Category: IMANI UNIDAD

With the nature of our project, it would be very difficult to imagine the actual struggles that previously incarcerated individuals with AIDS through on a day to day basis. However, with the interviews and insights I was able to gain from professionals working with those individuals and the actual individuals themselves.

Growing up, the society in which I would live would tend not to be the best and most economically strong place. After a negative upbringing, drug use and crime tends to be imminent. After possession and use, Incarceration would be a given for possibly up to many years. Family would disappear and friends would fade, as this struggle of life would be dealt with.

Coming out of prison, there is ultimately nowhere to stay. There is no family, no friends (who have such a place to stay). There is no guaranteed medicine anymore as that was only in prison and there is a criminal record looming. Employers say no when jobs are sought after and landlords can’t provide housing because there is no collateral and no fixed cash flow incomes.

With this in mind, what even are the options for help? AIDS ministries only provide medicine for a certain period of time and temporary housing and Imani Unidad only provides group meeting and counseling. What is needed is a change in lifestyle that can only be accomplished by getting a job and housing. Without, the viscous cycle of committing the same crimes and spirilling back to prison is almost a guarantee, if not sought after completely (permanent housing, medical care, food).

This, as explained to me, is really the immersion experience that these individuals go through. Our project seeks to highlight these individuals and try to bring about a product that can be implemented so that these people may become their own best self-advocates. A change that can fight the systematic discrimination brought on by people who are actually trying to bring about a meaningful difference to their life and for the better.

Ethnography Summary

Wen-Cong Toh interviewed John, a new client of Imani Unidad, before a peer to peer support group meeting.
John has recently been released (a few months ago) after spending a year in jail for burglary. He was convinced to go to this meeting by family, friends, and his social worker.

Date: 3/8/17

Type: Individual Interview

Location: Imani Unidad

Team participants: Conducted interview alone

User Characteristics:  

He is an African American male in his late 20’s, unemployed, and living with his mother. He has three kids (spread out in different homes), but only gets to see them once or twice a month.

What is this person about – what drives him/her?  He is driven to make a change in his life, get a job, and move out of his mom’s home into his own place. He wants to make these changes for his kids, as he wants more access/time with them; he plans on bringing them all under the same roof in the future.

What is this person’s biggest point of pain?  Not getting to see or spend time with his kids. He is embarrassed about his past mistakes and is apparently not in a healthy environment in his mom’s home.

Memorable quotes from interview:

“My kids are everything to me man. That’s why I’m doing all of this, I’m also taking an interview class to help me find a job. But it’s so hard, if it weren’t for the kids, I would’ve quit.”

“I think this group is going to help. It’ll be cool to hear everyone’s stories and help each other out.”

“I haven’t really started looking for housing yet because I just have no money right now. I gotta find a job first. Going to jail was a low point, I’m learning, I gotta focus on what’s important”

Top 3 Learnings:

1. Going to prison was the low point of John’s life (thus far), He didn’t really think about how it would affect his family or kids until it was too late. If it weren’t for his mom’s help, he would be living on the streets right now.
2. John blamed his incarceration on hanging around the wrong crowd and having bad influences since he was a child. No one has ever showed or taught him that he had an option to determine his own future, and not fall down the same paths of gangs/drugs/crime as his cousins and “friends”.
3. It is very hard to stay motivated to turn your life around without goals like John’s desire to get more visitation with his children and earn back their trust. A support system is also critical.

Key Insights – (1) Imani Unidad must try to reach at-risk individuals, so that they realize that they do have a choice about which path to take. We shouldn’t wait until these individuals hit rock-bottom before helping them. (2) Goal-setting is very important and needs to be emphasized/taught to clients.

Activities:

• Attends peer-to-peer group at Imani Unidad.
• Taking a class to learn how to search and interview for classes.
• Living with mother, but trying to find his own place.

Environment

• Toxic, with many bad influences.
• Growing support group.

Interactions:  

• Hopefully with peers at Imani Unidad, where they can keep each other motivated and on track.
• With potential employers and landlords.
• With his support group, friends and family (primarily his kids).

Objects:

• Transportation
• Phone

Good job with outlining the various scenarios.  For the class the game of Life came to mind.  Perhaps that could be a good way to explore how to have the discussion and explore the potential paths for your two user groups?

