Reflecting on our Winter Growth: Staff Spotlights & Program Progress
Joseph Jackson Selected for Galaxy Leader Fellowship
As we emerge from a time of deep groundwork for the work ahead, we are excited to share that Maine Inside Out Co-Executive Director Joseph Jackson was selected to be part of this year’s Galaxy Leader Fellowship, a cohort of visionary leaders dedicated to transforming the US criminal legal system and ending mass incarceration.
Joseph shares: “It’s an honor to be named and included in this group of incredible people! I’m looking forward to this opportunity to learn how we can better serve our community.”
Jericho Circle Retreat Reflections
Several Maine Inside Out staff members recently participated in the Jericho Circle weekend intensive in Massachusetts, alongside a diverse group of 60 people, some with direct lived experience of incarceration and some without. Rooted in the core practices of authentic sharing, reflective listening, and supportive communities, the weekend invited participants to lower emotional walls, reconnect with our true selves, and experience transformation within a safe and compassionate community.
The weekend was a powerful shared experience that went deep - the personal healing and learning is going to be staying with us for a long time. These kinds of experiences help inform the ways that we’re providing peer support, and open up opportunities for future training and collaboration with aligned organizations across New England that center prison and re-entry work.
Gratitude to the Jericho Circle and to our fellow participants for this time together.
MIO-MPAC Adult Re-entry Community Group
We continue to have new people joining the MIO-MPAC Adult Re-entry Community Group’s weekly meetings, co-facilitated by Stacy Perez, Maine Inside Out (MIO) Project Facilitator, and A. Cuba Jackson, Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition (MPAC) Coordinator. These drop-in groups at MIO’s site in Lewiston are continuing to bring system-impacted adults of all ages together for peer support, artistic expression, and civic engagement. Together with MPAC, we are providing food, transportation support, and mutual aid for participants. This is a pilot project combining each organization’s long-standing history of work with people returning to communities after incarceration.
Spring Theater Workshops with Lewiston Teens
We are gearing up for collaborative workshops with many youth-serving community organizations to engage Lewiston teens in theater workshops this year - starting with Maine Community Integration this spring. More to come!
MacBooks Needed
MIO is in need of four relatively new MacBooks - please be in touch if you have one to donate!
