The Amachi program of Big Brothers Big Sisters serve children of incarcerated parents with a mentor. These children most at risk are in some cases invisible to much of the adult and social service population. It is affiliated with the Amachi Institute.
The reality for this special group is
that 70% of children with an incarcerated parent
are more likely to go to prison
than to graduate from high school.
People of Faith mentoring Children of Promise
Taken from the Nigerian Ibo term meaning, “who knows what God has brought us through this child…”, Amachi is a program where volunteer role models mentor children of incarcerated parents. A new program for Tennessee in 2004, Amachi is made possible by a Health and Human Services grant obtained by Big Brothers Big Sisters. Big Brothers Big Sisters screens and matches volunteers from partnering faith-based or other organizations with children of incarcerated parents who have been identified and enrolled by their custodial parent or guardian. A staggering statistic is that without intervention, children of prisoners are 70% more likely to one day find themselves incarcerated. Many middle Tennessee area church congregations have joined together to form an Amachi partnership and provide volunteer support and information for their members. For more information on getting your congregation or other group involved, please contact Big Brothers Big Sisters by clicking here.
As an Amachi Big Brother or Big Sister,
your friendship can change the odds for a child...
and bring special moments and memories into your own life.
amachi kids' club
Children in Big Brothers Big Sisters’ Amachi program mentoring children of prisoners face several special challenges. Like any child in our program, they are making decisions about going to school, selecting friends, and finding ways to deal with their frustration and anger with one or more of their parents currently incarcerated.
The Amachi Kids Club provides a place where children can discuss their feelings about their parent’s absence with peers who can relate to their special circumstance. The children and volunteers meet each month for arts and crafts projects, special demonstrations, experiences with creative writing, music, and dance for these children who most likely would not otherwise have such an opportunity.
We strive to help children increase their self-confidence, self-esteem, ability to express feelings, trust levels, sense of the future, and communication skills through this program. Meetings are held the first Saturday of each month at Pruitt Library Auditorium in the Napier community of Downtown Nashville.
The activities are often as simple as a game of “Feelings Charades” where each child would choose a card that had a facial expression and mimic that expression while friend guessed the feeling represented. The group has also created play-dough “feeling monsters” they shared with the group, crafted mailboxes for Valentine’s Day where they also made and sent cards to each other, and tackled art projects drawing their renditions of what a jail looks like and how they felt about their loved one residing behind bars.
While it is always a fun afternoon of games and different experiences, each activity is geared toward encouraging children to express feelings about their loved one’s incarceration, talk about those feelings, and learn to deal with their emotions in a healthy, productive way.
Inquiries from outside speakers and presenters are always welcome – musicians, poets, actors, and other creatve folks who have an interest in sharing a talent with the children in our program.
Amachi Kids Club coordinators are currently searching for art teachers to help with visual arts and crafts projects, and a Tae Kwan Do instructor to lead the group in some martial arts exercises.
How can volunteers become involved?
If you have an idea for a special project for the Kid’s Club activity,
please contact Big Brothers Big Sister staff members Sara Glascock at (615) 329-9191 ext. 226
or Ambere Lewis at ext. 205.
Location: Pruitt Library Auditorium
117 Charles E Davis Blvd, Nashville, TN 37210-2745
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