With the social profile it will be important to understand the information that renters would need to see to find value in the system.  I know reliable funding is key, but what else?  And perhaps this could be a service that Imani offers to help individuals keep it up to date?

*Just like with your ethnographic research, you will want to capture video, photos, and direct quotes.

For the 5E’s, remember for each idea how your user is “enticed”.  This is a big hurdle of how you will compel participation.  Implementation of ideas is always the toughest part!

Idea 1: Classes and materials with journey maps describing two different paths: one that leads to the cycle of incarceration-release-reincarceration, and one that leads to a just and clean life. Also, teaching the importance of goal setting

Summary: These classes and materials would be available to both ex-convicts and at-risk individuals, with the goal of helping ex-convicts break free from the cycle, and helping at-risk individuals avoid incarceration. The classes would be taught by successfully reformed ex-convicts or graduates of the program. Goal setting will be a constant focus throughout the bulk of the class. As one goal is accomplished, a new one shall be set with the help of their support system (family, mentor, teacher, Imani Unidad), and small goals will build up to larger ones.

Consider the Setting: We would test the prototype through mock classes in the existing Imani Unidad space. The subjects would be ex-convicts who have already been out of prison for a while and who have had experience with the incarceration-release-reincarceration cycle (both successfully and unsuccessfully). They would provide good feedback and suggestions to the class plan and how it should be run. We can also experiment with different settings (by setting up mock settings in Imani Unidad) such as schools, Boys and Girls clubs, or even in prisons so those currently in there are prepared to change upon release

Define what to Test: We would be testing to decide the best approach to addressing many of these sensitive issues. The classes cannot be taught in a patronizing or condescending manner and the main message must be one of support and cooperation. We would test the specifics of the journey maps to make sure they are as accurate to reality as possible. We would conduct surveys to test the interest in the class and different factors that would make the class more appealing to the participants. Lastly, we must test to make sure there are tangible benefits on behavior and mindset that last even after graduation from the course..

Define Feedback Activities: Arrange for interviews with the participants in the mock class. Ask if they have any general suggestions, if the journey maps matched their realities, how helpful the goal setting exercises would be, and if they thought it would create long-lasting benefits for them. Ask how many of them would continue to attend such a course, and take a general survey of at-risk population (through public school or Boys and Girls Club) to gauge interest.

 

Idea 2: Social media website for landlords and formerly incarcerated individuals

Summary: This idea would consist of a social media app where users who have been formerly incarcerated would create profiles that would allow them to highlight their accomplishments since being released from incarceration. Users who are landlords would be able to see this other side of individuals and hopefully use it to give them further consideration in the housing application process rather than just denying someone from the get-go because they have a history of criminal activity.

Consider the setting: We would want to test our prototype with landlords. We would need a variety of perspectives from different types of landlords. We could do this by going into leasing offices in nearby apartment complexes. We can also reach out to our own personal landlords to see if they would be interested in this app. In addition, we would also need to test the app with the other audience of users–the formerly incarcerated individuals. The best setting for this to occur would be in an Imani Unidad peer to peer group meeting. We could meet individually with group members and ask them for feedback in addition to speaking to the group as a whole to bounce ideas around.

Define what to test: We would be testing the app to see if it is user friendly and something that can easily be adapted. We would need to test how often users would interact with the app. Would it become one of their daily apps like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? We would also need to test how trustworthy landlords find the information on the social media website to be. If there is a sense of uncertainty amongst users, the app will have failed in delivering a service that helps advocate on behalf of formerly incarcerated individuals. We would also need to test the frequency of use with the population of incarcerated individuals. They too might have reservations about putting information about their past criminal history on social media.

Define feedback activities: Ask landlords and former convicts to answer a series of questions about the app. Have them respond using a scale to ranging from “very unlikely” to “very likely” in terms of how likely they will be to use the app and incorporate it into their routine of reviewing housing applications/applying for housing.

Idea 3: Tracking device that allows Imani Unidad to check in with at-risk individuals when they have been away from their homes for extended periods of time at odd hours of the day.

