JustDialogue Fall 2022

a reflective journal about social action from JustDane

Tired Old World

Words & music: Ann Reed

From the album Hole in the Day, 1993

If my heart

Fails to break

At the sight of unbearable pain

Then this tired old world

This crazy time Is havin' it's way

If my mind

Understands

Ev'ry ruthless & poisonous act

Then this tired old world

This crazy time

Is havin' it's way

To love & to comfort has meaning I never had known There's some people fighting their way

Through this life all alone

If I cannot feel something for anyone's struggles it tells I've lost my compassion & mercy as well as myself

If my eyes

Turn away

Just because I've had enough for one day

Then this tired old world

This crazy time

Is havin' it's way

If my life

On from here Is a life lived & driven by fear

Then this tired old world

This crazy time Is havin' it's way

If I ever get to a time when it don't bother me

To bury my friends or watch somebody die on the street

If I don't feel much more than disgust or a shrug or oh well

Then I've lost my compassion & mercy as well as myself

If my heart

Fails to break

At the sight of unbearable pain

Then this tired old world

This crazy time

Is havin' it's way

WE WILL NOT TURN AWAY BY LINDA KETCHAM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

This Ann Reed song pops into my head somedays when I’m feeling weary. It was, in part, her response to what she saw as the callous approach by some, including elected officials, to the suffering in this country. Suffering that included the AIDS crisis, rising unemployment and homelessness, racism, poverty and a myriad of other challenges. I was recently talking with some friends when one of them asked, “Do you sometimes feel like it’s pointless? Like nothing is going to change for the better?” Maybe our weariness is this tired old world having its way. And yet there are glimmers of hope.

As I write this, Madison and Dane County are both in the midst of their budget processes Over the past two and a half years our local, state, and federal governments have struggled to address growing needs during a pandemic. States and municipalities were provided with CARES dollars (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) and then ARPA funds (American Rescue Plan Act) to help with the increased needs for assistance that people had as the result of the pandemic.

We know that budgets are moral documents Spending priorities and allocation levels reflect what we as a community value. Not all communities have demonstrated the same values: many have opposed an increase in funding of the safety net, and instead have used COVID relief funds in other ways. Not so in Madison and Dane County.

At JustDane we often challenge our City and County in their budget processes, urging them to expand the safety net and to increase affordable housing stock And we still do; we need more affordable housing in Madison and Dane County. That said, we want to thank our Mayor, the Madison Common Council, and our County Executive and County Board for their vision, creativity, and compassion in the ways they have addressed the COVID 19 pandemic and the suffering it has caused.

ontinued

Linda Ketcham: Continued from page 1

We have seen our City and County use pandemic relief funds to focus on housing supports, eviction prevention, food insecurity, and increasing access to mental health and treatment services. We have seen them look for new ways to provide safe shelter through the Medically Vulnerable Hotels program, which helped mitigate and reduce the spread of COVID among people who are experiencing homelessness We have seen them invest in a new purpose built shelter, and in building more tiny villages to widen the array of housing options in our community. They have created the Hotels to Housing program to expand the rapid rehousing/housing first model and help move people from shelter into permanent housing.

This same kind of response has not been seen everywhere in our state, so I think it’s important to thank our local elected officials for their leadership and compassion over these past two and a half years. Moving forward, beyond the availability of COVID relief funding, we ask them to continue this commitment: to find

solutions to homelessness, to increase access to substance abuse and mental health treatment, and to invest more in our community than in incarceration

As the mid-term elections approach the words of this song released almost 30 years ago remind us that our survival as individuals, as a community, as a country, and as a world, hinges on our ability to reject the politics of fear and ruthlessness, to overcome our fear, and to maintain our compassion and mercy for others as well as ourselves. There is much work to do but we will not turn away.

Workplace Giving

Thank you to our generous supporters!

community.

Sponsors

Supporters

JustDane

Changing Lives, Changing

JustDialogue

social

from JustDane

Covenant Presbyterian Church First United Methodist Church The Heritage Group The Center Madison Gas & Electric Foundation RJ Mullen Sr & Family Foundation Roots & Wings Foundation

Saint Dunstan's Episcopal Church St Johns Lutheran Church, Prairie du Sac UW Hospitals & Clinics Westminster Presbyterian Church Wisconsin Council of Churches

Elections reflect our community values

JustDane hosts our first annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic

Volunteers make the JustDane difference!

Volunteers and staff alike turned out to celebrate, relax and enjoy time together

Thanks to Festival Foods for a delicious spread, delivered right on time!

Chrysalis Pops served up tasty treats!

JustDane's vision of a community where everyone has a chance to succeed is uplifted by our amazing volunteers

JustDane Volunteers help transform lives

Above & Beyond Award

Inspired by Pat Eaton for her work with Circles of Support, Healing House, Journey Home & more! Pat is a "Courageous learner who jumps right in, generates positive energy for the tasks at hand, and reaches out to spark community support for those who face difficult life challenges "

Ready & Reliable Award

Inspired by Tom Franke for his work with Circles of Support and for his in reach to those in prison. Tom was a man who "Answers the call, is trustworthy and consistent, always shares practical insights, and motivates everyone to do their best." JustDane's first Ready & Reliable Award was presented to his wife, Rosemary, to honor and celebrate Tom's life of service.

Compassionate & Just Award

Inspired by Fred Reames for his work as a Board member, Mentoring Connections volunteer, and participation in Reentry Simulations. Fred was a man who "Meets people where they are, sees strength in every person, and builds public empathy for others through community dialogue and restorative justice " Sherry Reames was honored to accept this award in memory of Fred

Ray of Sunshine Award

Inspired by Claire Box for her work at Healing House, because Claire indeed shares love of community. She "Brings a peaceful and calming presence, an understanding ear, a guiding light, a word of encouragement, and something beautiful to every situation."

