Projects

Outreach and Educational Resources

I Can Lead offers inmates free books and developmental literature to help them transition to society and develop peaceful lives.

Howard County Detention Center Youth Mentoring Program

Partially funded by a small grant from the Community Foundation of Howard County, I Can Lead offers youth inmates between the ages of 16 and 18 with personalized coaching and mentoring services. ‘Empower Internship Program’ for former youth offenders (youth with criminal history), to reduce their chances of re-imprisonment and to prepare them for professional life, over the past couple of years ILIA has witnessed an increase in the number of youth applying for its programming or seeking its services who has been incarcerated or have considered very high at-risk youth. ILIA has been successfully working with Howard County Detention Center (HCDC) through its EmpowerOne and I Can Lead (https://icanlead.com) programs since 2009. While these programs are mostly for adults, there have been a reasonable percent (~20%) of incarcerated youth between the ages of 16 and 18 who have benefited from these programs. The challenge ILIA faces is continuing its programming with these youth once they leave the detention facility. ILIA is proposing to integrate its Internship cornerstone with I Can Lead and EmpowerOne for ex-offender youth, allowing this group opportunities for learning, development and small stipends for career and job readiness.