Summary: This idea would put a tracking device on an at-risk individual’s cell phone. If they were to leave their house between the hours of 2 am and 5 am and be gone for more than 30 minutes, their mentor at Imani Unidad would get an alert sent to their phone. The mentor would then call the individual to check in with them and give them a reminder that they are here to help them if they find themselves in a sticky situation. The tracking device would be optional to put on your phone and it would be optional for the users to answer the call from their mentors.

Consider the setting: We would need to test our prototype with potential users, which would be most easily done by testing it with individuals at the peer to peer mentor group at Imani Unidad. We can ask the younger people how they would feel about such a device and we could act out what would happen for them. We would bring a prototype of the tracking device for them to put on their phones and we would create a mockup of the app that their mentors would be using.

Define what to test: The most important thing to test will be finding out how open individuals are to putting a tracking device on their phone. There are definitely issues of privacy concerns with this idea, so we would need to survey potential users’ willingness to use this device.

Define feedback activities: We would interview users and find out what they like and dislike about the app. We would also have them fill out a survey to gauge how willing they would be to participate in a mentorship program like this where the mentor is alerted if they leave their homes at unusual times. Furthermore, we would ask them how likely someone they know would be to take advantage of the mentorship offered and actually remove themselves from unsafe environments or situations.

As you begin thinking about how to get feedback on your ideas, keep your Point of View Statement in mind.  From your presentation I understand this to be, either:

1. “Help men (or women) that have previously been incarcerated to create a strong support system and plan that helps them to feel encouraged about the rest of their lives.”
2. “Help high school youth at risk for getting involved in elicit behavior the opportunity to work with individuals that have previously been incarcerated in a way that makes them feel helpful and motivated to avoid a similar fate.”

For your Prototype Plan, think about how you can test the various facets of your ideas.  What will you test and how?  Where will you test your ideas?  Who will you test them with?  And when?

 

Idea 1: Classes and materials with journey maps describing two different paths: one that leads to the cycle of incarceration-release-reincarceration, and one that leads to a just and clean life. Also, teaching the importance of goal setting

Entice: Many individuals do not realize the long-term consequences of spending even a short period behind bars. If they are taught about the struggles of find housing or employment post-incarceration, they may be more inclined to stay on the straight and narrow and avoid illegal activities. These classes and materials would be available to both ex-convicts and at-risk individuals, with the goal of helping ex-convicts break free from the cycle, and helping at-risk individuals avoid incarceration. The classes can be taught (or materials distributed) at local public schools, prisons, or non-profits like the Boys and Girls Club. To entice people to take the class, we can offer rewards such as a certificate of completion or a recommendation letter. Most of the target audience should be naturally enticed to the class after seeing the negative effects of drugs and incarceration in their neighborhoods or even within their friends and families.

Enter: When starting a class, the journey maps would be one of the first lessons taught, and it would remain as a guiding document for the remainder of the course. The different steps of the right path vs. the bad path must be consistently emphasized, as just one mistake could be enough to ruin a person’s life for the foreseeable future. However, the journey maps cannot be taught in a condescending or patronizing manner. Thus, Imani Unidad can hire successfully reformed ex-convicts to teach the classes and give talks. The students would be more likely to listen to someone who was or is in a similar situation to them (compared to a normal authority figure). Classes should be interactive as well as reflective, and they can contain a mix of at-risk individuals and ex-convicts so that both groups can learn from one another.

Engage: Goal setting will be a constant focus throughout the bulk of the class. Many of the successful users interviewed/spoken with stated that one of the biggest reasons of their success in reforming and gaining employment/housing after incarceration was the repeated following of goals. As one goal is accomplished, a new one shall be set with the help of their support system (family, mentor, teacher, Imani Unidad), and small goals will build up to larger ones.

Exit: At the end of the class, Imani Unidad would provide the students with a certificate of completion and a letter of recommendation regarding their character and the changes they are trying to make in their lives (if student is an ex-convict). This could be useful in future housing or job applications. Students will also be given a copy of the journey maps that they can keep at their homes to constantly remind them of the correct path, and how easy it is to diverge into the bad path.

Extend: After the class, successful students would be invited back for Imani Unidad alumni events, and some may even be invited to mentor other clients or teach classes themselves. The hope is that most if not all of the students will stick to the good path journey map and strive for their goals daily.

