On The Inside November 2023
Welcome here. Thank you for being a part of our community, our circles, and for shaping the future of women and youth as they are released from facility. As we come more fully into this season of giving, we ask you to support the evolution of this work. I believe support comes in so many ways.
*WY Women’s Center September 2023, De Bolton and Nikki Weaver facilitators
Our work has grown exponentially over the last year. A true blessing to work with an expansive team, and a gift to work with Case Workers across our country who show up to support the people they serve: youth, trans, male, and female. After working for six years in facility I wanted to highlight the caseworkers here that I SEE, and know, who show up with kindness, compassion, professionalism, and attention to details. Many of our caseworkers participate in our class series, they print out our worksheets, and scan homework for us to share out with those serving time in other states.
I often call our team, the DREAM TEAM, and I mean it. To work with people, that allow us to walk in the door, prepare, and offer their time, passion, energy, and persistence over and over again is something I don't take for granted. Each of these humans listed here has navigated technical difficulties with us, processed large amounts of paperwork so that our facilitating team can walk in the doors, printed posters, made bulletin boards in hallways, scanned work to us, called us, emailed us, introduced us to Wardens and Superintendents, bought us lunch, shared coffee with us, and opened the door for us to serve. I invite you to say each of these names aloud, these people have changed us for the better:
-Vickie Hildebrand, Women’s Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center Missouri
-Jason Roy, Coffee Creek Correctional Facility Oregon
-Keambra Mitchell-Tyler, VirginianCorrectional Center for Women Virginia
-Michelle Kringle, Nebraska Correctional Center for Women Nebraska
-Jessica Horsley, Wyoming Women's Center (adults and youth) Wyoming
*Women’s Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center, Missouri September 2023
Atieno Bird, Nikki Weaver, Jennifer Chapman, and De Bolton Facilitators.
This past month we were honored to receive funding to continue our work at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women where we teach weekly and monthly classes, and have begun to explore what it means to have peer facilitators. Peer facilitators is programming geared towards women serving longer sentences who can work and act as leaders of our programming from the inside of facilities.
Platte Institute Announces Micro Grant Recipients to Aid Post-Incarceration
Workforce Integration
OMAHA, NE — The Platte Institute is excited to announce the recipients
of inaugural “microgrants,” a dedicated initiative aimed at assisting individuals nearing the
culmination of their incarceration or those recently released, to secure meaningful employment.
This initiative aspires to empower them to contribute sustainably to their families and
communities.
Jim Vokal, CEO of the Platte Institute, announced the beneficiaries of the grants. The honored
recipients include Heart Ministry Center, On The Inside, Omaha Alternatives to Violence
Project, Bridges to Hope, QUEENS Butterfly House, and Nebraskans Unafraid.
Vokal illustrated the diversity and the pivotal roles of the receiving organizations stating, “Each
of these distinguished entities brings a unique and essential service to our community.
From providing vital job training and placement programs, extending support to incarcerated
women, offering alternative social training to those incarcerated, to supplying clothing and
hygiene products enabling individuals to present their best selves in job searches.”
Human BEING
performed and written by the women of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility
November 12 6pm PST
-performance will be followed by a question and answer session with the performers.
*Thank you to all of you who have submitted paperwork to attend. You will receive an email from us early this month on how to enter the facility and dress code.
Join us for an evening of celebration as we come together to share stories, meditation, dance, and reflect on what it means to be human.
*By Lisa, currently in our weekly class at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. This piece is in our performance, Human BEING, performing on November 12 and 16 at facility for adults incarcerated and family and friends.
Don’t sit on the outside of our circle:
1.Sign up for our final four class series beginning in October, then join our monthly circle after completing our four class series.
2.Become a monthly donor to sustain and build our work.
3.Share our work through your social media platforms to build our collective awareness.
“God has found me in this class, and has allowed me to share, to be an open book. This is not something that happens inside a facility. I leave here uplifted”
-current student, Wyoming Women’s Center
Your actions matter. Your words matter. How you show up matters.
