Amachi Pittsburgh is excited to launch a new program, Strong African American Families (SAAF) to help strengthen and reunify families impacted by parental incarceration, through support from Dr. Alexandra George, Staunton Farm Foundation, POISE Foundation and Eden Hall Foundation
Since inception in 2003, Amachi Pittsburgh has been the only organization with a specialized focus on children of the incarcerated in Allegheny County. Amachi historically empowers these children and families through one-on-one mentoring, family strengthening and reunification support, and youth organizing.
As of this year, Amachi Pittsburgh has the opportunity to implement an evidence-based curriculum called Strong African American Families (SAAF) to enhance its existing family strengthening work. The SAAF program is a 7-week interactive educational program for African American parents and their early adolescent children. Early adolescence is the period in which children gain increasing control over their behavior, begin forming friendships based on similarities and common interests, and develop attitudes toward substances and substance use. The attitudes and behaviors that they develop during this time influence their achievement, motivation, academic performance and friendship selections, which in turn lead them toward or away from risky behaviors. SAAF is designed to strengthen positive family interactions and to enhance parents’ efforts to help their children establish and reach positive goals during this critical transition between childhood and adulthood. Thus, by design, SAAF is structured to address the problem Amachi Pittsburgh tackles as part of our mission: the personal, family and community deficits that perpetuate intergenerational cycles of poverty, crime, and incarceration.
SAAF is supported by Dr. Alexandra George, Staunton Farm Foundation, POISE Foundation and Eden Hall Foundation.
“Mentoring through Amachi has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” said Dr. Alexandra George. “There are so many great kids in the SAAF program. I want them to realize that there is more to the world than what they see on a daily basis, and that they can be whatever they want to be. Thanks to Amachi and the SAAF program, that opportunity now exists for them.”
Interested in joining Amachi’s “A-Team”? Visit www.AmachiPgh.org or call (412) 281-1288 to learn more about our services, get involved as a volunteer or mentor, and make a tax-deductible donation to support programming for children challenged by parental incarceration in Allegheny County.
