National Affiliates and the Sycamore Tree Project®

News items highlighting the Sycamore Tree Project®.

Sycamore Tree Programme from Prison Fellowship England and Wales

In this four minute video, members of Prison Fellowship England and Wales share about restorative justice and the ministry's adaptation of the Sycamore Tree Proejct (R).

Sycamore Tree Project® from a Victim’s Perspective

Recently, Martin Howard, Sycamore Tree Project® (STP) facilitator in Australia, and Ross Thompson, a victim participant, spoke about their experience in an 18 minute radio interview. Ross spoke of the impact of losing his son in a brutal murder.

Sycamore Tree Project® in Fiji’s Women’s Correctional Centre

“Having female inmates as part of the course has been an eye opening experience for all of us,” said PF Fiji’s executive director Dan Savou after facilitating his second Sycamore Tree Project® (STP) course. The course, which ran in the Women’s Correctional Centre in late 2011, included eleven female prisoners and two victims.

Sycamore Tree Project® report from Australia

From the article by Martin Howard: Once again the Sycamore Tree Project® was able to achieve remarkable outcomes in the lives of inmates and crime victims during the latest program run in late 2011.

Sycamore Tree Project®: A prison chaplain describes the impact

Shawn Verhey works as prison chaplain at Thorn Cross Young Offender Institution in England. In this interview, he describes the powerful impact of Prison Fellowship England and Wales' Sycamore Tree Project® for both prisoners and victims.

PF Bahamas launches the Sycamore Tree Project®

On 3 November, PF Bahamas held the first session of the Sycamore Tree Project®(STP) after six months of preparatory work. As a part of the programme launch, the national ministry, along with the Bahamas Prison Service, hosted an opening ceremony attended by the Commissioner of Prisons and the Minister for Social Development. With permission of the six victim and six prisoner participants, several press organisations also sent representatives to the opening ceremony.

Introducing the Sycamore Tree Project® from PF England & Wales

Ciaran Nagle, a PF England and Wales volunteer, describes the Sycamore Tree Project® as run by PF England and Wales. In so doing, he tells the story of one prisoner participant who had a profound experience in the programme.

Forgiveness is a powerful thing

From the October 2011 issue of PF England & Wales' Voices newsletter: Jo became a victim of crime when her brother was murdered by two youths. She now volunteers as a victim of crime on Sycamore Tree and here she tells us her story:

Sycamore Tree and its legacy in Rwanda

PF Rwanda first implemented its adaptation of the Sycamore Tree Project® -- the Umuvumu Tree Project – in 2002 in response to the continuing tensions and trauma related to the 1994 genocide. As of May 2011, 45,000 prisoners and 10,000 community members have participated in the programme resulting in statements of forgiveness and acts of reconciliation. In the words of one participant, “It is amazing how victims and perpetrators can come together today and have discussions about the past, present, and future without fear.”

Sycamore Tree Project® launched in Germany

In June 2011, PF Germany ran its first Sycamore Tree Project® (STP) in its juvenile offender programme in Seehaus Leonberg.

Former IFM and MEF members attend Sycamore Tree counseling session in Malaita.

From the article by Prison Fellowship Solomon Islands: At the welcome ceremony, one of the former Malaita Eagle force members better known as “Kernal” admitted to Joe Sangu that during the ethnic crisis, he had Joe Sangu and Harold Kekes name written on two packets of ammunition that he reserved for no one else but Joe and Harold. “Today I thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to stand before you and confess the truth about what hatred the devil can deceive us with. I welcome you and our fellow brothers from Guadalcanal to our communities in North Malaita and ask you to please forgive me for harbouring such evil thoughts in my heart for you and brother Harold.” In response Joe said “Kernal, you and I are sinners, we must continue to appreciate Gods unfailing love. God forgive us so I must give you my forgiveness”.

Former MEF, paramilitary and IFM apologise at Totongo and the Aola East Guadalcanal

From the article by Prison Fellowship Solomon Islands: Former members of the MEF, Paramilitary and IFM apologised to individuals, families and communities of Totongo and Aola for their actions over the ethnic tension experience. Thanks to the Sycamore Tree Ministry’s facilitated counselling sessions effected at Totongo and Aola east of Guadalcanal which ran from 8th to 15th June 2011.

Sycamore Tree helps restore broken relationships

From the article by Prison Fellowship Solomon Islands: The realization of responsibilities to God and to each other as the Sycamore Tree counselling sessions were effected led to the effecting of reconciliations that took effect between John Taloi (who is part Malaitan) and his relatives on his mother’s family over the death of his cousin when Guadalcanal militants exchange fire with the police at the height of the ethnic tension.

Ray and Vi Donovan Under the shade of a sycamore tree...

Ray and Violet Donovan made national headlines in 2001 when they made the decision to forgive the youths who murdered their son Christopher

Following an STP facilitator in England and Wales

Penny Parker began working with the Sycamore Tree Project®in a large London Prison about six years ago. In late February, she began a blog describing her experiences facilitating the Sycamore Tree course. Each article offers a glimpse into the programme sessions as run by PF England and Wales.

STP participants get chance to help the community

A new initiative in Scotland’s Addiewell prison will provide prisoners completing the Sycamore Tree Project®(STP) an opportunity to serve the community. The Timebank allows community members to “deposit” time credits through providing a practical service to others. They can then “withdraw” services from the bank at a later date. The partnership with Addiewell prison will allow prisoners to deposit credits into the Timebank by forgoing payment for one session of education or work each month.

Sycamore Tree Project® relaunched in Northern Ireland

After years of prayer and working with the Prison Service, PF Northern Ireland relaunched the Sycamore Tree Project®in Magilligan Prison. This first course to run in the country since 2008 served six men with four of them receiving certificates from the Open College Network for their participation. According to facilitator Joe Cassells – a first time prison volunteer – the course had an obvious impact on the participants’ attitudes with “sullenness turned to seriousness and cynicism to engagement.”

Sycamore Tree works

From Dave Walker's Blog: Sycamore Tree has challenged me as a man and changed the way I see certain things in life and I feel privileged to be a part of it. It had seemed to hit a small stumbling block recently however, when we discovered that we were going to lose the ability to operate in London prisons.

PF England & Wales volunteer answers questions about Sycamore Tree

In this three minute video, Malcolm, a PF England and Wales volunteer, responds to questions about the Sycamore Tree programme: "How do prisoners find the Sycamore Tree programme when they are first introduced to it?"; "What developments do you see in prisoners as they adapt to the Sycamore Tree programme?"; and "Some people may be reluctant to sign up to schemes such as the Sycamore Tree programme, what would your message to them be?"

"We need someone with teaching experience...": Recruiting a Sycamore Tree Project® Facilitator.

The ring of the telephone at lunchtime usually heralds either recorded messages beginning "Congratulations..”, or callers solicitous for my welfare inregard to debt, double glazing or woodworm. This particular ‘cold call’ was different.