Break the Cycle

The students from marcos de niza and new freedom launch out on a joint mission to break the cycle of generational incarceration history

Break the cycle

The students from marcos de niza and new freedom launch out on a joint mission to break the cycle of generational incarceration history

Follow along as we make history

They did it!!!!!!!!! 1st place in the state competition of deca

Posted 02/25/2023

Incredible news! Jaylen, Reyna and their teacher Heather from Marcos de Niza have earned first place at the Arizona State Deca Competition for their community giving project focused on New Freedom and the New Freedom Project with a focus on breaking the cycle of generational incarceration. Congratulations to everyone involved – your hard work and dedication have paid off in a big way!

The competition was fierce, with 89 schools participating, with 15 teams competing for the community giving project. It’s a testament to the team’s exceptional skills and talent that they emerged victorious. In fact, a total of 15 students from Marcos de Niza will now be representing their school, New Freedom/New Freedom Project, and community at the international competition.

Press to play the video

Now let's go through the inspirational journey

The first visit to new freedom

Posted 11/07/2022

The team’s journey to success began with a visit to the New Freedom facility, where Kyle Harless, Donald Lyons, and Wayne Noyce introduced them to the vital work being done to break the cycle of generational incarceration. The students were deeply moved by what they saw and were inspired to collaborate with New Freedom on their project. During their visit, the team received a firsthand look at New Freedom’s innovative approach to mentoring men and women before their release from prison. They witnessed the power of love and compassion in helping to shift the mindset and prepare members for a successful re-entry into society. The team was impressed by the extensive range of services offered to members, including IOP classes, health and wellness programs with personal trainers, vocational education with certification opportunities, and much more.

The team also got a glimpse of the next phase of the journey for members after leaving the facility. They were shown the living quarters where members spend the next 90 days, as they transition back into society. Here, they are welcomed with open arms and provided with the support they need to reintegrate successfully. The executive kitchen, which offers the highest quality meals, and other amenities are just some of the ways in which New Freedom goes above and beyond to ensure the well-being of its members.

It’s clear that the team’s visit to New Freedom left a lasting impression and inspired them to channel their efforts into creating a winning project that would make a real difference. Congratulations to the team on this remarkable achievement and to New Freedom for their ongoing commitment to breaking the cycle of generational incarceration!

After the first meeting with the students Kyle decided to introduce the team to the New Freedom Projects Media Team leader Brain Reinhart. From here Brian and the media team began working with Jaylen, Reyna, and Heather from Marcos de Niza on the project.

Kyle Harless, Donald Lyons, Wayne Noyce, Jaylen, and Reyna.

Donald Lyons, Camille, Jaylen, and Reyna.

The Spotlight is on You New Freedom!

Posted 12/07/2022

We are excited to announce that New Freedom and New Freedom Project are going to be working with the students at Marcos De Niza high school and DECA to do a few fun things around the facility.

Let’s start with what is DECA and what they do in high school?

DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.

What are these exciting projects that DECA and New Freedom are working on?

The students at Marcos De Niza, DECA, and our Media Team are going to be filming a commercial on site about New Freedom and New Freedom Project.

The Marcos De Niza students will also gain experience with working in the real-life environment of Digital and Social Media Marketing. In 2023 they will go hands-on with assisting our Media and Marketing Dept here at New Freedom in creating fun and engaging marketing materials and learn what it takes to track all metrics that can be gained from a specific campaign.

The students have created what they are calling GOD’S CLOSET. They have gone above and beyond sourcing clothing for our members and will be setting up shop here at New Freedom to distribute much needed work clothing and more.

And last but not least they will be doing a report on this project. They are requesting to hear from some of our alumni, staff, and volunteers. Persons from the submissions will be selected to be in the commercial and have a feature in the report.

The ultimate goal for the students of Marcos De Niza is to win the state competition or even better the international competition.

