TRUTH Project ... a partnership between
 

• Wisconsin Mankind Project
• Oshkosh Correctional Institution
• Racine Correctional Institution
• Voices Beyond Bars
• Wisconsin Resource Center
• Jericho Circle Project, Inc.

 
TRUTH is an Acronym for To Restore Understanding Trust and Hope. The mission of the TRUTH Project, Inc is: Together, we Empower Men to Share Their Truth and Restore Community. We do this through weekly groups (TRUTH-groups or T-groups) and weekend intensives (TRUTH Weekends or T-Weekends). We are presently doing this work at two prisons. In these prisons, we conduct one or two cycles of continually repeating T-groups, and we also hold one or two weekend intensives per year. We can also help men find similar support when they are released into the community.

Within the TRUTH Project, we refer to the inmates as “inside men” and the volunteers as “outside men.” We work closely with the prison to establish agreements regarding the ground rules and security requirements for our activities, and in our work with the inside men, we absolutely honor these agreements. We do not get involved in prison or correctional concerns. 

We begin by inviting twelve men to a weekly group for twelve weeks which qualifies them to participate in the weekend intensive. The groups are cyclic, and we plan to offer the group repeatedly with one week “off” before the next cycle or sequence. In this way we are able to conduct four cycles of the T-group in a year. The primary activity of the group is trust building and the opportunity to “work” on personal and emotional concerns within the context of a men’s support group. The groups are voluntary, and they provide ongoing support, even after the weekend intensive.

They are structured in such a way as to accommodate a changing population. As the group experiences attrition resulting from men leaving, there is room to assimilate new men into the group. New men enter at the beginning of a new 12 week cycle. Ideally, we have enough men participating in and completing the T-group process so that we can have a larger number of inside men (up to twenty) to participate in the weekend intensive.

How to Participate in the TRUTH Project

Our program is administered by volunteers. We need men to facilitate our weekly T-groups and staff our weekend intensives. A man who can be with another man in his emotional depths makes a good volunteer. A man who has the ability to see into another’s heart, past his crimes, and into his goodness, is essential to build the trust needed to deepen our work together with the inside men. Deep emotional trainings such as The Mankind Project, Taking It Lightly, the Vets Journey Home, provide a foundation for the type of work we do in the TRUTH Project. We provide training and support to help translate your life skills into the prison context. 

We are always in need of donations of cash and services to hold our trainings. Men come from all over the country to staff our trainings. We need housing close to the institution during the weekend intensives for our volunteers. Depending on circumstances, a camp ground or church facilities may work for this. We need food for men to snack on before and after their time “inside.” In some cases, we need travel expense money to help our volunteers to the training (those whom themselves lack such means).

Donations (cash or in-kind) to support the work of the TRUTH Project are gratefully accepted.

Donations may be sent to:

Truth Project

c/o Doug Szper

N1811 Knorr Rd

Random Lake, WI  53075-1218

The TRUTH Project, Inc. is recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.  Our Federal Tax ID is 83-0461724.  All donations to the TRUTH Project are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.