CONNECT10P BELT: Bridging Emotional Literacy and Transition—Family-Centered Reentry for Women Firefighters
BELT: Bridging Emotional Literacy and Transition is a groundbreaking, family-centered reentry initiative for women firefighters at Malibu Conservation Camp 13. By integrating families and friends into a trauma-informed, year-long curriculum, BELT empowers system-impacted women to heal, rebuild relationships, and develop the emotional skills essential for successful reentry—lighting the way for a new era of rehabilitation in California.
What is the primary issue area that your application will impact?
Wildfire relief
In which areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
Other
In what stage of innovation is this project, program, or initiative?
Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)
What is your understanding of the issue that you are seeking to address?
Women incarcerated as firefighters face dual traumas—incarceration and the physical/emotional toll of firefighting. Reentry is compounded by strained family ties, unresolved trauma, and societal stigma. Traditional reentry programs rarely address these intersections or actively involve family/friends in healing.
Describe the project, program, or initiative this grant will support to address the issue.
BELT is a year-long, trauma-informed curriculum for women at Malibu Conservation Camp 13 and their families. The 10P New California Family Model integrates family/friends into the self-help setting, fostering mutual understanding and healing. Facilitated by trauma-informed staff with lived experience, sessions cover emotional literacy, communication, conflict resolution, and reentry skills. Peer-led facilitation ensures trust and relatability. The program aims to repair family bonds, reduce recidivism, and empower women to thrive post-release. Approved by CDCR and recognized by the California Senate, the 10P Program is the first program in California to formally integrate family/friends into reentry for system-impacted women firefighters (or anyone else). 10P Facilitators will provide on-site programming bi-weekly.
Describe how Los Angeles County will be different if your work is successful.
LA County will set a new standard for family-centered rehabilitation, with women and families empowered to heal and reintegrate. Recidivism will decrease, family resilience will rise, and the model will be replicated statewide, transforming reentry for system-impacted populations. LA County will also be modeling the act of showing care and concern, for the mental and emotional well-being of the Malibu Miracles, a small group of incarcerated female firefighters perched on a hill in Malibu that rush to the frontline any time LA County is threatened by wildfires.
Approximately how many people will be impacted by this project, program, or initiative?
Direct Impact: 40
Indirect Impact: 400