The Homegirls Anonymous curriculum
Recovery has a rhythm: tell the truth, accept what cannot be changed, act on what can, repair what is safe, practice daily, and reach back. The 12 Moves apply that rhythm to belonging, gangs, reentry, relationships, family patterns, education, and work. Every one of them is marked in Homegirl under the chapter where Takisha learned it. Read the book as a story, or work it as the curriculum.
Not a copy. Not a clinical program.
Homegirls Anonymous is informed by the durable strengths of peer recovery: honesty, accountability, fellowship, reflection, repair, service, and daily practice.
It does not reproduce the Twelve Steps or Celebrate Recovery curriculum, and participation is not a substitute for licensed treatment or crisis care.
No performance. No minimizing. Name the present before planning the future.
Write the facts of your current situation without excuses or insults.
What I Know — The Prayer
“I had run out of evidence that I could save myself, and I finally said so.”
Identify the person, pattern, substance, fear, or need that kept making decisions for you.
Separate what happened to you from what still has control over you.
What I Know — Fourteen and Twenty
“The fear was doing the choosing. It was not me.”
A whole new life is too large for one day. Choose the next action you can finish.
Turn one overwhelming goal into a call, form, appointment, or conversation.
What I Know — Nobody Is Coming to Save You
“One door, one counter, one kid at a time.”
Warnings are information. Learn to recognize danger before it becomes familiar again.
Name the earliest warning you ignored in a past situation and what you will do next time.
What I Know — Red Flags Are Not a Carnival
“Believe the warning the first time.”
Accountability is honest. Shame says the worst thing you did is all you are.
Write one sentence of responsibility and one sentence of possibility.
What I Know — The Two Options
“I was not innocent. I was also not beyond saving.”
You did not choose everything handed to you. You can choose what leaves your hands.
Identify one family or street pattern that ends with you.
What I Know — The Curse
“I did not get to choose my inheritance. I get to choose what I leave.”
Apologize, make amends, and correct what you can without creating new harm.
Choose one repair, boundary, or honest conversation and prepare it with support.
What I Know — Self-Correct
“I could not keep the money and go to sleep.”
Belonging matters. Choose people whose loyalty does not require harm, silence, or prison.
Map who tells you the truth, who shows up, and who helps you move forward.
What I Know — The Village
“Belonging is not enough. Ask where it is taking you.”
Systems have unwritten rules. Not knowing them is not the same as lacking ability.
Ask what step, document, deadline, or vocabulary nobody explained.
What I Know — The Hidden Curriculum
“Not knowing the system did not mean I lacked ability.”
Progress is not a straight line. Notice the drift, tell the truth, and adjust again.
Review the week: what worked, what changed, and what needs a different plan?
Chapter 23 — Course Correction
“A person can change direction from wherever they are standing.”
Your story carries knowledge. Boundaries, preparation, and method help it serve others.
Name what your experience taught you—and where your experience ends.
Chapter 27 — Lived Experience Is Expertise, Not the Whole Job
“I have to know where my own experience ends.”
Help somebody behind you while protecting the life you have built.
Offer one practical handoff, introduction, or honest warning without taking over.
What I Know — The Bus Going in Circles
“Ride the route with them once. Know your own paper first.”
A repeatable circle
Designed for a trained facilitator and a room where participants keep the right to pass.
A grounding question and a clear reminder of confidentiality and choice.
A short story or teaching drawn from lived experience—never trauma performed for the room.
Guided reflection, paired conversation, or a practical worksheet.
Each participant names one action small enough to complete before the next circle.
Resources, safety check, and a handoff when the need belongs with a professional.
The line matters
Facilitators are not asked to diagnose, investigate, promise secrecy when safety is at risk, or carry a participant’s crisis alone.