Only One Organization/Person Per Year Is Chosen To Receive the Prestigious Josephine Wollman Fuller Award Given by Activist Group, Psychologists For Social Responsibility
Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) August 25, 2012
Harry Grammer, founder of New Earth, a 501 (c) (3) Non- Profit Organization based in Topanga, California flew to Washington D.C. to accept the Josephine “Scout” Wollman Fuller award at a dinner gala hosted by Psychologists for Social Responsibility. The award was presented to both the organization and to Grammer who founded the non-profit in 2002. Since 2004, New Earth has been offering creative writing, poetry, music, gardening and counseling programs to incarcerated youth in over nine probation facilities throughout the Los Angeles area. The award was bestowed upon New Earth for the positive impact their programs have made on the youth they serve.
One of New Earth's fundamental programs, F.L.O.W, an acronym for Fluent Love of Words is a writing, poetry and music program based on the California Language Arts Standards of education. The program is taught during school hours and after school at all of the nine facilities that New Earth serves. In this class, students study the structure or poetry and learn how to write their own pieces. Then they create musical “beats” and then record their poetry to the beats. Once the music is recorded, students learn how to edit and engineer their own CD. At the end of the module, students participate in an assembly showcasing their work.
Through discovering their unique voice, youth begin to realize themselves as artists, creators and instruments of positive change in society. Some of the outcomes of the program are: violence prevention; increased social consciousness and awareness; expanded vocabulary and reading comprehension levels; sense of freedom and ease in groups and among peers; sense of self-esteem and accomplishment as creative artists changes in attitude toward authority figures; a deep sense of connection to oneself; and being empowered to make positive choices in life.
“I am very proud and honored that New Earth has been chosen to receive this prestigious award.” said Harry Grammer, “For over eight years we have been working with the youth and some of the stories we uncover in their poetry and writings are mind blowing. This work gives them a positive, non-violent outlet to their expression. Many of these kids have been abused and come from neighborhoods where being a gang member is the only way to live. We work with them and expose them to new ways of thinking and understanding. Our goal is to reduce the recidivism rate in Los Angeles and keep these kids from coming back to the camps, going to prison or worse yet, becoming a statistic.”
The Josephine "Scout" Wollman Fuller Award was initiated in 2008 by Psychologists for Social Responsibility and the parents and family of "Scout" to honor the memory and life of "Scout" who passed away in 2007 following her struggle with cancer. Scout was only eight years old when she passed away. The Award is given annually to an individual or organization involved with peace and social justice for children. Psychologists for Social Responsibility (http://www.psysr.org) is a vibrant, diverse, and growing community of members and supporters. Spanning a range of disciplinary perspectives and professional backgrounds, they share a commitment to the application of psychological knowledge and expertise in addressing today's pressing societal challenges and in building cultures of peace with social justice.
ABOUT NEW EARTH
New Earth (http://www.newearthlife.org) offers artistic enrichment, educational programs and transition services that empower incarcerated and at-risk youth between the ages of 13-18 to begin a journey of self-discovery, releasing self-imposed and societal limits on their true potential. Their programs are offered in over eleven probation camps throughout the Los Angeles community. Their goals are: to reduce recidivism, promote literacy, develop life skills, and offer a non-violent alternative in the form of creative expression to the youth they serve.
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