January 2023
ON THE INSIDE 2023
Every Monday morning I find myself inside Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in our classroom with our class. Some days the room is bustling with energy, other days the room is quiet and the energy is low. This past week, it bustled with stories- stories of segregation inside prison. Should women be segregated by crime or not? I was curious about what our students thought. Many of them said it creates more fights inside the facility, and others said it’s complicated. You want to know what people did and why they are here and when you know then you pick your friends. People judge you here for who your friends are. We talked about judgment, why letting it go might be a useful practice.
In our classroom, I often say, “ Leave your shit at the door and pick it up on your way out. And please check your ego too. We don’t need it here.”
Meet Ms. Pearson (pictured below) holding her hearts in her hands. My time inside is often something that feels hard to describe. It’s as though I’ve traveled to another country, so many rules, and things I can and can not do. And at the heart of the work we do, are women with stories just like our own. Women with hopes of learning how to move forward, often carrying great pain, loss, and searching for hope. I feel lucky to be on a path of learning with the women that walk into our room.
In a class we taught last week, a new Unit Manager joined us. Our class was about love- the ways we find it, and lose it, how to hold onto it, and how to write and draw it. The Unit Manager leaned across our little Zoom screen and said, “ I’ve never seen anything like this in any prison facility before. I was so interested in what you were offering I just started participating. This is so great for the women.” It made me smile, and it humanized her in a moment in front of the women to hear her speak to what she believes love can be.
This is the power of the work we do. It is a doorway for which we can walk through to find ourselves on a path towards healing, recovery, and purpose. Our work doesn’t stop with women inside prison, it extends outside in an ongoing 4 class series offered just 4 times per year (dates and sign up below!), a monthly meetup group offered inside prison facilities and outside, and a new bi-weekly group for women with a criminal history led by Caroline.
The year is just beginning, and we are so grateful to have your attention here. As we move forward we have an ambitious goal of reaching 50 facilities within 5 years. We currently serve 3 facilities in 3 states, with ropes out to 3 new states, and 2 new countries. Please join us in supporting our ambitious work forward. It is my purpose and my passion to serve these women and build a community a formerly incarcerated women as future leaders. Please join us in making this possible.
In gratitude,
Nikki Weaver
Founder and Executive Director
On The Inside
*Tanya Pearson and her hearts*
Tis’ the season to give-
How will you choose to support our sisters serving time knowing that one day soon they may be your neighbor?
Better yourself by bettering your community of sisters and step in today.
Make an ongoing monthly donation today, and know that your money is going to support women in desperate need of connection, healing, and creativity.
$20 allows us to purchase a holiday gift for one woman inside.
$50 allows us to send a release package to a woman when she is released from prison.
$100 allows one woman the opportunity to take our 8 class series inside prison facilities.
$1000 allows us to pay our facilitators for this life changing work.
“I hope you discover your ability to love and love and love and love because that’s what you are here to do.”
-Nebraska Correctional Center for Women, current student
Thank you for being a growing part of our journey, our failures and our successes as we navigate slow and intentional growth to keep this work fresh, accessible, and necessary.
*September 2022- Nebraska Correctional Center for Women*
2023 Outside Class Series Announced-
Our four class series is a great way to become a part of our work, learn about the class structure, create with us, and build community. Each class occurs over Zoom so you can participate from anywhere. Every class you can expect to: share, create, receive, and learn as we make work that goes into our facilities and work from our inside students is shared with us.
*We only offer our outside class series 4 times a year, these fill up FAST so connect with us to register today. Please confirm which series you would like to join.
Series 1: Wednesdays from 11am-1pm PST/2pm-4pm EST
February 1, 8, 15, and 22.
Series 2: Wednesdays from 11am-1pm PST/2pm-4pm EST
April 5, 12, 19, and 26.
Series 3: Thursdays 12pm-2pm PST/3pm-5pm EST
May 4, 11, 18, and 25.
Series 4: Thursdays 5-7pm PST/8pm-10pm EST
October 5, 12, 19, and 26.
This series is co-led by Caroline Cox, Project Manager at On The Inside, and Nikki Weaver Founder.
