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notes from the field

Tribal Experience Korner:

Built By Community

As a child, I experienced guidance, and direction, you housing, employment, ID, bank
trauma. Then triggers from my can catch those balls and throw account, transitional skills,
traumatic past led to behaviors them right back at life! computer skills, budgeting, and
that landed me in jail. I experi­ In June 2020, I founded the meeting required deadlines of
enced many tragedies and lost Tribal Experience Korner (TEK) their sentence. Our approach
many good friends along my in Loveland, Colorado. We are for each person is different;
journey and felt like a failure. a team of certified recovery recovery isn’t a one­size­fits­all!
Having served time in federal coaches who lived the experi­ That first year out of jail
prison, I understand the frus­ ences of incarceration, involve­ has the highest return rate.
tration of trying to reintegrate ment with gangs, and the Pre­COVID, the reoffending
into society after serving a long misuse of substances for many rate was 47% in the first year.
sentence. years. We now live in recovery. However, if one can make it
TEK is a nonprofit, grassroots through that first year, the
Journey Toward Healing organization, built by the com­ rate drops 22% from year two
Corrections is not a safe munity for the community. We to year nine for reoffending.
place to fail. After reaching rock operate on donations, grants, Because each of our coaches
bottom—and losing every­ and fundraisers. We also volun­ has had the experience of walk­
thing and everyone whom I teer our own time when those ing similar paths, we know
love—I had a choice to make: funds don’t arrive timely. Our what the next individual needs
completely give up or go on. motto: Who better is the expert in order to excel and remain
Quitting wasn’t an option for of a subject than the one who focused on the future—and not
me. I chose to rise above after lived it? become a reoffender.
losing my husband to suicide TEK was designed to break After being referred to us,
and becoming a single mother down the recidivism rate by the client is assessed for a
of five children. Life can throw offering to mentor and walk substance use disorder so that
you curveballs. But with a alongside former inmates for we know how to fully support
“tribe” there to offer support, their first year back in the them on their road to recovery.
community. Obstacles that can
become roadblocks include

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