Fathers & Families of San Joaquin

Our mission is to promote the cultural, spiritual, economic and social renewal of the most vulnerable families in Stockton and the greater San Joaquin Valley. Together, we are reimagining what’s possible for ourselves, our families, and our communities. We lead with purpose, passion and an unyielding commitment to our collective liberation.

• About Us
  The driving force behind all of our diverse programs is our goal of community transformation for Stockton and beyond. Our programs are driven by love and by the needs and wisdom of our people whose power emerges from their resilience. Love is medicine for the pain, trauma, and violence that our city has faced for decades. Our work transforms our community and our people through:
  Intergenerational Healing. We welcome our elders first to the table and listen and learn from their stories that transcend generations.
  Family Strengthening. We don’t see our people as felons, but as fathers. Not just prisoners, but parents. We connect parents to their children and back to the community providing holistic support, advocacy and reentry services that help people rebuild their lives and the connections that can sustain their success. In fact, we have the lowest recidivism rates in the entire state.
  Organizing youth to be advocates for racial justice. We build environments that are healthy, inclusive, and safe for children and their families giving them opportunities to build their leadership and participate in important rites of passage to sustain their growth. We offer participatory defense and legal advocacy support to humanize youth targeted for criminalization and help divert our children from adult prisons.
  Health Justice. We work to achieve our vision for accessible green spaces and healthy neighborhoods across Stockton. We are reclaiming our heritage as stewards and protectors of the land, water and resources
  within our communities.
  Healing and Reconciliation. At our Stockton Trauma Recovery Center, survivors of violence and trauma are welcomed to engage in healing and reconciliation. Our integrative model focused on mental health treatment and traditional and cultural healing to address the needs of survivors of trauma and violent crime.
  Systems Change and Equity. We run and win policy initiatives and advocacy campaigns through participatory people engagement and cultivating authentic partnerships. We are a trusted anchor of the Boys and Men of
  Color movement across the country and are proud of our policy wins at local and statewide levels.
• Our Impact
  The El Joven Noble model is part of the National Compadres Network. FFSJ’s model has
  integrated elements of this model by providing tiered, youth leadership development which focuses on a holistic, culturally informed supports delivered through a self-empowering “rites of
  passage” framework. The program assists youth similar to the demographics outlined in the
  evaluation and focuses on reducing substance abuse, group violence, domestic violence, while
  developing cultural and familial ties and improving academic performance.
  Evaluation of the El Joven Noble model (attached, Russel 2014) found significant and positive
  changes for youth. At pre-test, over 60% of the respondents were high school seniors with nearly
  70% of respondents earning B and C grades. More than half of the respondents had skipped
  school in the past month, with 13% of them skipping school 7+ times. Evaluation found that
  young men that participated in the program reported a significant increase in measures of
  character development. The young men that participated in the program also reported less
  alcohol use and support for aggressive behavior. In addition, Joven Noble participants exhibited
  indicators of positive relationships with others. They noted improvement in, “a relationship with
  a caring adult, relationships with family members, participation in community activities, and
  more positive future orientation.”
  Evaluation of Cara y Corazón (attached, Applied Survey Research, 2014) found significant and
  changes for adults participating in the Cara y Corazon groups. Adult participants noted greater
  identification with their cultural identity. They also reported overall improvement in their
  relationships with their children, which is one of the major goals of the curriculum. For example,
  the participants noted an overall positive change in their relationships with their family members,
  an understanding of their family members and feelings of trust, and an improvement in overall
  relationships. The study notes improvements in how parents related to each other and their
  relationships with their children. Perhaps most importantly, they reported better control of anger and frustration with more confidence in parenting their children, as well as being better able to
  guide their children to follow direction.
  The research article “Behavioral Intervention for Recent Trauma Survivors; Empirically
  Informed Practices Guidelines” (Matt J. Gray and Brett T. Litz; 2005) underlines the overall
  philosophy and approach of FFSJ STRC. The article explores early interventions for trauma
  survivors including developing behavioral treatments. “Behavioral interventions may be
  particularly well-equipped to address the source of distress” (Gray & Litz, 2005). Studies by Foa
  et al (1995) showed the significance change in assault victims after receiving cognitive
  behavioral therapy for two months. Assault victims reportedly had fewer PTSD symptoms
  compared to the assessment-only control condition. After 5.5 month the active treatment group
  had fewer depressive symptoms. Bryant, Harvey, Dang, Sackville, and Basten (1998) also
  reported a successful behavioral-treatment program for recently traumatized individuals. The
  interventions included psychoeducation on post traumatic reactions, relaxation training, imaginal
  and in vivo exposure and cognitive restructuring exercises, all practices utilized in the STRC.