BreakFree Education

12/08/2020

Last Day to get in your orders!

We have a holiday shop open! Get a BreakFree hoodie or shirt now! Orders must go in by 12/9. https://bit.ly/33Eubof

12/03/2020

We have a holiday shop open! Get a BreakFree hoodie or shirt now! Orders must go in by 12/9. https://bit.ly/33Eubof

12/01/2020

It's Giving Tuesday! You can support us by donating or volunteering. All donations will support our holiday book and games bundles that will be sent to students in juvenile justice facilities. The more money we raise, the more bundles we’ll be able to send!

Donate: https://bit.ly/3fuaapa

You can also volunteer to write a holiday card to an incarcerated student this holiday season: https://bit.ly/3g3zItz

11/24/2020

1 week until #GivingTuesday begins! Mark your calendars and begin making your donations early on December 1. With every dollar of your contributions, you will help us send books and games to students held in confinement over the holidays. https://bit.ly/3fuaapa

11/17/2020

2 weeks from today! Save the date for our #givingtuesday fundraiser to send books & games to incarcerated teens over the holiday break. We're also bringing back #CareMail for a special holiday card edition-- we'll be looking for volunteers to help spread holiday cheer to our students by writing holiday cards to them!

11/16/2020

Next month's book club is on Jason Reynolds' Long Way Down- which is dedicated to youth in detention centers! If you work at a school in a juvenile facility, sign up to enter our book lottery and receive facilitation materials! https://bit.ly/35xHCHQ #MillionBookProject

10/16/2020

Registration is open for our November Book Club & Lottery! Sign up for a chance to receive a classroom set of books and facilitation materials here: https://bit.ly/315YQth #MillionBookProject #MillionBookClub #BreakFreeEd

10/06/2020

We are excited to announce that we have a winner of our #Unheard speechwriting competition! Students held in confinement used their voices to speak on behalf of the voiceless.

“I want for the unheard voices to know that they will be heard.”

Listen to the honest, powerful winning speeches here: bit.ly/3jAFeo6 #BreakFreeEd

10/05/2020

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" N. Mandela. Today and every day we are thankful for the educators partnering with us to create engaging lessons in the US #JJ system. Happy #worldteachersday!

10/02/2020

Congratulations to our September Unjammed Learning Network challenge winners James and Krishana! Thank you for your commitment to your students. #ULN #jjedtech #breakfree

09/21/2020

Check, Check, 123, Unsung Curriculum is LIVE! https://www.breakfree-ed.org/unsung

09/21/2020

We have a new name!

We have a new name! - https://mailchi.mp/ceeas/september2020-1341105

09/21/2020

We are so excited about our new name and logo. Our name embodies our core purpose: to create educational opportunities for young people held in confinement so they can BreakFree— from the bars that hold them back and the stereotypes that hold them down. We believe a student’s potential cannot be confined.

Our new logo presents a choice between bars and books. Since we view young people in the juvenile and criminal justice systems as scholars, we see books. We hope you do, too! #BreakFreeEd

09/20/2020

BreakFree Education

09/18/2020

BIG announcement coming on Monday, 9/21!! #NewName!

09/17/2020

Students reacted to reading #JustMercy over the summer by writing letters and creating artwork.

09/14/2020

We love our fluffy friends! Especially Suzi the service dog @travishillnola

09/11/2020

We are extremely grateful that @dianargill shared her expertise with our Unjammed Learning Network. Check out her book #Copyrighteous!

09/08/2020

The academic achievement levels of youth in the juvenile justice system rarely exceed the elementary school level. Education is essential to ensuring long term re-entry success for youth in the justice system.

09/08/2020

”Reading Just Mercy made me realize I have hope. It gave me the perspective that I don’t have to let my past define my character. I am more than the worst thing I ever did in my life." Students from 100+ juvenile facilities got the chance to break free from their surroundings, reflect, and hope with our Summer Book Club - https://mailchi.mp/ceeas/september2020

09/01/2020

Unheard Speechwriting Competition launches today! Stories get told every day, but only some voices get heard. We work to ensure our students’ voices do not go unheard.

