Proven Success
Through early intervention, long-term relationships, and consistent support, we’re helping young people heal and breaking generational cycles of incarceration.
90%
of Avary youth show measurable growth in key psychosocial skills proven to support healthy development and help overcome the trauma of parental incarceration.
80%
of our program team are Avary alumni and Junior Counselors, showcasing the strength of our leadership pipeline and the power of youth giving back.
94%
of Avary alumni remain uninvolved with the criminal justice system, despite being six times more likely than their peers to face incarceration.
Our Model: A Full Circle Journey to Empowerment
At Project Avary, we believe healing happens in community and that true transformation takes time, consistency, and care. Over more than two decades of walking alongside children of incarcerated parents, we’ve seen what’s possible when youth are surrounded by the belief that they belong and that they are capable. Our full-circle model invites young people to move through a journey that begins with acceptance and belonging and leads to leadership and empowerment.
Welcome. From day one, youth are met with kindness, safety, and open arms. We create a space where they can be themselves, feel supported, and know they’re not alone. In a world that may have judged or forgotten them, we offer warmth, laughter, freedom and a place to simply be.
Connection. Once youth feel safe, they begin opening up to forming real relationships with peers, mentors, and counselors who understand what they’re going through. Within this container of trust, they build connection and begin to believe in others — and in themselves — laying the groundwork for everything that follows.
Healing. In healing spaces, youth share their stories, face their struggles, and begin to process their pain. Within a community of support, they transform hardship into growth, resilience, and strength.
Service. As they grow, youth step into leadership, becoming Junior Counselors, mentors, and role models. They give back what they’ve received, guiding the next generation just as others once guided them.
This is the heart of the Avary journey: a cycle of care, connection, and leadership that keeps growing as youth support one another, year after year.
“Avary means the world to me. So many people in my life have told me that I don’t have what it takes. That I’m going to end up in prison. Avary has taught me that that doesn’t have to be my future. They believe in me. I’ve never had that before.”
