“Am I Next?” How Zion Girls Is Changing the Future for Daughters of Incarcerated Parents

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text...What happens to a child when a parent goes to prison?For Dawn Adams, that question isn’t theoretical. Her father was incarcerated when she was just 12 years old, and she remembers the shame, isolation, uncertainty, and adult responsibilities that came with growing up without him.Years later, Dawn began recognizing those same experiences in friends of her own daughters—and eventually decided something needed to exist specifically for girls navigating parental incarceration.That became Zion Girls.In this episode, I talk with Dawn about how Zion Girls is creating a safe and supportive community for girls ages 10 to 17 who have been impacted by the current or past incarceration of a parent. Through mentoring, education, academic support, trusted relationships, and its “Pillars of Progress,” the organization is helping girls imagine possibilities that can be difficult to see when incarceration has become part of the family experience.Some of the most powerful moments in our conversation come directly from the girls themselves: an eighth grader who went from Ds and Fs to As and Bs; a 13-year-old who wants to become a judge because she understands firsthand the power of a gavel; and a 12-year-old surrounded by family incarceration who asked Dawn a heartbreaking question:“Am I next?”Dawn’s response says just about everything you need to know about Zion Girls: “Absolutely not on my watch.”We also talk about Zion Girls’ growing partnerships, the need for mentors and community awareness, Dawn’s vision for a permanent home and college scholarships, and why simply giving these young women a place where they feel seen and heard can change the direction of a life.Learn more, volunteer, or support Zion Girls at ZionGirls.org00:00 — Meet Zion Girls Founder Dawn Adams02:30 — Dawn’s Story: Growing Up With an Incarcerated Father08:30 — The Pillars of Progress11:30 — Finding and Supporting Girls Impacted by Incarceration15:30 — Building a Mentoring Community21:00 — Funding, Partnerships and Growing Awareness28:00 — Measuring Impact and Academic Progress32:00 — The 13-Year-Old Who Wants to Become a Judge34:30 — Success Stories and Breaking Generational Cycles42:30 — Beyond the Mission and How to Support Zion GirlsThank you so much for listening to this nonprofit story!  We appreciate you. Please visit the website to sign up for our email updates and newsletter. https://www.nonprofpod.com/  And if you like, leave me a voicemail to comment on the program, leave a question for us to ask in the future or a message for me, Jeff Holden. I may even use your voice mail message in a future episode of one of our incredible local nonprofit organizations. https://www.nonprofpod.com/voicemail. Thanks again for your support in listening, commenting and sharing the great work our local nonprofits are accomplishing.