08/28/2020

It's #NationalBowTieDay! Check out these awesome bow-ties made by students at the Travis Hill NOLA School in New Orleans' juvenile detention center.

08/26/2020

Reminder: Informational Meeting Today! - https://mailchi.mp/ceeas/unheard2020-1341069

08/19/2020

Announcing our brand new educational initiative for September: Unheard! Through this initiative, students will explore speechwriting and the importance of using their unique voice to be heard. The 8-day curriculum will culminate in a national speech contest (prizes included!). Learn more, register your school, and join us for an informational Zoom meeting 8/26 - https://mailchi.mp/ceeas/unheard2020

08/11/2020

Announcing our intiatives for the 2020-21 SY! Each month we'll offer initiatives that include topics in English, science, and the humanities, ones that include national competitions, and ones that explore themes of social justice. All of our initiatives present an opportunity for students to engage with meaningful and relevant topics and include the chance to win prizes!

As always, there are fees to participate or to use the materials, which will be made publicly available via our website. Check out the calendar below (you’ll notice some of our longstanding initiatives-- with a couple of new names-- and some brand new initiatives). https://bit.ly/3adpIec

08/10/2020

Thousands of young people held in confinement are desperate to learn. This summer schools worked hard to make learning continue despite COVID. We're working to ensure students get the chance to learn this fall, too.

Read updates about some summer arts learning that took place @TravisHillNOLA and what's being done to ensure school continues for our young people in our recent newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/ceeas/august2020

08/09/2020

In honor of #NationalBookLoversDay we're sharing our recommended book list for #jj education! https://bit.ly/3hSuy33

07/30/2020

Remembering the legacy of John Lewis with inspiring words from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/30/opinion/john-lewis-civil-rights-america.html

07/22/2020

So exciting to see students engaged in our book club on Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy. This pic comes from Missouri! For incarcerated teens, reminding them that "each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done" is truly meaningful. Equal Justice Initiative #justmercy

07/14/2020

Just Mercy | CEEAS

We are excited to announce the launch of our book club on Bryan Stevenson's "Just Mercy," for students in the juvenile justice system. We've created a guide, discussion questions, and student journal with the hopes of making this book club as compelling and impactful as possible. Students will be awarded certificates upon completion, as well as have the opportunity to submit artwork and essays that will be shared with Bryan Stevenson himself!

You can check out our materials here: https://www.ceeasinitiatives.com/justmercy

Our book club is centered around Bryan Stevenson’s memoir Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, which chronicles his experiences working against inequalities in the justice system.  Through the book club, students will explore themes of poverty, power and justice, trauma and resilienc...

07/06/2020

Our Just Mercy Book Club resources have been posted to our website - https://www.ceeasinitiatives.com/justmercy

06/22/2020

EMPLOYMENT | CEEAS

We're hiring! We're looking for a great person to join our team as an associate in Instructional Technology and Blended Learning to help break down barriers to learning inside of juvenile and adult correctional facilities. Please share! https://bit.ly/3hU91Yv

What We Do--Our Vision: At CEEAS, we envision a more just and fair society, where all young people, especially those who are involved in the juvenile or criminal justice system, receive the support, care, and education they need and deserve to realize their full potential and pursue their dreams. 

06/05/2020

Our justice-involved young people deserve to be shown that they matter and are worthy of our embrace, now and always. Read our latest newsletter here - https://mailchi.mp/ceeas/june52020

05/26/2020

Care-Mail delivers pandemic pen pals to juveniles in lockdown

Check out the article in the Washington Post on our Care-Mail project!

"While some Americans complain about the hardships of their locked-down lives, the nearly 43,000 youths who were already locked away... have become more isolated than ever... But every week, compassion arrives in the hundreds of mostly handwritten letters..."

Read the full article here: https://wapo.st/3eiFKUT
@katherineellisonofficial

Youths in detention centers cut off from family visits and programs because of coronavirus concerns are getting letters from volunteers.

05/20/2020

What a profound statement: to send a note to a teenager, who you have never met, who is locked up in a juvenile detention center, letting him know that you would like to have the ‘honor’ of meeting him.

Check out our latest update on our #CareMail project here and find out what our volunteers and students have been sharing with each other - https://mailchi.mp/ceeas/care-mail4