Who We Are
Project Avary is a national leader in supporting children with incarcerated parents.
Children of incarcerated parents are often overlooked. We make sure they are seen, supported, and empowered.
Why Support Matters: Filling a Gap in Service
Children with incarcerated parents face deep challenges, including grief, stigma, household instability, and future risk of justice-system involvement. Yet, they are often overlooked by traditional support systems, falling through the cracks of education, mental health services, traditional philanthropy and youth development programs.
Finding Strength and Healing in Community
True healing happens in community. At Project Avary, we create safe spaces where youth connect with mentors and peers who understand their experiences. Through long-term relationships, leadership development, and shared experiences, they find belonging, build confidence, and learn to navigate life’s challenges with strength and resilience.
Building Leadership and Connection in Nature
For over 25 years, Project Avary’s Outdoor Leadership Program has provided Bay Area and Northern California youth with experiences that build confidence, resilience, and leadership. Through activities such as hiking, kayaking, surfing and team challenges, they develop problem-solving skills, learn to work together, and push past their limits. These outdoor experiences help youth develop the mindset and skills to navigate life’s challenges and take on leadership roles within Project Avary and their own communities.
A National Community of Support & Belonging
Youth with incarcerated parents often feel isolated, with few people who understand their experience. Our National Support Groups provide a space where they can connect, share openly, and support one another, no matter where they live. Led by trained facilitators with lived-experience with parental incarceration, these online groups offer mentorship, community, and a sense of belonging that helps youth heal and grow together.
Real impact. Lasting change.
90% of Project Avary youth show measurable growth in leadership, emotional regulation, and resilience. Our long-term support model is changing lives.
Resilience in action
Their Voices, Their Stories.
Meet the young leaders who have grown through Project Avary and see the impact in their own words.
“My experience with Project Avary has been so special. For the first time in my life, I knew that I didn’t have to feel shameful about my mom’s incarceration. For the first time ever, I was surrounded by other kids sharing a similar story to mine, and I knew that I wasn’t being judged. They just get me, and I’m so grateful!”
