“The guys from the gangs are used to risking everything. So, when you give them a chance to do something positive in life and they take it, they become an extraordinary force.”
ALBERTO VOLLMER, CEO, SANTA TERESA
Santa Teresa 1796: Great Rum, Greater Purpose
Over the past 227 years, Santa Teresa has always been committed to making a positive impact in its community. Undoubtedly, the most emblematic of Santa Teresa’s many initiatives emerged from danger and darkness.
In 2003, a group of gang members broke into the Hacienda and ambushed a security guard. The criminals were given two options: The choice to transform their lives and become an active force of the Santa Teresa Family or deal with the consequences of their actions at the hands of the law. The men accepted the offer and Project Alcatraz was born.
Project Alcatraz is a program, led by the Santa Teresa Foundation, that recruits criminal gangs, rehabilitates them, and reinserts them into society. It combines vocational training, the formation of values, psychological support, and the sport of rugby. Through rugby, they learn the values of respect, discipline, teamwork, sportsmanship, and humility - values that are key to transforming these lives with positive redirection.
To this day, Project Alcatraz has recruited 11 gangs with more than 200 former members, and the Project has programs that run across 35 Venezuelan prisons. The Project also has a prevention program that impacts more than 2,000 kids, teaching them important life lessons through rugby, every day at the Hacienda.
Since its initiation 20 years ago, Project Alcatraz has continued to work on crime prevention and the social reinsertion of former prisoners and gang members. To this day, it has accomplished:
● The dismantling of 11 criminal gangs in Venezuela, without the use of violence.
● The reintegration of 216 young men from these gangs into society.
● Presence in 21 male and 14 female penitentiary centers, with 71% of Venezuelan prisons embracing the discipline and values of rugby through Project Alcatraz.
● The establishment of the first female penitentiary rugby team in the world.
● With over 10 international awards for its work, Project Alcatraz has served as a case study in places like Harvard University.
To learn more about Project Alcatraz, visit https://fundacionsantateresa.org/en/