From Prison
TO MONASTERY

From Canceled to Contributive: The Prison Monastery Program is a new model for incarceration that rehumanizes the incarcerated, corrections officers, and the overall prison ecology.

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Live Updates

Gary York, 30 year Correctional Officer veteran, and spokesperson for Guards to Guardian, wrote an article about the program in Corrections1. Read the article here
Art of Soulmaking is now in 150 facilities across the United States
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has accepted our application for the Art of Soulmaking program to be used at 10 facilities in California, with the potential of reaching 110,000 incarcerated individuals.
The Earth Program met with the founder of Archangel Ancient Tree Archive based in Michigan to provide the us with baby trees of the most evolved tree DNA in the world for the Earth Program’s prison program.
Free Food has now served over 12,000 meals this year, most of them sit downs in Ukiah, CA and Harlem, NY
Free food Harlem received 300+ lbs of donated produce from Fairway for our delicious farm to table meals
Free Food Oakland had its first pop up in July, serving enchiladas, Spanish rice and homemade cookies to those living on the streets of Oakland
Keisha and Casey Ernst, graduates from the Soil Food Web and of Catalyst BioAmendments, visited our property in Northern California and did testing of our living soil with a 40x video enhanced microscope. They’re helping the Earth Program develop our curriculum to include elements of the Soil Food Web school, the premier methodology of soil education in the world.
Matt Sherman, member of Black Box, recently posted about his experience in New York City. Check out his blog post here
Volunteers harvested snap peas and lettuce from our farm for this week’s Free Food Philo meal
Mendocino County Jail received a chicken coop donation from Carolina Coops, and Founder Matt DuBois flew in to help build it with the male and female garden crews
A state prison in Alabama has approved the inception of it’s first ever yoga program, held by members of the Art of Soulmaking community there. UFP is sending over 25 yoga mats and yoga blocks to be used on the death row unit yoga group.
Matt Sherman, a member of BlackBox, is on a Black Joy & Genius Tour along the East Coast. Read his latest blog here
Soulmakers have been sending us beautiful art work as they go through the program. This is an art piece from California Medical Facility
Earth program awarded a $50,000 grant to fund our prison botanical sanctuary program at Mendocino County Jail, a program that will both promote ecosystem restoration, community contribution, as well as education and employment for the incarcerated population at the jail. Watch our video here

Unconditional Freedom:
AT HOME 
& IN THE WORLD

When incarceration becomes an opportunity for soul making, and organic farming’s aim becomes to feed the hungry, peace and restoration of ourselves and the planet can finally begin. Watch the documentary, Unconditional Freedom: At Home and in the World, and learn about initiatives that drive Unconditional Freedom. 

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Subscribe to our monthly newsletter featuring short essays and stories about rehumanization told by program participants, their families, Unconditional Freedom staff, contributors, and partners.

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REHUMANIZATION APPLIED

Activating the unique expression of the discarded

Unconditional Freedom Project

Turning prisons into monasteries

Restoring prisons to their original intent; penitence. 
Spaces for contemplation, transformation, and
contribution.

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FREE FOOD

Liberating food for those in need

Free Food is about emptying what is full, and filling what is empty. This program provides dignified, nutritious healthy meals to those who otherwise could not afford them, and the opportunity to express love and contribute for those who have more than they need.

Over 22,000 meals served.

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EARTH

Soil into Climate Salvation

The Earth Program is our initiative to rewild the Earth. When we tend to the restoration of the earth, we are healing ourselves through healing the earth. We provide immersive training in ecological restoration practices both on The Land and to discarded populations.

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Black Box

Black into Power

Black Box 1 (1)
https://player.vimeo.com/video/666216717?h= 35e4bb9576
Black Box 2 (1)
https://player.vimeo.com/video/666120035?h=3aa6dca853
Black Box 3 (1)
https://player.vimeo.com/video/666119778?h=a0883d569d
Black Box 4 (1)
https://player.vimeo.com/video/666119836?h=89c3831a6b

A movement towards the reclamation of the innate power of Blackness, towards a world where the power of Blackness is overt, and is offered freely and it is in service to all of humanity.

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From the Blog

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#Recipe
September 6, 2023

Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Meatballs in my family make their own meal. They’re palm-sized and ever so tender nestled in tomato sauce with rarely a carb in sight. You could bake them in the oven—yea you could—but we like them simmered until they are just barely held together.
Earth Fire
#Earth
September 6, 2023

Earth Fire Program Video

Land staff and neighbors come together to learn from Anderson Valley Fire Chief Andres Avila how to use fire as a tool
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#BlackBox
September 6, 2023

BlackBox Video Conversation: Oppression

The crew discusses oppression and the various manifestations of it and our responses to it.
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#Free Food
September 6, 2023

The Free Food Harlem Side of Penitence

When I was younger, I didn’t realize what I was asking for was to be meeked, to find a place for the wildness I felt and not be broken of it. The Exodus and Housing Works Transition program participants are also looking for a place to put their wildness that doesn’t cause harm.
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#Unconditional Freedom
September 6, 2023

Art of Soulmaking Program Video

Incarcerated Soulmakers in Unconditional Freedom's Art of Soulmaking talk about the program's impact on their lives
waffle party
#Recipe
August 1, 2023

Whole Grain Waffles and Pancakes

I think most people, when they are offered pancakes or waffles for breakfast, feel that this is something to look forward to, that it brings joy to their morning, and it makes them feel special.
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#Guards to Guardians
August 1, 2023

Guards to Guardians Program Video

"We're human beings, of course we're gonna feel emotion, of course we're gonna go through this. But that connects us to the people we're protecting. That connects us because we both have the same emotions. We have anxiety, we get depressed, we get sad, we get angry."
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#Letters from Prison
August 1, 2023

A Ray of Light: The Spark (a video essay)

"When was the last time you sat down somewhere, closed your eyes, and saw what it was like to just be? Somewhere along your way you lost what it was like to live as if the world was on your side..."
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#Free Food
August 1, 2023

Alchemy

As the chef for a nonprofit that relies entirely on volunteers, I’ve had to learn how to motivate and inspire others instead of resorting to the harsh and intimidating treatment I received as a young and eager cook.

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