Full Circle Refuge, Inc.
Full Circle Refuge, Inc. is an affiliate of Straight Ahead Ministries.
Profile of Full Circle Refuge Ministries
History and Key Features
Full Circle Refuge, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization incorporated in Georgia and operates in Georgia and South Carolina in order to provide holistic services to juvenile offenders while they are in institutions and after they are released back into society. Full Circle Refuge is an affiliate of Straight Ahead Ministries, which currently operates in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Minnesota, Iowa, Colorado, New Jersey, Michigan, Nebraska, Alaska, South Carolina and Georgia.
The mission of Full Circle Refuge Ministries is to curb the cycle of juvenile crime and produce positive leaders in society by connecting troubled youth to positive adult role models. Full Circle Refuge engages people from local churches with the needs of juvenile institutions, providing the screening and training necessary for them to contribute significantly to programs serving juvenile offenders.
Full Circle Refuge was founded in 1999 by Devon Harris; and was incorporated as an independent organization. It began with Bible discussion groups in a few facilities of the Youth Development Campuses (YDC). It was permitted by DJJ officials who were skeptical, yet also desperate for anything, that could make a difference in the ‘revolving-door’ juvenile justice system. Since then, the program has grown steadily, thanks to the support of DJJ and many, many local church members—and thanks to the success it has demonstrated with many youth that the system had given up on. Full Circle Refuge is governed by a Board of Directors made up of local business and religious leaders who are engaged in planning, policy and financial and program oversight.
Hard Facts
Each year nearly 60,000 teenagers are arrested for crimes throughout South Carolina and Georgia. On any given day, five thousand teenagers are locked up in juvenile facilities across the region. Of all the young men and women released after they serve their time, over 80% are rearrested within three years.
The Full Circle Refuge Program
Churches are not mere buildings; they are made up of potential employers, positive peers, and caring adults who can minister to the needs of a youth’s family and help fill the missing gap when a youth is released back into the community.
The process begins in juvenile institutions with group Bible studies, one-on-one relationships, tutoring, performing arts and Sunday services. Full Circle Refuge currently operates programs in more than 7 juvenile facilities, with 10 staff members, and over 30 trained volunteers to offer programs to about 900 youth per month. Since 1999, about 6000 young people have been involved. All Full Circle Refuge programs are strictly voluntary.
Full Circle Refuge helps troubled teens that are locked up, to understand and make a decision for a spiritual way of life based on Biblical teachings. Many teens held in youth development campuses are hearing and responding to the Gospel. They are excited about their faith and desire to grow in the Lord. Yet most of these young men and women never connect with a church following their release, and as a result they never grow in their faith and often fall back into their old life of crime. To help break the cycle we connect these youths to Churches that reach out and significantly impact the lives of these young people. By working together to disciple Christian teens returning to urban communities after their release from a youth development campus these teens find the spiritual guidance they need to mature and become a productive member of society. The focus of all of our programs is on troubled youth, primarily those involved with the juvenile justice system.
Full Circle Refuge has been organizing a network of churches in urban areas where most of the incarcerated teens will return following their release. The goal is to help teens cross the bridge from incarceration to a church for support and guidance instead of back to the streets, as has been the predicament all too frequently. Full Circle Refuge gives training to Churches, Communities and Volunteers to empower equip and educate. We train Christian volunteers to share the gospel in ways that kids in lock-down facilities can understand.
Ministry Programs
Mentoring - To restore the juvenile to his or her family, community and Creator by replacing a youth’s distorted image of self and others with new images and a life rooted in Christ. The youth’s transformation begins as mentors model Christ through concrete expressions of unconditional love and support, and having done so, to win the trust and acceptance of the juvenile.
Evangelical Events – Evangelical events consist of concerts, small performances, worship events, drama teams, crusades and praise teams.
Training and Community Awareness - To empower and equip the Christian community by facilitating effective ministry between Christian volunteers and at-risk juveniles. Establish a collaborative effort of reaching the needs of at-risk youth by combining the strengths of prison ministries with that of locally established ministries and community agencies, including churches, (DJJ), schools and businesses.
Specific Training Programs offered by Full Circle Refuge:
1. What It Takes To Reach At-Risk Youth.
2. Understanding A Troubled Teen World View
3. Communicating Biblical Truth To Troubled Teens
4. What Makes Mentoring Work
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