Deca Day of service

Posted 12/10/2022

Today Brian Reinhart, Wayne Giles, Wayne Noyce, and Rodney Entin attend the Deca’s Day of Service at Marcos de Niza High School/Tempe Union High School District with teacher Heather David Castañón, and students Reyna, Jaelyn and All of us at New Freedom/New Freedom Project/Position of Neutrality share the heartfelt mission of breaking the cycle. The goal of the students is to help their fellows understand how to break out of generational incarceration history.

Brian Reinhart and Jaylen at Deca Days event at Marcos de Niza.

Behind the scenes at thredz

Posted 12/10/2022

Behind the scenes at Marcos de Niza/Tempe Union High School district, Brian Reinhart, Wayne Giles, Wayne Noyce, and Rodney Entin talk with Reyna and Jaelyn about Theadz and what they have so far for our members through the God’s closet program.

The students have collected over 1800 pieces of clothing to date
They also have collected over 300 holiday mugs for New Freedom and New Freedom Project members to enjoy some hot coco in December of 2022.

Heather David Castañón, Jaylen, and team getting clothes ready for the members at New freedom.

The Inspiration with heather

Posted 12/13/2022

Heather Castanon, Brian Reinhart, and team talk about where the inspiration for the Deca, Marcos de Niza, Tempe Union High School District and New Freedom collaboration on Breaking the Cycle of generational incarceration.

Heather David Castañón and Brian Reinhart at Threadz at Marcos de Niza.

the mission

Posted 12/14/2022

After our visit to Marcos de Niza we decided to collaborate on a few exciting new projects for the coming year check them out below:

The Deca International giving competition
The God’s Closet Project
- The students have collected over 1800 pieces of clothing for our New Freedom members
- 300 Mugs for the members to enjoy hot coco in the holiday season
The students will be learning what it takes to create a digital marketing campaign
They will learn how to track all the metrics that come along with digital marketing using tools like
- Google Analytics
- Facebook Analytics Native Tools
- Google Tag Manager
- YouTube Analytics Native Tools
- They will be creating the all new New Freedom Instagram account
- Help distribute and manage content for the following planforms
  - TikTok – YouTube – Facebook – WordPress – Podcast Planforms – and More
Content Creation
Content Distribution

setting up god's closet at new freedom

Posted 12/21/2022

The students from Marcos de Niza showed up on-site at New Freedom to set up the pop-up shop for God’s closet inside the lobby on New Freedom. They were very excited as they got to engage with our members and learn about their journey reintegrating back into society. “I witnessed tears come down members faces as they learned what these students had done for them and began to understand that the community saw them and wanted to support them through their journey.” Brian Reinhart The students collected over 1800 pieces of men’s and women’s clothing for the members to choose from. They also collected over 300 mugs and furnished our members with hot coca for the holidays.

Heather David Castañón, Joe McDonald, Brian Reinhart, Jaylen, and Reyna.

The art students from Macros de Niza made some art work for the New Freedom members to help provide them with hope.

Posted 12/21/2022

Thank You art students from the members at new freedom

The art department at Marcos de Niza High School was given the important task of creating art pieces that would inspire hope in the New Freedom members. This was a meaningful opportunity for the students to use their artistic talents to make a positive impact on the community.

The resulting collection of art pieces is now proudly displayed in the New Freedom lobby, where they serve as a powerful reminder of the transformative power of hope. The pieces are designed to uplift and inspire those who are currently navigating the difficult process of reintegrating back into society after incarceration.

Through their work, the students demonstrated a deep understanding of the challenges faced by New Freedom members and were able to channel that understanding into creative expressions of hope and resilience. Their efforts have helped to create a supportive environment in which individuals can feel seen, heard, and valued.

Overall, the project has been a tremendous success, and the art pieces created by the students have had a profound impact on both the New Freedom members and the broader community. By using their talents to spread hope and positivity, the art department at Marcos de Niza has helped to make a real difference in the lives of those who need it most.

These are just a few of these pieces the full vision board can be found hanging in the New Freedom lobby.