 

Idea 2: Social media website for landlords and formerly incarcerated individuals

Entice: A major problem with the afflicted individuals in Imani Unidad is that they are not only diseased by AIDS but also have the title of Ex-convict. This title is what creates the vicious cycle that Imani Unidad looks to prevent; as these individuals leave prison, a crucial factor for them to become productive members of society is to find work and/or a stable housing situation. Thus, a social media page driven to present profiles of ex-convicts in a positive light (like a facebook) that showcases their strengths (like linkedIn) could mitigate the hardship of finding work that would take on people with similar paths. This would call the interest to not only the specific individuals, but to possible employers.

Enter: What would first need to be done would be to gain exposure so that possible users may become the early adopters of the product. This would call upon us to seek out organizations like Imani Unidad and present the product to them and the opportunities for it. We could also gain exposure through advertising (on other social media pages, TV, or even radio) so that there could be a faster and more durable incubation period of use. This is when the user would create a profile and, with the help of more users, create a network of similar individuals. One would create a profile with important information (such as crime- subject to private usage with employer only) that would not only showcase the individual’s experience, but the drive and willingness to succeed.

Engage: With this, we would need to engage the individuals of which we seek to help so that the social media product can pick up steam and slowly become a viable source for insight on individuals seeking to turn around their lives. When the users become engaged, employers and real estate agents would have to eventually look to it before immediately turning down someone. Employers and property owners could contact the individual directly (like Facebook and linkedIn) when interested. If the individual is solely looking for work, this can be updated in the settings of the page so that real estate agents aren’t looking for uninterested users. This would not only benefit the individual, but the local economy.

Exit: After a successful creation of the product and a full base of adoption from an array of individuals across the nation (maybe even the world), the user might fall in line with an appropriate profession and/or housing given the level of experience, skillset, and drive. This would hopefully lead the individuals in achieving one of these things, if not both, and thus the user’s profile would be updated. A news feed (like in all social media apps) could be utilized to offer advertisements to individuals looking for housing and job but at the same time be used to highlight success stories of people using the app (obtaining meaningful work, changing life, etc.)

Extend: After the main use is fulfilled (individual’s life changed), the hope would be that the vicious cycle of drug use and crime would be eradicated. This in hope would change the perspective of at-risk populations so that the bigger picture is affected towards a more positive light. Success stories continue to build so much so that employers and property managers have no choice but to see every individual and assess them fairly and not have their past life affect a future of which they are trying to hard to change.

 

Idea 3: Tracking device that allows Imani Unidad to check in with at-risk individuals

Entice: Individuals don’t want to fall down a destructive path that lands them behind bars. Unfortunately, they are just trying to fit in and end up associating with groups that are engaging in illegal behaviors and activities. They lack the support system at home and at school to keep them from hanging out with the wrong crowd. A tracking device on their phone would alert mentors at Imani Unidad that they are outside of their house at odd hours of the night for an extended period of time. This would allow mentors to call them when they receive the alert to check in with them and to offer them guidance in getting out of a possibly bad or dangerous situation. So they would be enticed by the fact that they don’t currently have anyone to be accountable to. They would be further enticed by seeing their friends and family members end up behind bars.

Enter: They might be hesitant at first to agree to use the tracking device because they might feel like they are under constant surveillance. When their mentor calls them after an alert has gone off they will ignore the call. They will still be very much focused on the mindset of belonging to a group. At this point the societal pressure of belonging will outweigh the long-term costs of associating with the wrong crowd and ending up in jail or prison. The mentor at this point would put a lot of effort into establishing a relationship with the individual and building trust with him or her.

Engage: Every time they step outside of a small radius around their house at odd hours of the night for an extended period of time they would answer the call from their mentor. The individual would listen to the mentor’s non-judgmental advice and make the decision about whether or not to take the advice. As the individual developed a closer relationship with the mentor, they would be more likely to take the advice and return home and remove themselves from the dangerous situation.

Exit: They will have cut ties from all of the negative influences in their lives and with the help of their mentor they will find after-school programs that they can get involved with. They will no longer be hanging out with gang members or drug dealers, and they won’t be skipping classes or leaving their homes at odd hours of the night. Their tracking device will be given up and given to another at-risk youth in the community.

Extend: They themselves become a mentor and reach out to at-risk youth who find themselves in troubling situations. They help them get on the right path away from drugs and crime and towards an education and better future.