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Author: Better Life Admin

  • Black Lives Matter

    Black Lives Matter in white text on black background in a lighter frame on a black background. Photo by Brett Sayles via Pexels.com
    Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com

    I had promised to begin laying out the pathway for Reintegration in this update, beginning with a basic explanation of what it means for Better Life to be a FCRP (Faith Community Integration Project), but I want to hit pause on that for a moment to reflect on the historical moment we’re currently witnessing.

    I’ll begin by acknowledging that I grew up white and privileged in Vancouver, BC, Canada, and I have no firsthand understanding of what African Americans are experiencing, nor of the racial injustices other people in North America experience.

    Over the past weeks, I’ve realized I need to listen and have a posture of recognizing not only just how much I don’t understand, but that if I don’t understand, I can’t take meaningful action—which, ultimately, is what I want to do.


    Here are some of the valuable voices that have guided me to that realization and helped me start to listen and learn:

    1. Dr. Clint Smith, an African American writer, teacher, and researcher, speaking in this TED radio podcast episode
    2. A number of books, including:
      1. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
      2. The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege by Ken Wytsma
      3. How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
      4. White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
      5. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
      6. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    3. And “How to Make this Moment the Turning Point for Real Change” by Barak Obama on Medium

    Now, you may be asking why I’m sharing resources and dedicating this edition to #blacklivesmatter. Here’s my motive:

    Better Life Integration & Support Society is all about justice.

    Not the limited view of justice that calls for exacting “an eye for an eye,” but true justice that recognizes the immeasurable worth of every human being.

    The work of Better Life—the vocation, even—is all about supporting true justice and, most significantly, justice within the practice of faith.

    Let me be clear: Better Life exists to help people from all faith backgrounds find community within their faith community.

    But at the same time, I practice, communicate, and lead out of my faith as a devoted follower of Jesus. And this is what’s so significant for me when it comes to our current cultural reality. It’s what has far-reaching influence on the work we do with men and women and faith communities as Better Life.

    It’s as simple and complex as this: Jesus—who from the Christian perspective is the Son of God come into the world to suffer and die for humankind so that, in and through Him, we can experience the love, forgiveness, and grace of God—said:

    For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)

    Injustice is rampant in so many parts of our world, and the atrocities that have been committed against African Americans in the United States just over the past few weeks alone have been heart wrenching.

    I want to be a part of the solution. Better Life wants to be a part of the solution, as we help men and women who have been incarcerated to experience being a productive and contributing member of their community.

    I definitely don’t have all the answers, other than to say: Jesus gives us a model, a way to listen, and a way to love, a way to engage with everyone around us.

    I recommit myself, along with our chaplains at Better Life, to continue to engage with others—all others, inclusive of every race, sex, and faith background—from a posture of serving, as we continue to listen and learn from their experiences.

    And, particularly in this moment, I want to affirm that Black Lives Matter.

    Sincerely,

    Adam Wiggins

    General Director | Lead Chaplain

  • Dreaming for a Renewed Life—Bob Goff at San Quentin

    Photo by Robert So on Pexels.com

    For the past year, Bob and friends have been regularly visiting the inmates at San Quentin State Prison just north of San Francisco. Although the context is for Bob to teach a modified Dream Big workshop, the inmates have been the real teachers. They are living examples of grace, redemption, respect, and the courage to dream again.

    Maybe you find yourself stuck in the circumstances of your life. Listen in to this thoughtful conversation between Bob Goff and Kevin (a.k.a. ‘Special Kay’), Vincent, and Brandon and be inspired by the courage of the inmates to dream for a new life. 

    Listen to the podcast here.

  • “Physical” Distancing

    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

    I love when someone says something that brings clarity.

    One of my favourite educators, Tim Elmore, made the valuable distinction between social distancing and physical distancing in a recent episode of his Leading the Next Generation podcasts.

    What Elmore observed is that “social” distancing—a term being widely communicated during this season of pandemic—is actually not a good description of what we’re being asked to do, and may even be harmful for our mental health.

    What he’s referring to is this widespread sense of unease as we try to cope with our new pandemic-influenced reality, and how that translates into how we interact with each other.

    Or perhaps even how we ignore each other.

    You may have experienced, like I have, people literally turning themselves away as they pass by. No eye contact. No acknowledgement.

    It’s an unsettling experience.

    The distinction Elmore makes so well is that this is absolutely a time for “physical” distancing.

    We need to make a concerted effort to put more space than we’re used to between each other to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19, limit exposure, and keep cases to a trickle rather than a river until a vaccine is available.

    However, while all of that is true,

    social engagement and relational closeness are more important than ever.

    I was impacted by this idea again as I listened to a podcast interview by Tim Ferriss with Dr. Vivek Murthy, a former U.S. Surgeon General.

    What I found so relevant in that interview was the idea that, in this cultural moment, we’re experiencing a loneliness crisis on a global scale.

    Loneliness—a lack of meaningful connection with others—impacts us physically, in terms of our health and longevity, but also—and this is especially relevant when we think about incarceration—in Dr. Murthy’s words:

    loneliness is “a root cause and contributor to many of the epidemics sweeping the world today, from alcohol and drug addiction to violence to depression and anxiety.”

    So, let me encourage you today to recognize the distinction between “social” distancing (harmful if taken literally) and “physical” distancing (essential in flattening the COVID-19 pandemic curve).

    Perhaps you can be a catalyst for helping the people around you experience connection in creative ways.

    In fact, I’ll end with this:

    Dr. Murthy, in his book, Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World, recommends four key strategies to “help us weather this crisis, but also to heal our social world far into the future.”

