The PATHfinder Club

The mission of POPS the Club is to support youth impacted by incarceration and confront the challenges they experience. Through arts-based programs, POPS creates a safe, empowering space for these youth, transforming stigma into hope and dignity so they can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally, now and as adults.

POPS the Club started in 2013 at Venice High School as a method of supporting youth who have loved ones in prison to hope and healing. POPS was established as a 501(c)3 in early 2014, and as of June 2019, clubs have been established in eight high schools in Los Angeles, as well as in Georgia, New York, and Pennsylvania. POPS publishes an annual anthology of POPS students' and graduates' writings and artwork. Our goal is to bring the POPS program to high schools across the country. The impact of the support of peers, a curriculum focused on self-expression, mindfulness, and community engagement has been profoundly healing.

Below please find links to a few stories that help to tell the tale:

LA Weekly

https://www.laweekly.com/a-lit-club-at-venice-high-school-is-transforming-students-harmed-by-mass-incarceration/

Edutopia Magazine

https://popsclubs.org/2019/02/04/https-www-edutopia-org-article-locked-away-toll-mass-incarceration-students/

NPR Press Play

https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/press-play-with-madeleine-brand/families-of-prisoners-reality-tv-culture-and-water-rules/teens-with-family-in-prison