August 2022
Welcome to August at On The Inside
Our stories are how we heal, when we learn to tell them, and when we learn to release them. Each week we receive the gift of being in circle with women that are experiencing incarceration across our country. (Read that a few times over.) Being in circle with women while they are navigating this transitional time in life is a crucial moment towards how we heal.
“A sisterhood beyond these walls…we did that today.”
-Wyoming Women’s Center, current student
Every time I am lucky enough to bear witness I am affirmed that our work is slowly changing the way women might experience incarceration. Our service of listening, offering tangible tools, and creating together in a judgment free zone reminds people of who they are, not what they did.
“I made it!”
- Wyoming Women’s Center,
a student that emailed us as she was released.
A couple weeks ago we received this email, “I made it!’, from one of our former students at the Wyoming Women’s Center as she left prison, ventured across state lines into Colorado. We were one of her first points of contact as she found her newfound freedom. You can bet that Carol and I both smiled and cried as we received this news. A full circle moment that helped us understand the importance of this work and its impact.
“ Learning to love the things that happened to me. All of that stuff gave me so much knowledge.”
-Current Monthly Group Student
Get in on the storytelling with us and join one of our two Fall class series offerings coming up, more information is below.
Mark your calendars for an intimate in person gathering –
Stepping forward, remembering the past, and honoring our future forward
*a fundraising event to support our work*
Sunday September 11
9:30am-12pm PT
Low-key yoga with Nikki
Delicious nibbles, tea/coffee/bubbly water/mimosas
Words and art from our students,supporters and sponsors
Live music with special guests
Bring a yoga mat, a blanket/mug for your brunch picnic, and an open heart
RSVP pretty please-
$50 suggested donation paid on Venmo: @ontheinside or on our website
*Location: Portland, OR
*Address sent after RSVP/Donation have been received
Thank you for being a part of our story.
-Nikki, Founder On The Inside
Boston we are coming for you!
This summer you can also find Carol and Nikki teaching at Create Art in Community , a local art studio in Boston alongside Founder, Gena Mavuli. Some words from Gena about our budding partnership:
“My hope is that in planting this seed, some exciting and still-unknown things will grow. My hope is that we’re creating way more, as a community, than we can currently imagine.”
-Gena Mavuli, Founder of Create Art in Community
*You can join us for this exciting partnership in person or online by signing up right here before it sells out.
“My fear was that I was not going to live long enough to meet my grandchildren.”
-Create Art in Community, current student
2022 4 class series dates/times (2 hours Zoom/in person)-
-Series 1: Tuesdays 10am-12pm PT/1-3pm ET
September 20 & 27
October 4 & 11
-Series 2: Thursdays 4-6pm PT/7-9pm ET
October 6, 13, 20, & 27
*choose 1 set of 4 classes to participate in.
*Limited to 6 female identifying folks p/group. $200 p/four class series, paid on our website before link and location are sent out.
2022 Monthly Group Gatherings (2 hours)-
Monday, August 1 LOVE
Thursday, September 1 COURAGE
Saturday, October 1 FLEXIBILITY
Wednesday, November 2 VALUES
Thursday, December 1 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
Join our growing community today in our 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. Our next class series meets on-
-Series 1: Tuesdays 10am-12pm PT/1-3pm ET
September 20 & 27
October 4 & 11
-Series 2: Thursdays 4-6pm PT/7-9pm ET
October 6, 13, 20, & 27
Cost $200
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.
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
Nomi Conway
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
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.
Support
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.
You can join our four-week class series, and then continue on in our monthly class by signing up here.
May you spend this month focusing on the ways in which you choose to align yourself with your actions and your words. What we do in the world matters, what we say, and the language we choose has a long-term ripple effect on the people that hear you. Consider deepening your connections and widening your circles. Thank you for being a part of our work and our growing community. It matters. You matter.
-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.
