Extraordinary Lives - Prison Fellowship Australia

Extraordinary Lives seeks to break the intergenerational cycle of crime by investing in the children of prisoners

Children with a parent in prison are six times more likely than their peers to end up in prison as adults. They are the forgotten victims of crime, and we believe it is critical to step in at a young age to offer tailored support for the unique challenges they face.

Extraordinary Lives delivers a range of services to children with a parent in prison, aiming to break the intergenerational cycle of crime.

The core goal of the program is to build long-term, positive peer and mentor relationships, and to enhance children’s connections with their families and schools.

The program cares for children in five important ways:

One-on-one Mentoring

Children are connected to a long-term, local mentor who will help guide, encourage, and support them to more positively connect with their families, schools, and local communities. Mentors help counteract negative pressures towards unhealthy relationships, drugs, and alcohol.

Camp for Kids

Through Camp for Kids, children of prisoners are given the chance to meet with peers and mentors who understand their situation, and who have experienced the same thing themselves, while having fun together through games and activities which build resilience and teach them new skills.

This fun and safe space allows for honest conversations and connections, which helps reduce loneliness and builds long-term friendships.

Educational Support

When a parent goes to prison, the family often loses the primary breadwinner. This can leave families in financial hardship, making it hard to put food on the table and buy school uniforms, books, and stationery. Extraordinary Lives provides the extra material assistance, as required.

Prison Visit Support

While many children wish to visit their parent in prison more frequently, they are often limited by their guardian’s availability or relationship with the inmate. Extraordinary Lives mentors help facilitate extra visits as appropriate, preserving and honouring the relationship between parent and child.

Angel Tree

Through our partnership with local churches and volunteers, 8000 children receive a gift at Christmas time on behalf of their parent in prison. This helps to build and maintain the critical parental connection and lets a child know their parent still loves them and is thinking of them.

Through this range of services, Extraordinary Lives enables children to build resilience, achieve goals, and increase their community connections – developing a stronger platform for future success.

Impact

One-on-one Mentoring

Camping experience

Angel Tree gifts at Christmas time

Assistance to visit a parent in prison

Educational support

A Christmas Letter – Thomas’ heartfelt note from the inside

October 10, 2023

Restoring a Shattered Mirror – “Camp has changed my life in such a happy and positive way”

October 10, 2023

Paying It Forward – How Annie’s camp experience inspired her to help other kids

October 10, 2023

Testimonials

“I’ve been involved with the Extraordinary Lives program as a mentor for five years, and it has been such an honour to watch the way the young people grow in themselves and in their confidence.”

“Angel Tree kept the connection between me and my kids alive.”

“Receiving the Angel Tree gifts was a great blessing to us. Dad would write a little note that went with the gifts and we still have them to this day. I remember feeling like, ‘Wow! Dad didn’t forget about me.”

“Feeling like you are not forgotten and feeling like you are an actual person who is loved makes all the difference to a child. But when I did get the presents from Dad, it helped us feel closer to him when he was in jail. It really just made a difference in our lives.”

“The self-esteem that I got from the activities at Camp was huge. The games focused not just on physical activity, but they targeted our emotional well-being. It helped me build my sense of self-worth that got torn away from me by my dad because he wouldn’t stay out of jail.”

“Camp was the first place I really experienced healthy love. I felt in control of my own life after spending a week away with these amazing people that just lift you up.”

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Statement about crime
Prison Fellowship Australia acknowledges those affected by crime, both directly and indirectly. We never condone any criminal activity, while remaining committed to walking alongside prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims. We share stories of their journey towards wholeness, to highlight God’s goodness and His desire for reconciliation with both Himself and others.