In Development
Academic Education
Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs serve students ages 18 and over who are not enrolled in school and who want to improve their basic skills in reading, writing, math, listening, and speaking. ABE is designed to provide educational opportunities leading to acquiring basic literacy, employment, postsecondary education, and training.
Forgiven Ministries recognizes that today's workplace presents numerous opportunities and challenges for adults. Employers need workers with strong basic skills and an ability to adapt to change. Today's families are faced with multiple responsibilities as they address their educational needs.
Forgiven Ministries Adult Education and Literacy programs build skills for success by providing participants with the opportunity to acquire and improve functional skills necessary to enhance the quality of their lives as workers, family members, and citizens. These programs play an important role in fostering productive employment, effective citizenship, personal and family growth, self-esteem, and dignity for participants. Educational services are available at little or no cost toparticipants and are designed to meet the educational needs of each individual.
Adult Education and Literacy is designed to:
Satisfy the basic literacy needs of adults;
Improve and/or upgrade information processing and computational skills leading to a high school equivalency diploma
Satisfy the continuing education demands of adults in the current labor market;
Improve self-esteem of adults; and
Empower adults to achieve their goals.
Learning can be the passport to changing a person's life. In general, this is true for everyone, but for those who have been incarcerated, it can hold the key to personal transformation. It's been proven that people who participate in educational programs while in prison are much less likely to be re-arrested and find themselves incarcerated again. Earning an educational credential for inmates is about much more than a piece of paper. It represents the promise of a new, law-abiding life, one in which they can be gainfully employed, support their families and earn the respect of their communities.
Adult Basic Education
The ability to read and write is essential. Reading is required to understand the world around us, and writing is a basic skill that helps us share information and ideas. For far too many parolees, the educational process hinges on its most basic step - the ability to read and write. In addition to our own educators, Forgiven Ministries partners with community organizations to provide learning opportunities for offenders.
From Adult Basic Education to attainment of certificates and diplomas, academic programs taught by Forgiven Ministries follow industry and state education department best practices. Our offerings attempt to meet parolees where they are in their academic progression. This is especially important when considering that some newly released individuals may have limited formal education. Basic education is a key that can unlock the door to a better future.
For other parolees, the challenge is different. Someone may be a high school dropout who needs a structured pathway toward a GED. Others may be high academic achievers capable of taking advantage of state programs to pursue advanced degrees or other post-secondary study.
For each individual, the process begins with testing and evaluation. This results in a comprehensive assessment that allows Forgiven Ministries' staff to determine the appropriate level of instruction. From there, it's a matter of taking a series of small steps toward a manageable goal.
Adult Education in Spanish
Diversity in our culture is something that can’t be ignored in planning educational programs for those who are recently released. Recognizing the need to offer equally effective programs for Spanish-speaking individuals, Forgiven Ministries' offers Adult Education in Spanish. It's another example of Forgiven Ministries' commitment to recognize a critical need and to go above and beyond the status quo.
Currently, Forgiven Ministries is looking to partner with other agencies to provide adult education in Spanish. These agencies supplies facilities with materials and curriculum for the primaria level (grades 1-6) and secondaria level (grades 7-9). When offenders return to their communities of origin, completion of this program prepares them to secure employment more readily, while providing a launching pad for future educational achievement.
Post-Secondary Opportunities, GRE Preparation and Testing
In free society, the pathway to educational attainment can extend far beyond the high school level. And it's true within Forgiven Ministries. Our classrooms service not only elementary- and secondary-level needs. They also provide opportunities at the collegiate level.
Parolees may choose to take advantage of post-secondary programs, actually earning college credit and even a degree. Through GRE test prep, inmates may explore post-graduate opportunities, opening the door for advanced degree attainment.