A Full Circle Journey to Empowerment

When youth heal their trauma and step into a place of service to others, they achieve the mark of an “Avary Leader”. 

Within a community of support, Avary youth face their struggles and use these challenges to learn, to grow, and to transform hardship into power and service to others.

Our youth leaders inspire and guide the next generation to embark on their own journey, where they will follow in the footsteps of those who have come before them. 

This powerful and hopeful circle and cycle of leadership and growth, counters and replaces the tragic intergenerational cycles of trauma and incarceration.

Welcome

When children first enter our program, they are met with the open arms of a welcoming family. They receive love, support, care, fun moments and positive, affirming experiences that help them to feel safe, welcome, and supported. This is foundational for the healing process and is the first part of the journey at Project Avary.

Connection

Once a child feels safe and welcome, they are more likely to feel connected to those around them, thus more comfortable to open up to relationship. Within this container of deep trust and care, they begin to recognize that they are not alone and start forming positive attachments with their peers, the older youth, counselors, and other adults.


Healing

Part of healing is being able to talk about our feelings while others listen and honor our experiences. At Avary, we practice real talk within fire circles, where youth are given a safe, judgement-free space to speak and to be heard. It's within these spaces the youth are able to process their experiences of trauma and heal more deeply.

Service

As youth heal their trauma, and step into place of leadership, they achieve the mark of an "Avary Leader". Avary Leaders provide service by responding to the needs of the younger children, just as those who came before did for them. The cycle continues on and on, empowering youth and planting seeds of hope for more and more children.