Author: screemer

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.

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.

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 PEP hosted an informational session during week 7 to share information about this rich educational opportunity. Katie Dwyer, Coordinator for the Prison Education Program, started the session by sharing information about the PEP and all that it entails. Interns Miriam and Monique then gave introductions about the upcoming courses. Miriam and Monique will be the Outside learning assistants for winter courses; in this role they assist with administrative tasks, preparing feedback for Inside students, and transportation of Outside students to the correctional institutions.

PEP participants Kyle and John, both former students, were also in attendance. Students who were considering taking an Inside-Out class were able to ask Kyle and John questions and hear about their lived experiences and their enthusiasm for Inside-Out classes. It was really special to have these two men, who were leaders with the UO while inside, are now thriving and continuing to advocate for education now that they are back in the community.

This event was a great success. We had an incredible 72 applications for 26 open spots in Winter Inside-Out courses, SOC 410 “Social Inequality” with Ellen Scott and GEOG 445 “Culture, Ethnicity, and Nationalism” with Shaul Cohen.