In order to do the best preparation possible, we would like information from as many folks in our community as we can get in the next week or so. Committees have already begun to meet to plan various dimensions of the program, but WE NEED YOUR INPUT.  We are hoping that lots of people can attend and be actively involved in the event.

Members of the Inside-Out network are being asked to send/submit their feedback to the 25th Anniversary Committee for consideration as final plans are being discussed. Please complete the survey no later than Monday, November 21.

The Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness, in partnership with the Samuel Family Foundation, hosted their 2022 Global Symposium in Toronto, Canada from October 22 to 25, 2022. Under the theme “Imagination & Action: Building Systems of Belonging,” the Global Symposium brought together people from around the world united in a common mission: to build a world that is focused on belonging and connection.

This fascinating panel - featuring Lori Pompa, Cliff Fregin, Angie Osachoff, and Destin Bujan - explored how people are using innovation to foster belonging in diverse areas through community partnerships. During this afternoon panel moderated by Samer Muscati, the group discussed how the Right To Belong underpins connections within and between communities to foster change. Lori Pompa talked about how The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program creates belonging among "inside" and "outside" students through transformative educational experiences. (Above)

John Pace (left), Inside-Out staff member and April Lee (right), Inside-Out Coach, both formerly incarcerated and alumni of Inside-Out, participated in two additional panels during the symposium to discuss how Inside-Out creates a sense of belonging through access to education inside correctional facilities.

A handful of Inside-Out coaches and other alumni joined with Rising Scholars on a panel discussion about higher education in PA at Villanova University on November 4th. They also facilitated breakout sessions during the daylong event. The meeting was part of the PA Consortium of Higher Education's Annual Meeting which was held in person for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. Efrain Marimon, from Penn State, and Coralynn Davis, from Bucknell — both Inside-Out instructors — worked with the PA-CHEP Steering Committee, Kate Meloney from Villanova, and a team of others to develop and conduct the day. 

Nearly 50 stakeholders, including representatives of university prison programs, state and federal prisons, Inside-Out instructors, Inside-Out alumni, reentry organizations, and people impacted by the justice system, came together to share and learn about college education in prisons, Pell, and reentry efforts going on across Pennsylvania.

— Ann Schwartzman

In the Summer 2022, Molly Robinson, associate professor of French, completed The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program’s Instructor Training, thanks to a faculty grant from the Mellon Foundation and the Center for Community and Global Health.

The interview was conducted by Molly Gibbons, an Inside-Out intern also from Lewis & Clark, who took the instructor training as part of their Mellon Grant, in partnership with Inside-Out.

Campus Compact has announced 15 faculty and staff selected as the '22-'23 cohort of Engaged Scholars. Inside-Out Instructor Delphia Shanks of Hendrix College was among those selected.
Congratulations from all of us at Inside-Out!

“Those lessons melted the prison walls away for me. When we stepped in the classroom, we were all just students, together as peers. We turned in weekly homework and discussed topics such as prison reform and what social justice means to someone who may never be free.” 

-- Inside Student, Jeffrey Shockley

• All 2023 trainings will be held virtually.
• Formerly incarcerated coaches were hired and will continue to be a central component of the training experience.
• It may seem somewhat counterintuitive to hold online trainings for an experience that, by its nature, is so hands-on, however, to date we have held 17 virtual trainings and they have been very successful. 
• If we determine that any of the trainings can be held in person, we will get the word around immediately.
• Please share the training brochure below with those in your network who may be interested in becoming involved. 
• If you are attending a conference in the next year, please consider sharing the information about the Inside-Out trainings with your colleagues and network.
• We have held several trainings that were focused on an individual university's interest in expanding what they can offer to their students. We are more than happy to work with other universities to develop a specialized training that meets your needs.