Reaching Up and Reaching Out
Empowering youth and families through transformative outdoor adventures, creative expression, and criminal justice reform while fostering spiritual growth and breaking generational cycles.
Our Mission
Reaching Up and Reaching Out represents the heart of CJAMM’s commitment to spiritual growth and criminal justice reform, creating transformative experiences that break cycles of incarceration and build lasting relationships.
Two Pillars of Transformation
Our Reaching Up and Reaching Out program is built on the foundation of faith-centered criminal justice reform. Through challenging outdoor activities, creative expression, and service opportunities, participants develop character, build confidence, and discover their purpose in both spiritual and criminal justice contexts.
Every activity is designed to strengthen participants’ relationship with God while equipping them to advocate for criminal justice reform, creating a powerful cycle of healing and hope that extends far beyond our programs.
Reaching Up
Fostering spiritual growth through prayer, worship, and faith-based activities that help participants develop a personal relationship with God and find hope in His love and grace, even while navigating the criminal justice system.
Reaching Out
Encouraging criminal justice advocacy and outreach activities that help participants discover their gifts and calling while making a positive impact in criminal justice reform and their neighborhoods.
Program Activities
Our diverse range of activities provides opportunities for personal growth, team building, creative expression, and criminal justice engagement in a safe and supportive environment.
Team Building Challenges
Outdoor obstacle courses and team challenges that build trust, communication skills, and resilience while creating lasting bonds between participants affected by the criminal justice system.
Sports & Recreation
Soccer, volleyball, and other team sports that promote physical fitness, healthy competition, and social interaction in a fun, inclusive environment for justice-involved families.
Adventure Courses
Zip-lining, rope climbing, and high ropes courses that challenge participants to overcome fears and build confidence in advocating for criminal justice reform in a safe, supervised setting.
Creative Expression
Arts and crafts activities like tie-dyeing, painting, and creative projects that allow participants to express themselves and discover their artistic talents while processing criminal justice experiences.
Criminal Justice Advocacy
Hands-on criminal justice reform projects that help participants give back to their communities while developing empathy, compassion, and leadership skills in justice advocacy.
Faith & Fellowship
Worship sessions, Bible studies, and spiritual discussions that help participants grow in their faith and build meaningful relationships with God and others within the criminal justice context.
Transforming Lives
See the powerful impact of our Reaching Up and Reaching Out program through measurable outcomes and personal testimonies of transformation in criminal justice reform.
The rope course seemed impossible at first, but with everyone cheering me on, I made it to the top. It taught me that I can overcome anything with faith and the support of my criminal justice family.
Through the criminal justice advocacy projects, I discovered my passion for helping others navigate the system. Now I volunteer at the local legal aid clinic every weekend and want to study criminal justice reform in college.
The tie-dye activity was more than just art – it was therapy. Creating something beautiful with my own hands helped me see that I could create beauty in my life too, despite our family’s criminal justice struggles.
Being part of this program showed me that having a dad in prison doesn’t define me. Through worship and fellowship, I found my worth in God’s love and learned to reach out to other kids facing similar criminal justice challenges.
Get Involved
Join us in creating transformative experiences for youth and families affected by the criminal justice system. There are many ways to support our Reaching Up and Reaching Out program.
Join the Movement of Transformation
Every child deserves the opportunity to reach up to God and reach out to their community with hope, purpose, and love, especially those affected by the criminal justice system. Help us break generational cycles and build lasting change.