GEM kicked off its Pearl Program on Saturday, July 6, 2013 by taking 8 girls to a women’s prison in Gatesville, Texas to visit their mothers.  The enhanced visits take place from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. once a month.  The first lesson covered the topic of “Building Healthy Relationships” with a focus on “Communication.”  As part of the lesson the mothers and daughters got the chance to interview each other.  GEM Founder and Chair, Brittany K. Byrd says that the lesson and visit “went very well” with a lot of “much needed open and honest dialogue.”

The purpose of the Pearl Program is to lessen the impact of maternal separation due to incarceration by establishing, strengthening, and sustaining the mother-daughter relationship during the mother’s incarceration through enhanced visitation and increased communication opportunities.

Upon the mother’s release from prison, mothers and daughters are encouraged to remain actively involved with GEM, by volunteering and sharing their insight and experiences with current participants—making “Breaking the Cycle – Building the Bond” a consistent theme in their lives.