At-Risk Youth
"When you lose your dream, you die. There are a lot of people walking around dead, and don’t even know it."
—Unknown
"When you lose your dream, you die. There are a lot of people walking around dead, and don’t even know it."
—Unknown
It’s been widely reported that many young people within the American corrections system have a history of underlying issues, including mental health problems, broken homes, exposure to poverty and violence, and lack of access to education, healthcare, and food. With prisons and detention centers experiencing overcrowding, American recidivism rates being some of the highest in the world, and limited resources available to offer comprehensive rehabilitation, many inmates are left with little hope for their futures.
Daniel Armstrong has spent more than two decades addressing this complex issue, offering juveniles the promise of a better tomorrow with his honest, empathetic, and innovative approach to personal transformation. At its core, the Find A Tree program is all about starting where you are with what you have, and always forging forward in the face of adversity. These are values Daniel instills in the participants he works with, while helping to develop valuable life skills through live exercises and one-on-one mentorship. The results speak for themselves, with former offenders and administrators alike praising Daniel for providing all youth, regardless of circumstances or background, a pathway to a better life and the tools to make it happen.
Daniel speaks with juvenile inmates about goals, healing, and transformation.
Juvenile inmates at the Fred C. Nelles Youth Correctional Facility in Whittier, California shot this video. When one inmate shared his dream of "one day" being a filmmaker, Daniel Armstrong, the creator of the Find A Tree program, challenged this juvenile offender not to wait, but to start by making his first film while incarcerated. This video shows how Daniel Armstrong and his Find A Tree program changed the lives of incarcerated youth.
“I have never seen or been involved with a program as powerful and productive as Find A Tree. The program has successfully developed the talents and gifts of each participant by helping them to live their dreams.”
Patrick Czarny
Counselor
California Youth Authority
Whittier, California
“The Find A Tree program has rekindled in my students the ability to once again dream and believe in themselves.”
Miriam Broadnex
Life Skills Teacher
Johnson Community Day School
Los Angeles, California
“My homeboys taught me how to be a gang member, but Find A Tree taught me how to be a responsible man and to go after the things that I want.”
Darwin Ramirez
Former Inmate Fred C. Nelles
Youth Correctional Institution
Find A Tree Graduate
Los Angeles, California
For questions and more information, please contact Daniel through email. If you would like to stay in touch with Daniel, please let him know and leave your email address.
