Educational opportunities inside Oregon prisons and in the community
This is an excellent article, and very glad to see one of our University of Oregon graduates, Sterling Cunio, quoted! Books can be life-changing, and we have seen that impact in our classes, workshops, book discussions, and when people apply to take our classes.
Used paperbacks change lives behind bars, even with growing prison book bans
The PEP is participating in the University of Oregon’s 9th annual Ducks Give Fundraiser on Thursday, May 16th! During this event, you can make donations that will directly impact the PEP and unlock “Challenge Gifts” so your contribution goes even further. Check the Ducks Give website on May 16th to learn about how your donation can make the most impact possible for supporting the PEP.
Your support is invaluable as we return to the prisons, and will allow us to expand existing programs and create new opportunities. With each dollar donated, you will enhance future prospects for incarcerated people in Oregon and increase access to this remarkable educational environment for campus students, our faculty, and members of the community. Your donation demonstrates support for this innovative educational program, and its unique place on campus and in the prisons.
The above photo is of Sterling at the White House for A Summit on Arts and Culture in our Communities
At the EMU art show, people had the opportunity to view the art, provide their impressions of art to be sent to the artists, and hear from various people about the impact of art and the art show.
Former inside student and UO graduate, Sterling, did a performance of his poetry which moved the crowd. Sterling, a self described artivist (activist through art) and spoken-word poet has been taking UO classes in prison since before the Prison Education Program was officially founded. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree shortly after re-entering the community. He says that educational opportunities are among the most transformational spaces and he is honored to be part of an effort that expands life changing opportunities that increase social mobility.
Sterling started writing poetry while in solitary confinement because he felt that “on the page was the only place he could be emotional,” he went on to say that art became his therapy. Now, Sterling performs all around the country sharing the messages of hope and that the greatest social change comes from younger generations. Additionally, Sterling hopes to build the bridge between his work and educational institutions to empower change.
At the art show, Sterling performed a piece he calls Dolphin Speak. He wrote it for the Ubuntu Climate Initiative Cultural Arts Summit with the National Endowment for the Arts. He drew inspiration from the desire to perform something hopeful now that he is “no longer struggling and experiencing difficulty.” Watch his performance here.
As part of his work with the Ubuntu Climate Initiative Cultural Arts Summit, he is helping to organize an arts showcase from people’s individual video submissions. Sterling says that “this is the first national climate resilience effort that has intentionally included justice impacted people as a part of leadership efforts.” The overall goal of the contest is to “reunite people and planet in communal ways while remembering the past to move forward.” Read more about the project here. Follow the project on Instagram @ubuntuclimateinitative.
“Prison is supposed to be a rehabilitation place and isn’t, but education is,” Kyle says. Kyle, a graduating senior, has been the reentry intern with the PEP for two years. His work largely focuses on creating and expanding resources for people reentering society after being incarcerated.
Some projects Kyle has worked on include creating the reentry portion of our website which includes all sorts of resources and guides for people reentering society and creating a formalized partnership with TRIO (discussed in detail below). He hopes to leave the program with a solid framework and foundation of services as well as a network of connections around the UO campus and Eugene community that the next group of interns can work from to generate more services and opportunities for formerly incarcerated people.
While in the Lane County jail Kyle had expressed interest in educational programs to a guard, who directed him to learning opportunities there. He earned his GED in the jail through a community college program there. Kyle felt that the “natural course of action was to go to school after getting himself together,” and after release started at Lane Community College where he earned his associates degree. After that, Kyle transferred to the University of Oregon where he began his bachelor’s degree. He is currently studying Planning, Public Policy, and Management (PPPM) and got connected to the PEP through Dr. Nicole Ngo, a PPPM professor. Kyle had shared his prior experiences with Dr. Ngo and she sent the internship application to him. “PPPM is a way to give back to the community that I was once a strain on.” In this program Kyle has learned how to work with the nonprofit sector in fields such as addiction and rehabilitation and housing.
Kyle recalls the experience of returning to school as “scary, intimidating, and lonely.” He was twenty-five years removed from the school system and didn’t know how (or when) to share his experiences with faculty and other students. Kyle’s work with the PEP has largely been influenced by his desire to create resources for people starting school that he did not have access to or knowledge of.
Kyle is a current participant at Sponsors. He credits his interest in nonprofit work to his time with their program. “Sponsors is a gold standard reentry program and as good as anybody in the nation,” Kyle remarks. He saw the benefits of a well run nonprofit program as both a participant and someone wanting to improve programs and wanted to work in the field. After graduating in June, Kyle plans to continue working with the nonprofit sector to increase social services in the fields such as rehabilitation and housing.