Much love and gratitude for your ongoing support,
Nikki Weaver
Caroline Cox
De Bolton
Jennifer Chapman
Atieno Bird
-The Dream Team
Facilities we currently serve at:
-Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, since 2018, this is where Caroline and I met and began our work
-Nebraska Correctional Center for Women, since 2021
-Wyoming Women’s Center, since 2021
-Wyoming Women’s Center: Youth Offenders, since 2023
-Women’s Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Missouri, since 2023
-Virginia Correctional Center for Women, since 2023
*We lead weekly and monthly classes at these facilities led by our two person facilitator teams, and monthly classes for caseworkers at some of these facilities.
Joins us for our final monthly gatherings of 2023-
All monthly groups meet from 12-2pm PST/3pm-5pm EST
*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 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.
Remaining 2023 Monthly Group Gatherings (2 hours)-
**all monthly group meetings are 12pm-2 pm PT/3pm-5 pm ET over Zoom
Thursday November 2 VALUES
Saturday December 2 HOPE
2024 is around the corner, sharing our 2024 calendar schedule of offerings below. Please connect with us to learn more or sign up for our class series online. We are looking forward to being in connection and conversation with you now and in the year ahead! Add these to your calendars if you are planners like we are.
Announcing our 2024 Monthly Group Gatherings (2 hours on Zoom)-
**all monthly group meetings are 12pm-2 pm PT/3pm-5 pm ET
Saturday Jan 6 HOPE
Tuesday Feb 6 LET’S GET SEXY
Thursday March 7 AGILITY
Tuesday April 2 TRUTH
Tuesday May 7 CREATIVITY
Saturday June 1 JOURNEYS
Thursday July 11 SHADOW WORK
Tuesday August 6 LOVE
Sunday September 1 COURAGE
Monday October 7 FLEXIBILITY
Thursday November 7 VALUES
Saturday December 7 HOPE
**all monthly meetings are 12pm-2 pm PST/1-3pm MST/2-4pmCST/3pm-5 pm EST/9-11pm Zimbabwe and Croatia/5-7am Australia + a day
SIGNATURE FOUR CLASS SERIES-
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.
2024 Four Class Series (2 hours on Zoom)-
Thursdays January 4, 11, 18, and 25
Saturdays March 2, 9, 16, and 23
Thursdays September 5,12, 19, and 26
Saturdays October 5,12,19, and 26
**all classes are 12pm-2 pm PST/1-3pm MST/2-4pmCST/3pm-5 pm EST/9-11pm Zimbabwe and Croatia/5-7am Australia + a day
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.
2024 Bi- Weekly Support Group Meeting Dates (60 mins on ZOOM)-
Tuesday January 2nd
Tuesday January 16th
Tuesday January 30th
Tuesday February 13th
Tuesday February 27th NO CLASS
Tuesday March 5th
Tuesday March 19th
Tuesday April 2nd
Tuesday April 16th
Tuesday April 30th
Tuesday May 14th
Tuesday May 28th
Tuesday June 11th
Tuesday June 25th
Tuesday July 9th
Tuesday July 23rd
Tuesday August 6th
Tuesday August 20th
Tuesday September 3rd
Tuesday September 17th
Tuesday October 1st
Tuesday October 15th
Tuesday October 29th
Tuesday November 12th
Tuesday November 26th
Tuesday December 10th
Tuesday December 24th NO CLASS
**all meetings are 5 pm-6 pm PST/ 6-7 pm MST/ 7-8pm CST/ 8 pm-9 pm EST**
Zoom Links are NOT sent out without confirmation on attendance
Email Caroline@ontheinside.space
To confirm attendance and be provided with the ZOOM Link for the Bi- Weekly Support Group
*Wyoming Women’s Center 2023
“No matter what I have been through, it does not define me.”
-Nebraska Correctional Center for Women, current class
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
Dr. Lisa Collins
Reema Zaman
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.