    1. Spend time each day with those you love.

      Devote at least 15 minutes each day to connecting with those you most care about. (In this season of pandemic use the ‘tools of connection’ – video, phone, conversation with appropriate physical distance).
    2. Focus on each other.

      Forget about multitasking and give the other person the gift of your full attention, making eye contact, if possible, and genuinely listening.
    3. Embrace solitude.

      The first step toward building stronger connections with others is to build a stronger connection with oneself. Meditation, prayer, art, music, and time spent outdoors can all be sources of solitary comfort and joy.
    4. Help and be helped.

      Service is a form of human connection that reminds us of our value and purpose in life. Checking on a neighbour, seeking advice, even just offering a smile to a stranger six feet away, all can make us stronger.

    Wishing you well,

    Adam Wiggins

    General Director | Lead Chaplain

  • Informational Brochure

    A printable informational/promotional resource:

    Better Life Informational Brochure outside
    Better Life Informational Brochure inside
    Better Life Brochure-Print QualityDownload
    Better Life Brochure-shareableDownload

  • Calling All Volunteers!

    Better Life Integration and Support is a volunteer movement whose mission is to develop and deliver faith-based social and restorative justice programs that foster community safety and mitigate the impact of crime on those who suffer from its consequences.

    Photo by Anni Roenkae on Pexels.com

    This is a very strange season! On a personal level, social distancing and the restrictions it brings seem surreal.

    When it comes to Better Life, however, the current restrictions (in particular, having no access to Federal Corrections Institutions!) represent challenges, but not barriers.

    What I mean by that is that men and women within Corrections, whether they be in an institution, or out on parole, are having a very similar, if not more unsettling and uncertain experience than even the general population.

    Therefore, this isn’t a time for Better Life and our volunteers to step away, but rather to lean in. In this season our support means more than ever!

    The news media and our conversations with Corrections Canada have also made us aware that the threat of COVID-19 may mean non-violent offenders and men and women who are nearing their parole may be released early.

    We’re not yet sure what this will mean logistically (where will they go? who will be ready to accommodate them?), but we need to be prepared for a significant number of men and women who will need our support.

    While we cannot physically enter any of the Corrections Institutions (Institutional Chaplains have recently been laid off, as well as those considered nonessential Institutional staff, to reduce the potential for introduction and spread of COVID-19), we do have a number of avenues of support available to us:

    For those we already have a relationship with inside the institutions, we are sending postcards to let them know we’re thinking of them, and to provide contact information to them.

    For those who are already on parole, we are meeting (in person, when it’s possible to practicing safe social distancing), and also connecting over the phone and through video (Zoom calls, etc.)

    Again, the uncertainty of our time compels us to offer an even greater level of support.

    If you’ve volunteered with Better Life in the past, or would like to find out more about volunteering, please contact us at admin@betterlife.email


    We would love you to join us again in our Better Life commitment to develop and deliver faith-based social and restorative justice programs that foster community safety and mitigate the impact of crime on those who suffer from its consequences.

  • New General Director: Adam Wiggins

    It gives me great pleasure to take on the position of General Director at Better Life Integration & Support Society.

    Over the coming months, I’ll be posting a “Thought of the Week” about the many different parts that go into helping men and women who are coming out of correctional facilities to experience a better life.

    But for today, I want to focus on one point:

    A better life is possible for each of us.

    I haven’t experienced the extreme challenges of being incarcerated and the many obstacles to experiencing a better life upon release. But I do know firsthand that life is messy and full of challenges that often seem overwhelming—even insurmountable.

    To share some of my own story, my parents were divorced when I was a child, and I was raised by single mom. My dad’s second wife suffered debilitating mental illness and committed suicide at a very young age. I developed a deep mistrust of people—even the very people I should have been able to trust.

    I preferred to be around animals because I believed they wouldn’t let me down, and though my teenage years were filled with turbulence, I worked toward a future in Veterinary Medicine. However, I continued to experience significant pain, especially when a girlfriend proved to be unfaithful. My mistrust of people was again reinforced.

    Though I was pursuing my dream, I felt like I carried the weight of the world on my shoulders. I would often imagine the worst case scenarios and had the crushing sense that ultimately I alone was responsible for experiencing a better life.

    What became a game changer for me was an encounter with God.

    Faith in God provided traction and direction in my life in so many different areas. The stability that came from my relationship with God and a community of faith began to develop and reinforce my ability to trust in people and experience meaningful and healthy relationships.

    My experience, even though it may be radically different that yours, gives me the confidence to offer you the hope that faith and a personal connection with a faith community provides.

    At Better Life, we understand our role as that of a facilitator.

    Our Vision is that every individual who wishes to be in a faith-based mentorship relationship would have access to it.

    If that vision resonates with you, please get in touch to discuss volunteer opportunities via info@betterlifecanada.org or 778-807-6520, or consider making a donation to support our work.

    Please also don’t hesitate to reach out to us if our support can be of value to you, and please stay tuned. I’ll be posting a recurring blog series digging into how faith and a relationship with a faith community really is a game changer for a better life.

    Adam Wiggins

    General Director

  • New Website Launch

    Better Life has been in the process of redesigning its website and branding and it’s finally here!

    Redeveloped Better Life website

    Welcome to our new website. Come check it out and have a look around. We are thrilled to share it with you. We will have this news section to share updates and what is happening with Better Life as well as an events section. We will be able to post any events and trainings hosted by Better Life.

    “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

    Thank you for continuing to support Better Life. Together we can make a big impact.

    Volunteers and Resources

    Currently the volunteers and resources sections are under construction. We are working to get these launched soon. Thanks for patience and we are thrilled to be able to provide these resources for you soon.