The Global Homeboy Network Gathering 2021 was held on August 9, 10, and 11 of last week in Santa Barbara Downtown. This was the first time since the covid-19 begun, Homeboy Industries held a conference to reflect on previous accomplishments and shortcomings, making plans for future development of the whole organization. The main topics of the event are “no going back” and “kinship.” This is a marker of reopening their doors to new trainees and clients, gathering involved discussing and establishing where the organization is at right now regarding accomplishments, new opportunities, and new paths to reach their goals. Discussions within the virtual gathering included: an emphasis on healing through art in rehabilitation and reentry, an increasing emphasis on placing former clients into leadership roles within the organization, and an emphasis on providing cultural opportunities alongside workforce development and job training.
For the concept of “no going back,” Homeboy Industries mainly want to motivate people to forget their unsatisfied past in 2020 and embrace bright 2021. Alison Williams, the social media manager of Homeboy Industries, said that because of the virus, it is really difficult for people to reunify with their friends within the past year. Many families had a tough time, same with Homeboy Industries. In the last year, Homeboy Industries didn’t achieve ideal achievements and realized that it is significant for people to touch each other in person. 2020 is not a year filling with happiness, so Homeboy industries decided to not follow the old “normal” in the last year anymore. “No going back” means Homeboy initiated a fresh year and process.
At the conference, the speakers from the leadership of Homeboy industries emphasize the main sessions they would focus on this year. First, they would more focus on the educational program, as they found out that it is really important to help incarcerated people maintain academic performance, letting these people could have correct awareness and new understanding about the society and world. Then, people could find new values by themselves again after getting out of jail.
Except for education programs, healing session is also the most important part for Homeboy Industries to focus on this year. Coronavirus brings many people traumas, especially for incarcerated people who just rejoin society and then suffer from a new “isolation” because of the virus. Therefore, it will be critical to pay more attention to the mental health of these people and provide more help for them.
From this event, audiences could see the most important idea Homeboy Industries want to convey to people since it was founded in 1988. The founder and Director of Homeboy Industries, Greg Boyle, have a famous quote that is in the mind of every member of Homeboy Industries, “You stand with the least likely to succeed until success is succeeded by something more valuable: kinship. You stand with the belligerent, the surly, and the badly behaved until bad behavior is recognized for the language it is the vocabulary of the deeply wounded and of those whose burdens are more than they can bear.” From this quote, the second main topic of the event “Kinship” is presented. Kinship is really important for a community, a society, even the world. We are all human beings living on the same planet, fighting with different challenges and trying to live better. The lesson of Covid-19 should let people aware that only communities with tide kinship could fight over the virus and embrace the light.
This is also the hidden message Homeboy Industries wants to express to the public. Whatever their educational programs or healing sessions, or other helping courses, they are trying their best to witness that individuals’ power is unimaginable. Our own hands could help other people get through the difficulties and face a bright life.
Please remember, the darkness is over, but the arrival of the dawn still efforts of everyone in the world. Now, reach out your hand to help people around you and hold hands together to wait for the coming of dawn.
