A local charity has partnered with the NBA Foundation to expand basketball programming inside federal prisons.
For the last 15 years, The Forgiveness Project has been working to support young people who are affected by violence to create positive change in their lives, and while reshaping the criminal justice system through arts and sports programming. Founded by Tara Muldoon, the organization is committed to holistic, human-centred approaches to rehabilitation.
Today, it announced a new collaboration with the NBA Foundation, Up The Score, a basketball and leadership certification program targeting men aged 18-29 in prisons within the Greater Toronto Area. Called the first and only of its kind in Canada, the collaboration will focus on using basketball to empower young men who are incarcerated.
Starting on July 22, Up The Score runs for six weeks, combining hoops with the development of leadership skills, offering a certificate to those who complete the six sessions.
Muldoon says the new programming uses feedback from a pilot program run over a year, focusing on skills like public speaking, writing, and goal setting through what she calls what was previously called Life Skills and Basketball Drills.
“We try to just make it as great as possible, as educational as possible, but also as interactive as possible,” the founder told Now Toronto.
She shared that the organization has been using basketball as a tool to empower incarcerated youth for some time now. But the charity’s founder explained that it’s exciting to be supported by an organization like the NBA, which recognizes the value of this programming.
“This is part of the next phase of growing the program and having more sports within correctional facilities,” Muldoon shared. “We’re excited for what this could bring forward in terms of sports being more involved in mental health, and sports being more of a tool used in the correctional facilities.
Having worked with young people in custody for years, Muldoon says that not all programming in Canadian prisons is created equal, and it’s important to focus on helping them develop transferable skills that will be useful long term.
“I just think it’s so important, because the young people we serve are going to be released back into community,” Muldoon explained.
“Teaching them discipline, teaching them how to listen to their body, teaching them self-control, teaching them or encouraging more dialogue between each other, I think, is critical. So, I think those skills are transferable when they come back into the community.”
THE FORGIVENESS PROJECT
Muldoon told Now Toronto that she started the charity 15 years ago, after surviving a sexual assault.
“He was found guilty, he was released back into community and he didn’t have to do any programs. He didn’t have to do anything,” Muldoon explained.
“I run the programs personally that I wish my offender had,” she continued. “The bottom line is, I wish my offender had had programming that could have potentially made him a bit more self-aware.”
The charity began with community work, unpacking what forgiveness looked like through art, and eventually sport. Muldoon explained that this naturally transitioned into working within correctional facilities.
“So, for the last 10 years, we’ve been doing work in the facilities trying to unpack what forgiveness looks like. Self-forgiveness, forgiveness of the world, and conflict resolution,” Muldoon shared.
She says that while they also ensure the programs they deliver are fun and engaging, they also remember that there is a victim who was also impacted.
“I want to ensure that is in this conversation as well.”
The charity’s programming has continued to grow and develop from a community conversation to a series of workshops and different streams of programming. Muldoon shared that she is intentional about adding to the narrative surrounding criminal rehabilitation in Canada.
“Punishment seems to be the focus for all things, not just the justice system, but the world is really heavy,” she explained, adding that she spends a lot of time thinking about what rehabilitation means.
“I think about different ways to connect with humans, meeting people where they are, knowing that they will be coming back into society at some point, generally.”
Muldoon also shared that she wishes that society as a whole did more for people who will be reintegrating into society after prison, and understanding that sometimes there is more than meets the eye.
“Understanding that what you see on the news might not be the story, that it might not be the real story that somebody is experiencing,” Muldoon shared. “There are always numerous perspectives and people involved, and the answer from me isn’t just forgetting that they exist.”
