 174 *My Personal Plan for Recovery..................................................................................... 175-186

Insurance................................................................................................................................. 187 What Benefits Do I Need?..................................................................................................... 188 Locating Insurance................................................................................................................ 189 Comparing Health Benefits ................................................................................................... 190 *Questions for Insurance Companies .................................................................................... 191

CHAPTER 7 - Relationships and Support ............................................................................. 193

Relationships .......................................................................................................................... 194 Healthy Relationships .................................................................................................... 195-196 Cutting Ties........................................................................................................................... 197 Rebuilding Friendships.......................................................................................................... 198 *Are you a Friend? ................................................................................................................ 199

(*) Designates Optional Exercise

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download