Finding freedom together

The human capacity for transformation astounds me.  As a midwife’s apprentice, I have witnessed people transform into parents through the birth process; as a naturopath, I have walked with folks through healing that has extended far beyond their physical bodies; and as a volunteer with Phoenix, I have had the profound honor of sharing space with some incredible human beings committed to the deep work of excavating their truest selves.  The people in our class show up week after week and learn through a variety of lenses how to see themselves more clearly, how to hold themselves accountable with gentleness and integrity, how to shed the labels that have been applied to them by a broken system that has blamed them for their wounds, and ultimately how to reclaim the unique gifts that are their birthright.  Inside and outside folks are equally engaged in this endeavor because trauma, which so many of us have experienced, operates the same way prison does; it locks people up, dehumanizes us and robs us of a sense of self and agency. In our class at CRCI, we find freedom together by consistently mirroring for each other the progress that we’ve made, strengthening ourselves as individuals while building a beautiful community rooted in relationality.  It has been such a gift for me to participate in creating this sacred space with my fellow journeyers on the path of transformation, a blessing that has changed my life as much as I have witnessed change in others.  

-Emily Steele, volunteer