A Lifeline for Oregon's Adults & Youth in Custody

A Letter from our Founder and Director

Dear Friends and Supporters:

I hope you and your family are all staying safe and healthy during these turbulent and unprecedented times. The last few months have been a whirlwind and life altering for many people. Despite the challenges our world has faced, I have been incredibly moved by the acts of kindness I’ve witnessed everywhere I look.

It also gives me hope and renewed energy to find innovative and creative ways to serve the incarcerated adults and youth population we work with, who happen to know a thing or two about living in a lockdown.  Anytime I think this is difficult for me, my mind pivots to the adults and youth who are living in prison. They are not only locked down, but have lost ALL visits, education, groups, meetings and most legal visits with lawyers. Many have lost jobs due to social distancing rules and therefore have no money to buy canteen for their basic needs and have little else to look forward to.

The Insight Alliance is a lifeline to people in prison . Our team is doing a wonderful job creating new  ways to reach people in custody during these times. We are serving more people than we normally would through our new programs and initiatives. We know our work is important and continue to hear life-changing feedback from our program participants and prison staff.

"This program has helped me realize I don’t need to act on every thought. I can let them pass like clouds in the sky. I feel less shame and more in touch with who I really am. This program is a game changer that should be taught everywhere. I wish I had learned these things in childhood." - Mike, program graduate

I hope you will join us in serving as a lifeline during these turbulent times by making a contribution or becoming a monthly giver. Your donation will help us grow our new programs and enable us to continue uplifting and transforming the lives of adults and youth in custody. Plus, for every dollar donated our Board of Directors will match it (up to $10,000).

With love and gratitude,
Anna Debenham

Our New Programs and Initiatives

Moments of Insight Newsletter
We were given permission by the Department of Corrections to develop and send a newsletter to all of our program participants in the various prison facilities around Oregon. Every 2 weeks, we get to send the newsletter filled with stories, quotes, artwork and inspiration from our teachers and other team members to the people inside. We are also receiving submissions from people on the inside, making this a creative collaboration that points people in the direction of hope and resilience.

A Webinar Series
These are a series of 30 minute conversations with professionals and teachers in our field of work. This series is fascinating to watch for all of us who are living through the Pandemic. Each interview brings new and different insight into understanding the mind and our innate wellbeing. The content is free for everyone to view on our website (insightalliance.org) and has been helpful for our past participants, who are transitioning back to their communities and looking to stay engaged. We are delighted that the Department of Corrections has agreed to play these webinars on Prison TV so everyone in prison can see them!

A Foundation Series for our Participants, their Families and the Community
Since we started offering our programs, many of our graduates say how much their partner, or child or someone they know would benefit from learning what we teach in prison. We now have an opportunity to create a foundation series to offer to others so they can learn this understanding of the mind and to understand we all have the resilience to get though these challenging times.

A Resiliency Course for Prison Staff and Officers
We now have an opportunity to create a resiliency course for the officers and staff in the prisons. We truly believe if everyone had this understanding, especially those who work in prison, there will be a greater compassion and understanding for all human beings. Additionally, because tension and stress is extremely high among officers who work in corrections, and even more so now, we have always wanted to support them.