Zoom links and instructions are sent out after payment is made. We offer a sliding scale and full scholarships too, all you need to do is connect us. Payment can be made right here. Please connect with us if you would like to join our next class series and specify which four classes you would like to attend. The work builds upon itself so it is essential that you prioritize attending all four sessions. You can join our four week class series, and then continue on in our monthly class by signing up here.
*Coffee Creek Correctional Facility*
Join us for our FIRST monthly gatherings of 2023-
12-2pm PT/3pm-5pm ET
Saturday, Jan 7 HOPE
*Zoom link sent to all those who have participated in our 4 class or 8 class series.
In these classes, we gather and share, create together, move together, and discuss and share artwork and poetry from our students currently serving time. Your work is also shared inside facilities. It’s a chance to connect and grow with women worldwide.
Announcing our 2023 Monthly Group Gatherings (2 hours)-
**all monthly group meetings are 12pm-2 pm PT/3pm-5 pm ET
Saturday, Jan 7 HOPE
Tuesday, Feb 7 LET’S GET SEXY
Thursday, March 2 AGILITY
Tuesday, April 4 TRUTH
Tuesday, May 2 CREATIVITY
Saturday, June 3 JOURNEYS
Thursday, July 6 SHADOW WORK
Tuesday, August 1 LOVE
Sunday, September 3 COURAGE
Monday, October 2 FLEXIBILITY
Thursday, November 2 VALUES
Saturday, December 2 HOPE
**all monthly group meetings are 12pm-2 pm PT/3pm-5 pm ET
We hope to see you in class this year- joins us for four sessions and then move into our monthly group as we deepen the connections, strengthen our creativity, and build long lasting relationships with women inside and outside prison facilities.
Your actions matter. Your words matter. How you show up matters.
Much love and gratitude for your ongoing support,
Nikki Weaver and Caroline Cox
-Founder and Project Manager
Follow along on our social media platforms, you can find us on: Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIN.
*Ms. Pearson at the WY Women's Center
OUR MISSION
On The Inside builds a creative connection for incarcerated women, both individually and collectively. We do this by telling our stories, igniting our hearts, and sparking dialogue. Creative connection for a greater good, we create community for women on the inside and outside by breaking down the walls that keep us apart.
The United States houses over 1.3 million incarcerated women.
We aim to change that.
Creativity is what keeps us alive, it is what draws us together. Our stories save us and have the ability to heal us. Healing is both collective and deeply personal. We create shared dialogue by holding a container for women to transform themselves. We do this through creative prompts where each woman has a voice in the room, through exploratory movement, creating a rolodex of emotions to draw from, and boundaries to hold.
We begin.
We create.
We play together.
We share.
We seek closure.
We begin again.
We hold weekly classes to gather in a circle. We create weekly newsletters where women on the outside create work (poetry, art, song) for women on the inside, and the women on the inside do the same. We create living, breathing works of art that move us far beyond the page, beyond the stage, and into a space of embodiment.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Lisa Collins
Karen Pride
Fungai Mubayiwa
Katie Morell
Caroline Cox
Megan Gaffney
Atieno Bird
Dr.Mercy Nyangulu Nyepudzayi
Jazmin Jimenez
Cindy Lone
Tina Packer
Mia Zara
Marie Gonzalez
Beck Wilschefski
Elena Brower
Together, we stretch four continents wide.
Collectively, we are making a difference by creating together.
You are always invited to join our work, join our collective, join our creative expanding circle.
Consider Making a "New" Gift:
Support our work by sustaining a woman through a monthly contribution right here. Your donation will support the ongoing weekly and monthly work we continue to build in person, and online.
-Nikki Weaver, Executive Director / Founder
Ways to Get Involved and Support:
Donate
You can support our work by sustaining a woman through a monthly contribution or a one-time donation.
Your donation will support the ongoing weekly and monthly work we continue to build in person, and online.
Donate Here.
Shop
Visit our online shop to purchase a small selection of goods that support our work on the inside!
Check out our shop here.
Join our Classes
You can join our four week class series, and then continue on in our monthly class.
Sign up Here.