John Givens presents JustDane's "Above & Beyond" award to Pat Eaton

Linda Ketcham presents "Compassionate & Just" award to Sherry Reames in Fred's honor

Rosemary Franke receives "Ready & Reliable" award to honor Tom

In the kitchen or at the market, Just Bakery's baked treats and ice cream sandwiches are a team success!

We've had a hectic summer at Just Bakery and are looking forward to a busy fall We will continue our sales at the Hilldale Farmers Market until October 29th. At any time of year, you can always order treats online for pick up or delivery in Dane County. All of our product sales help support our initiative and allow us to continue to support members of our community with barriers to employment

To order online

Our last class of the year starts on October 31st! If you are interested in learning more about the Just Bakery classes, contact Jaclyn (jaclyn@justdane org)

Make sure to keep an eye out for our new and revamped products. We have updated the curriculum in the kitchen and will be coming out with exciting new items: Hello cream puffs and flourless chocolate cupcakes!

Great things are in the works! Thank you for your continued support.

Mentoring Connections: Back in action & Looking forward

Water balloons, games, crafts & food brought out the smiles at this year ' s Mentoring Connections picnic

WeheldourannualMentoringConnectionspicnicatMcKeeFarms ParkinFitchburg.ThankstoQuartzforforturningoutandmaking thedayfunforall.

Generouscommunitymembersmadetheback to schoolsupply driveahugesuccess puttingmuchneededsuppliesinthehands ofstudents

Youcanmakeadifferenceinthelifeofachildimpactedby incarceration.Contact:JaylinStueberjaylin@justdane.org

At Healing House, families living homeless find comfort & care

Healing House serves unhoused families with minor children and a family member (parent or child) in medical need of a place to prepare for hospitalization and recuperate after hospital discharge Guests find a safe, homelike environment where they get meals, snacks, beverages, toiletries, bedding, and infant/toddler care items

Healing House takes a holistic approach to wellness for the entire family unit In addition to helping the convalescent guest, we provide respite so other family members have support and a chance to experience healthful, comforting routines. Students continue in school, children play and rest, and parents find moments for self care. Healing House is a temporary, caring home.

For information: healinghouse@justdane.org

Thomas honored for her service to

JustDane recently celebrated with Ida Thomas upon her retirement after 16 years of service to JustDane Her welcoming and often humorous presence at our front desk made everyone feel at home. In appreciation of Ida's dedication to community and learning, we have named our training and conference room in her honor.

Intern Spotlight

TIA HEBBRING BRINGS LEARNING TO COMMUNITY

Hello! My name is Tia and I’m a senior at UW Madison studying psychology, criminal justice, and leadership. I have been heavily involved in research labs during most of my undergraduate career. I have studied affective neuroscience at the Center of Healthy Minds, reproductive rights and surrogacy with a Doctorate student, and prejudice and intergroup relations at the Stereotyping & Bias Research (SABR) Lab

● My involvement & internship: As an advocate for restorative social justice, I’m dedicated to supporting organizations that utilize resources to produce real social change Through role play, JustDane’s Prisoner Reentry Simulation gives participants a taste of reentry from incarceration Participants are asked to accomplish a list of everyday tasks such as cashing a mock check, getting a mock identification card, or finding a “job”. When I participated in the simulated experience of returning home from prison, it opened my eyes to the social, legal and financial constraints that individuals are handcuffed to even after serving their sentences. Understanding the difficulty of building the human connection to life post incarceration motivated me to propose a research project within the Prisoner Reentry Simulation. My project would help JustDane collect information and share insights with colleagues, communities, and policymakers in efforts to support public investment in restorative justice policies.

● The Post-Simulation Data Survey: In the simulation, participants each fill the role of a newly released prisoner during their first month after returning home from incarceration I was interested in two questions: How do individual performances in the simulation differ among simulation participants? And secondly, how do the simulated participant experiences compare to the general real life experiences of individuals according to reports from the Wisconsin Dept of Corrections and the Dept of Justice? I investigated these questions by designing a data survey that recorded the progress made by each simulation participant at the end of the simulation role play. Questions on the survey began with asking participants which of the 12 parolee roles they filled, and then asking specific questions about their individual progress. Examples of questions about progress included: “Were you able to get a job?”; “How much cash did you have at the end of the month?”; or “How many times did you go back to jail?”. My timeline was to collect data from the Spring 2022 simulations and begin data analysis in the summer with the intention to present findings at the end of August to staff at JustDane.

JustDane Intern Tia Hebbring designed a data survey for our Reentry Simulations to demonstrate how closely the simulation resembles real life reentry experiences

● Why I did this: Proposing data collection for research requires you to answer the following serious questions: “What’s the purpose of doing this?”; “Why is this important?”; and “Why should WE do this?” The purpose of introducing data collection surveys to our reentry simulations is to analyze aspects of our simulation that accurately depict statistics reported by the Wisconsin DOC and DOJ, as well as to identify areas needing improvement where we can fine tune features of the simulation to accurately reflect trends in reality In order to simulate a reentry experience, it’s crucial to understand and communicate how this simulation is a reality lived by people in our communities. Therefore, to educate others about the challenges that our current criminal justice system imposes on recently released people, it’s extremely valuable to have evidence that our simulations in fact resemble real life statistics.

Apowerfultool forpositivechange

It’spowerfultobeabletosayJustDane capturesanaccuratesimulatedexperience ofreentrytothecommunityafter incarcerationandhere’sthedatatoprove itDatacollectioncanbeusedtosupport JustDane’sinitiativesandtoadvocatefor publicpolicychangeregardingreentryand socialjustice.