MISSION & VISION Veterans Healing Veterans (VHV) from the Inside Out works where the military meets the criminal justice system to heal wounds that can result in suicide and incarceration among our nation's warriors. Our peer-support groups facilitate trauma healing. We envision a society equipped with the understanding, capacity and moral courage to truly leave no service member behind. HISTORY Veterans Healing Veterans from the Inside Out was founded in San Quentin State Prison in 2012 by incarcerated Marine Ron Self. In 2012, the Veterans Administration released a report stating that veteran and military suicide had outpaced combat deaths in Afghanistan. Alarmed by this statistic, inspired by the healing power in the simple act of telling one’s story, and knowing that Veterans often feel safest in each other’s company, Self launched a pilot program: a peer-to-peer support group centered on a series of writing prompts which explore the ramifications of trauma (whether from early life, military service or incarceration.) Jacques Verduin, a pioneer of prison rehabilitative programs and the Founder and Executive Director of Insight-Out, provided essential support and guidance as the program’s first Director. Veterans Healing Veterans from the Inside Out was born. Since then, the program at San Quentin has grown to include multiple peer support groups and, through partnerships with aligned organizations weekly yoga (Prison Yoga Project), theater (Marin Shakespeare Company) and expressive writing practice. Over the past few years VHV-FTIO has expanded to three new sites: Duel Vocational Institution, Tracy, CA (2016); Veterans Transition Center, Marina, CA (2017) - where the program now serves veterans undergoing transitions from military service and from prison; &, CA State Prison Solano, Vacaville, CA (2018). In 2019 we plan to expand to additional prisons in CA, and create further partnerships in the community. (Fiscal sponsorship through Insight Prison Project)
