A Great Way to Start A New Year
A Great Way to Start A New Year
ALMS recently wrapped up a ten-week Trust Series at the Yolo County Juvenile Detention Center, with our final session taking place last Sunday. We’re gearing up for a major celebration this week! Reflecting on this journey, I never imagined, as the Executive Director of ALMS - in 2026, and with my deep commitment to supporting youth both inside and outside the juvenile system, that we would get the chance to work with these young men ages 18 to 25 and witness genuine change in their lives. It’s inspiring to see them gain hope for brighter futures as they prepare for release.
There are numerous ways we can uplift and assist our youth before they ever face incarceration. At ALMS, we prioritize proactive support to prevent youth from experiencing homelessness, poverty, unemployment, and incarceration—just a few of the many challenges they face today. But what about those who are already incarcerated? How can ALMS continue to make a positive impact?
Since 2020, ALMS has partnered with the District Attorney’s Restorative Justice office. Our dedicated mentors have made significant strides by encouraging, motivating, and guiding young men with minor offenses toward new beginnings. Many have secured their first apartments, achieved employment milestones, and maintained positive paths. Now, we aspire to set a new precedent—helping young men leaving incarceration to aim high and realize their potential, striving for success well beyond their circumstances. We want them to “reach for the moon and if they don’t make it – they may at least fall among the stars.”
Our goals were simple:
Increase their understanding of Trust from an employer’s perspective through curriculum and mentor discussion.
Increase their understanding of Trust in personal relationships through curriculum and mentor discussion
Developed relationships and Trust through overall activities.
This is a small portion of the feedback we received. The comments are not in any order, but they are direct words from the young men.
· I learned that how you grow up really affects you, and respect goes a long way. I now understand that loyalty and transparency is not only good in an intimate relationship, but also at work too.
· The best part was talking about leadership and the discussion about real life scenarios and talking about what we have all been through. I learned that leaving/quitting a job too early will make you seem unreliable. It was pretty informative - helped me think of long-term aspects of my “career life”. I need to work on taking constructive criticism.
· I have been burned and it caused me to build a wall around me. I learned that trust can take you a long way if you are looking to be in a career. I learned about myself today. I like Lesson 11 – Behavior: (Listen First) because it tells you a lot about understanding someone. I feel that I can trust people more now. Every lesson is teaching about ways to earn trust and also to extend that trust to other people.
· I want to be a trustworthy leader. I learned that I value knowledge and that is something I want to continue to work on. I learned that you must have a win-win relationship with anyone for it to work long-term. I learned how I could confront reality, and you can learn lessons from feedback. I learned I need to be more understanding and have patience.
· I learned that you have to trust yourself before you trust others. Having a good attitude makes you more teachable. I am more transparent than I realized. Failure is the best thing to learn from. Listening gives you a chance to improve.
When asked to rate the ALMS Trust Series, four out of five participants awarded it a perfect score of 10, while the remaining participant gave it a score of 9.
When you support ALMS - you support ALL youth who need a fresh start!
BE A MONTHLY GIVER!
Jayne Williams | 916.769.5162 | jayne@almsinyolo.org
