在爱博体育手机版下载，“Ujamaa”意味着合作和变革

This piece is the third in a series of Fair Opportunities articles intended to raise awareness of the 就业 needs of justice-impacted individuals in Ramsey County 和 the benefits to employers willing to give these returning citizens a chance at meaningful 就业. 关注即将发布的内容，详细查看活动区域提供商和资源, as well as businesses 和 individuals who have directly benefited from their interactions. 受司法影响的个人和当地雇主可以联系 爱博体育手机版下载劳动力解决方案 寻求帮助.

不管一个人的文化背景或种族, they often associate the term ‘community’ with strong relationships with others where they live 和 work, coming together to help each other make their goals 和 the lives they seek more attainable. 

对于受正义影响的个人, 积极的社区环境至关重要，但很难获得.  最近的一次 爱博体育手机版下载社区矫正所 survey indicated the most common need of adults on probation is a better connection with resources in the community.

总部设在圣保罗的组织， Ujamaa地方, 解决社区在减少犯罪方面的合作效应, 无家可归和当今男性面临的其他障碍. 它的名字来源于宽扎节的七项原则之一, “ujamaa,，意思是“合作经济”和“家庭”.“乌贾玛广场是人们的兄弟情谊.  

“We take to heart that we are an “extended family,” said Ujamaa地方 Housing Coach CJ Jessup. “我们的目标是稳定男性的生活 转换理论™, a culturally designed framework of holistic programming that serves to help enrolled participants secure 和 maintain stable housing, 提高受教育程度, 确保/保留就业, 与家人/孩子联系，消除与刑事司法系统的联系.  

提供转换

自2010年开业以来, Ujamaa地方 has provided support services to help men build positive lives 和 move into contributing roles in society. The men are primarily African American aged 18-30 in the Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan area who face 就业, 住房和其他负担. The men enroll at no cost with Ujamaa地方 和 receive transformational services through its 转换理论™. 

其主要办公室位于圣保罗的大学大道, while it manages 和 maintains several scattered-housing properties in the city with a capacity for 32 participants living in the three transition housing sites 和 two long-term housing sites that the men transition to, 与PPL合作. Transitioning to long-term housing is the goal within one year if the men successfully meet their Individual Transformation Plan (ITP) goals, 他们在注册时用导航器创建的. 

成功的支柱

Ujamaa地方的转型理论以五个主要支柱为中心——住房, 就业, 教育, 健康和刑事司法宣传. All pillars embed culture 和 all men enrolled have access to over 37 services at no charge. 该组织为每位参与者分配了教练.  教练也有管理支柱的责任.  每个参与者都有他们指定的教练的支持, 以及根据他们的ITP需求管理支柱的教练.  

“All the coaches have the same goal - to transform lives - 和 we recognize everything goes together,Ujamaa地方就业教练奈杰尔·夏普说. “没有工作就很难找到住的地方, 和 it's tough to get a job if a person has some sort of dependency 和 that is true for each pillar, 所以我们知道，我们必须共同努力，把事情弄清楚.”

帮助需要帮助的人

对于大多数来乌贾马广场的人来说, 未愈合的创伤是一个潜在的主题，也是他们追求生活的真正障碍. 服务是由教练根据他们的需要分配给他们的. 假释和缓刑机构将参与者转介到乌贾马场所, 母亲和家庭成员.   每周三上午十点半在总办公室举行每周情况介绍会, where walk-ins or concerned families 和 friends can bring men in to learn about Ujamaa地方 和 the benefits of enrollment into the 转换理论™.

平均有60-70%的乌贾马人与刑事司法系统有联系, 而80-90%的人无家可归或住房不稳定. Ujamaa地方主要为黑人或非裔美国人服务(92%), 然而, the program is available to men of all ethnicities experiencing inequities at the intersection of race 和 poverty.  

非常成功的

Since it began operations in 2010, Ujamaa地方 has successfully transformed over 6,000 men. 自成立以来，它一直保持着4%-6%的再犯率, 相比之下，美国报告的这一比例为38% 明尼苏达州惩教部门2021年绩效报告.

Ujamaa地方 CEO Chris Crutchfield attributes stabilization 和 transformation success to the hard work the men put in with the support of staff, 支持者, 政策制定者, 乌贾马董事会和社区.

“对男人来说，转型不是一件容易的事, 这就是为什么我们庆祝他们在自己的道路上取得的每一次成功 转换理论™ 克拉奇菲尔德说.

杰瑟普说:“参与其中的每个人都知道，我们正在改变人们的生活. “作为教练之一, 我可以说，我们中的许多人都犯过类似的错误或经历过类似的情况. 和我们一起工作的人能理解我们，并通过我们看到不同的道路是可能的.”

杰瑟普对克拉奇菲尔德的未来感到兴奋, 他最近接替了退休的首席执行官奥蒂斯·赞德斯, who oversaw the successful transformations occurring through much of Ujamaa地方’s existence.

“His phenomenal leadership will help us move forward in the future in providing second-chance 机会 和 unity in the community,他说.

为社区服务

在双子城，乌贾马的名字是合作和变革的代名词. Several coaches have places in 圣保罗 Public 学校 or are involved with area sports 和 recreation organizations during their free time. 它的名字和服务在地区惩教机构中是众所周知的, 受到正义影响的人渴望在获释后与他们一起工作. Ujamaa地方 typically has a booth during July’s Rondo Days 和 its members are actively involved in 双城男子运动. 夏普在非营利组织工作了十多年，担任过各种有意义的工作. 虽然最近才被聘为就业教练, none of those past experiences have compared to the satisfaction he has found with Ujamaa.

“并不是每个黑人都有一个积极的榜样, so we as coaches are here to show that success can take many different paths to live a positive life,他说. 

如果你觉得乌贾玛广场的任务很有趣，并想参与其中, 参见Ujamaa地方网站 当前的职位空缺 和 志愿者 和 捐赠 机会.

其他地区组织

Some other area organizations working to connect justice-impacted individuals with resources include:

• The Minnesota Department of Corrections has several reentry services 和 resources, like the 明尼苏达过渡联盟. 
• 重新提供动力, 以前的技术转储, is one of Minnesota’s largest e-waste collectors but is also a social enterprise that provides jobs 和 training for persons facing barriers to 就业.
• 双子城!se has a mission “to transform the lives of those impacted by racial or socio-economic barriers through Personal Empowerment, 职业培训和有意义的就业.”
• 来自内心的艺术 is an organization founded by a correctional officer to allow incarcerated artists to express themselves through art 和 community exhibitions.
• 我们都是罪犯 is a Minnesota non-profit organization dedicated to challenging society’s perceptions of being “criminal.”