Richmond Project

The Richmond Project's mission is to respond to the many complicated social problems of the city of Richmond, California by creating and maintaining a continuous and broad-based working relationship between incarcerated men from Richmond and elected officials, organizations, community leaders, business owners and citizens.

It is our belief that the cooperation and organization of community members both inside and outside the prison will successfully reduce crime, violence and recidivism. This combination of the inclusion and proper reintegration of  reformed incarcerated men, and reciprocal support between the prison and the community will generate economic empowerment, convert community liabilities into assets, and produce a myriad of desired change in the city of Richmond.

The men in the Richmond Project participate in a condensed version of the T.R.U.S.T. curriculum as well as planning and organizing sessions with community leaders from Richmond in order to work to solve the social problems  of the city of Richmond. The goals of the Project are: a reduced level of violence/crime in Richmond; youth leadership and mentors; parental and  community involvement; a restored sense of self and community image; and, eventually, a T.R.U.S.T. Community Center in Richmond.

Project Choice

Project Choice is a collaboration between the T.R.U.S.T., Volunteers of  America, and the City of Oakland to ensure the personal development and successful reentry of young men who will be paroling back to the city of Oakland. Project Choice provides a curriculum facilitated by T.R.U.S.T. Fellows  at San Quentin and upon release assists men with housing and employment as needed.

Anger Management

The T.R.U.S.T.'s Anger Management classes are run by clinical psychologist Dr. Peter Richman and co-facilitated by the T.R.U.S.T. Fellows. This intensive program teaches concepts leading to an understanding of how anger is generated and how to use effective coping strategies to reduce levels of anger and resolve conflicts even in provocative situations.

Yoga & Mindfulness Meditation

The Yoga & Meditation program is led by Tamara Perkins and Katchie Ananda , along with assistant teachers and Trust members Paul Jordan and Robert "Red" Frye. This weekly class provides Yoga, breathwork, and meditation to up to 25 men at a time. The Yoga program has been setup as an externally supported peer-led class in order to create a self-sustainable and outreaching program. By empowering the men to first become assistants, then leaders, they can begin to share these healing practices with their peers, family members and communities.