POPS the Club is designed to inspire, nourish and empower high school students who are impacted in any way by incarceration to become more competent and confident, more self-aware and more connected to others and to their communities. At weekly lunchtime meetings students participate in writing, reading, mindfulness, art and leadership activities that help students become more focused, articulate, self-aware and connected to each other, their schools, families and the broader community. POPS the Club publishes an annual award winning, nationally distributed, anthology of students’ writings and artwork and provides leadership opportunities for students through partnerships with other nonprofits and community organizations.

As a result of participating in POPS the Club, students have reported a reduction in feelings of stigma and shame, an increased desire to graduate and go on to college, improved grades and an overall all optimism about life that they did not have before. COVID-19 has hit the youth in our program hard. The levels of depression and anxiety have created an acute health crisis among members of the youngest generation of Americans, especially among African American, Hispanic, and socioeconomically vulnerable youth. The pandemic has exacerbated feelings of isolation and fear and distance learning, physical distancing, and the cancelation of prison and jail visits has created even greater gaps in contact with peers and loved ones and exacerbated a preexisting downward spiral. The struggle of youth with incarcerated loved ones has been diminished or overlooked for too long. Without support from groups like POPS the Club, these youth are more likely to fail to thrive as adults, which negatively impacts us all. That is why POPS transitioned its programming to weekly virtual meetings, in addition to weekly writing classes and workshops in partnership with another nonprofit to ensure Club members remain engaged, connected, and hopeful.