OHOM stands for Open Hearts Open Minds — a mentality that we promote among everyone in our community, from staff and volunteers, to incarcerated members of our programs, and the public who attend our productions.
At any given time there are 22,000 people behind bars in Oregon. Most of them will be released at some point without having improved their social and emotional skills in order to re-enter society productively. We believe that change is possible and that our duty is to see men and women in Oregon’s carceral system as whole people who are experiencing trauma and are in need of support and community.
Our programs in prison promote healing and transformation through the process of making and sharing art, with each other and beyond prison walls. We offer productions that are open to the public, and invite visitors to witness the innate creativity and complexity that lies within our program participants. Our hope is that we make visible the value that these individuals have, that they are more than their crime, and that returned citizens can be valuable members of our communities.
OHOM is a part of a larger movement promoting prison arts as a powerful tool to shift public perception and generate a sense of self-worth among incarcerated people. We welcome partnership with other institutions, groups, and individuals who share in our vision.
Our Mission.
Our mission is to serve current and former incarcerated Oregonians by cultivating positive change through mentorship, dialogue, and the arts.
Our Vision.
We envision a future where people who are incarcerated, as well as returned citizens, are given the dignity they deserve and the tools and support they need to survive and thrive.
Our Approach.
Our approach encourages personal growth and helps our program participants cultivate feelings of self-respect, resiliency and personal empowerment. Our purpose is to use artistic and creative approaches—theater, writing, and music—as platforms for internal exploration and transformation. The success of our programs is based on the safe spaces for growth and connection we are able to create, and the trusting, authentic relationships that our staff and volunteers have with our community members. Our willingness to listen to our members, to understand their needs and wants, and to validate their humanity has positioned us as key strategic partners in the inmate’s life trajectory.
Our work also includes a mentorship component to support the inmates’ successful launch into the outside world as they try to navigate the complexities of a return to public life. We have seen the huge impact these programs have on the individuals, and work to collect data that illustrates the need for the expansion of skill-building programs like ours within prison walls.
Our Commitment.
At OHOM we’ve dedicated ourselves to human connection, to the individual and collaborative support of not only who we serve but also who we work with. We believe there is value in all cultures and a uniqueness that can only be found by listening to and raising up the voices of all. Now more than ever we understand the importance of this work.
Open Hearts Open Minds does not discriminate on the basis of sex, age, race, economic background, religion or family composition. OHOM is secular and non-denominational. OHOM welcomes involvement at the board, contractor, volunteer, or participant levels from people who identify as members of the LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and immigrant and refugee communities, as well as other marginalized communities.
Our Guiding Principles.
Equity and inclusion – we listen and engage many voices and make sure we attend to our biases and blind spots
Empathy and compassion – we see ourselves as equals to those we serve and lead with our hearts
Building trust – we advance our work through humility, openness, empowering others, developing authentic relationships and creating safe spaces to truly share
Lifelong learning – we know we have so much more to learn and grow to do this work successfully
Being connectors – we know this to be our key outcome, providing direct connections to people and resources
Creativity and self-expression – there is enormous value in engaging in the creative process and allowing individuals to express themselves in new ways
Storytelling and celebration – there is an inherent power in personal stories that are all worth celebrating. Seeking and sharing joy must be part of this work.
Excellence – we are committed to creating the highest quality programs and relationships wherever we go