Announcing: Prison Education Program internship applications open for our internship for the upcoming year! Applications are due April 5th by 11:59pm
The University of Oregon’s Prison Education Program is opening applications for our 2024-2025 internship. Our interns help us with all elements of our program, providing support for classes inside the prisons, distance learning, campus events, communication, research, logistics support, etc. We are seeking students who are passionate about this kind of work, will be flexible in a changing work environment, have the emotional maturity to work in difficult spaces, work as a team but also be able to do independent projects, and are able to abide by a range of rules that make our work possible. We encourage traditional and non-traditional students and people with lived experience with the justice system to apply. You must be a current, full-time UO student graduating Spring 2025 or later (current freshmen-juniors are welcome). Experience in an Inside-Out class is highly preferred but not required. Unfortunately, Graduate students with GE appointments cannot be program interns.
Interns receive a stipend of $500 per term. Required weekly program meetings are held 8:00-9:30am either Monday or Friday.
If you are interested, please apply here. A more detailed description of the position is also in the application.
Additional questions can be sent to us at uoprisoned@uoregon.edu
Join us for our 4th annual Prison Education Program art show, Hope: A Human Right. Art from both formerly and currently incarcerated individuals in Oregon will be displayed in the Erb Memorial Union Adell McMillan Gallery on the University of Oregon campus from February 4th through March 8th. You can view work and provide feedback via a comment forum to the artist anytime the EMU is open (M-F: 7a.m.–11p.m., Sat: 8a.m.–11p.m., Sun: 10a.m.–9p.m.) over the month-long gallery. The show will conclude with a reception on Thursday, Mar 7th from 6-7pm. Please consider joining us for this special evening or visiting the gallery over the next month.
On December 10th, the Oxford Consortium for Human Rights, a program centered on research and workshops regarding humanitarian aid, global conflict and peace building, hosted an event on the University of Oregon Campus to recognize important work being done at UO regarding human rights. Many PEP interns and past Inside students were present, along with PEP Director, Shaul Cohen, and Program Coordinator Katie Dwyer, who is also affiliated with the Oxford program and emceed the event.
The event began with UO President, Karl Scholtz, speaking about the significance of the Oxford Consortium for Human Rights. He also highlighted the tremendous impacts of the P.E.P. for incarcerated students, campus students, and the broader community in Oregon and beyond. Hugo Slim, the co-founder of the Oxford Consortium specifically spoke about Shaul’s contributions to prison education and how essential he has been in making education more accessible for Inside Students. Many of the students in the Oxford Program have taken Inside-Out classes.
Prior Inside-Out students also spoke at this event. Shawn McWeeney, a former Inside student, shared insights about how his time taking PEP courses both aided him while Inside and now, as he has re-entered society and is active in community service work. Beatrice, a former Outside student and current PEP Intern, discussed her positive experiences working with Shaul through being a PEP intern and a member of Carnegie Global Oregon Ethics Program that he also directs. Both students highlighted the importance of the PEP in their education, and its influence on them in terms of career pathways.
Sister Helen Prejean, the author of Dead Man Walking, shared her insights about how important education is as well as the high quality and immense quantity of work that Shaul does for prison education in Oregon, and how such work should be happening everywhere. Specifically, she stated “what Shaul and others have done in prison education is crucial, crucial for the redemption of human lives, the restoration of lives, and the developing of the potential that is in every human being which education brings forward.” Furthermore, Prejean emphasized the importance of education in developing personhood. You can view a recording of Sister Henlen’s Prejean’s contribution here.
To finish off the evening, the Oxford Consortium gave Shaul an award acknowledging his work with Human Rights. In his honor, they have created two “Shaul Cohen Fellowships” to support future participants in Consortium programs.
Most of the good ideas from our program have come from our inside – or formerly inside – leaders. This time the idea came from Shawn, who graduated with his BA from the UO while still inside and then went on to complete a master’s degree at the UO once he was released. He is working with us to develop more informal re-entry support efforts, and at his suggestion we invited folks to join us for a volunteer day at FOOD for Lane County’s Garden for Good on Saturday, November 25th–taking advantage of the Thanksgiving weekend to do some giving back to the community. PEP team members, formerly Inside students, and friends and family came to participate.
We spent two hours mulching the garden beds for winter, taking on mountains of leaves that will discourage weeds, protect the soil from run-off, and partially compost during the cold months. One member of our team’s step counter calculated 2.9 miles of hauling leaves in wheelbarrows during the morning’s work session.
Not only was it a chance to be part of our community in a different way, it was also a nice way to spend time together. Community is built in many different ways, and while classroom discussions are a specialty this was a nice change of pace. We plan to repeat the experience at least once a quarter, so look forward to more news from community projects in future newsletters!
The Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO) allocates student funding to different programs across campus. On November 17th, it was announced that the PEP will receive a 29% increase in ASUO funding for the next year. This funding will go toward intern stipends, transportation for Inside-Out classes, and necessary office supplies. To our knowledge, the UO PEP is the only Inside-Out program in the nation that receives student funding to assist in operating costs. We are incredibly grateful and honored for this support, as it adds to our presence inside as a part of the UO campus community.