The Garrison & Friends Project is
fiscally sponsored by
Texas Prisons Community Advocates
The number one goal of the Garrison & Friends Project is to support children's growth and well-being. The Garrison book series helps address the very delicate circumstances that surround children who have incarcerated parents.
According to the Prison Policy Initiative, "Half of people in prison are parents to minors, leaving 1.25 million kids struggling to cope. Nearly half (47%) of the approximately 1.25 million people in state prison are parents of minor children, and about 1 in 5 (19%) of those children is age 4 or younger." Research shows that incarceration causes the breakdown of the family unit, and the children of the incarcerated are 6 times more likely to become incarcerated themselves.
The Garrison & Friends Project hopes to address some of the issues children face through this series and, with experts, help parents, caregivers, teachers, and all who work with children have the resources to support them and change the stigma children face from incarceration.
The Garrison & Friends Project and Bumbershoot Book Solutions is pleased to announce that our second book will be available on November 17, 2023.
Alex's Courage addresses the issues of sadness, anger, and isolation, which are common emotions felt by children who experience the incarceration of a parent. Alex doesn't know how to process his complex emotions and with the help of his friend Garrison and a visit to his mother at the prison, Alex learns a valuable lesson and realizes how blessed he is to have friends and a support system during difficult times.
Garrison's world turns upside down when his dad is gone after school one day. Soon Garrison learns that Dad won't be home for a while because he is in prison. Garrison goes to visit and shares what he learns with other kids so that they won't be scared and will know what to expect. The back section of this book was written by Juliana Perez LCSW, LCDC, and Jim Guevara. The first part of the back section is for the caregivers of children affected by incarceration, and the second section is for incarcerated parents. The advice empowers all parties involved to know how to handle tough conversations in age appropriate ways. Ms. Perez has been working with incarcerated people and their families to teach and empower them to remain connected and to even strengthen family bonds despite the distance and obstacles of incarceration for more than thirty years. Both Juliana and Jim impart excellent advice that will help you as you navigate this complex situation with the children you care for who are affected by the incarceration of a parent or family member.