2010 Final Class Project by Maddy

When my professor for my “Literature and Ethics” class through Inside-Out asked for three “outside” student volunteers to compile our class anthology on our own time, my hand shot straight up. No way was I about to let this incredible project for a class that had impacted me so profoundly be completed without my expert opinion. I needed to be a part of this.

A week later the two other outside student volunteers and I met to discuss how we wanted to put together the anthology and the overall message that we wanted this project to represent. All three of us were extremely excited and started listing off ideas we had based on some of the anthologies we’d seen from other classes. As soon as we started looking through the material that our classmates had submitted, we fell silent. The poems, art, letters to the class, response papers, even the crosswords cut out from old newspapers and inspirational quotes copied down by students were so overwhelmingly moving we didn’t know what to say. In that moment I realized what I should have known all along: This project was so not about me. It was about the beautiful, diverse community that had been meeting and learning from each other for the past 10 weeks and I was so lucky that I had been a part of it.

“This is all just so human,” said one of my compiling partners. There was our theme. To represent this, we included a page in the anthology with a photo from our class on which we had every student sign during our last class together. Next to it, we included a page with painted handprints – our reminder to ourselves that while we are all unique individuals, we are also all human and together we had created something wondrous in the form of this anthology and the memories of our class.

In our “Letter From the Editors” – a detail we decided we wanted to include to make sure our classmates understood how honored we were to be able to put this project together – we wrote: “To our classmates, never have we experienced a more dynamic classroom environment. Never have we experienced a more fervent engagement and discussion. Never have we experienced a text come alive through so many sincere, unique, and intimate student contributions. To say ‘I’ve learned’ does not do our class justice. We embarked on a journey that began with uncertainty, nervousness, and excitement and ended with growth, clarity, friendship, and respect. It has been an honor compiling your thoughts, emotions, and experiences of this journey. We have been truly moved by all of your work. The most heartfelt thanks.”

Submitted by Maddy in Oregon

What's New in Oregon: More on the Alumni Book Club at Serbu Youth Detention Center

We wanted to take a moment to reflect on and share with you an overview of an exciting program happening in Oregon.

The University of Oregon's Inside-Out Alumni Book Club at Serbu Youth Detention Center was piloted by a group of alumni during the summer of 2010 at Serbu, Lane County's juvenile detention facility for youth ages 12-17 years.

The book club has proven to be a welcome chance to experience more of the euphoria of the encounter that is at the core of Inside-Out.

By all accounts, the pilot program was a true success. Four Inside-Out Alumni worked with approximately ten youth, reading The Ultimate Spider-Man, a classic comic book. Using the book as jumping-off point, the group discussed topics as varied as responsibility, teen relationships, trust, gang violence, capitalism, and the makings of a hero. The reports from all participants were very positive. For the youth it was a chance to add an activity to their days, to read an interesting book, and to talk with new people. For the alumni, it was a chance to create a new program, engage in dialogue, and learn from the youth about facilitating a classroom. It was obvious that some of the youth have never had any kind of creative space in their own learning, and to be asked their opinion and encouraged to disagree has an experience-expanding effect.

We learned that working independently of a professor and starting a new program is both difficult and extremely rewarding. We developed a very positive working relationship with Serbu's staff and leadership, and have abundant and growing support for this program at the University, which purchased the books for the class.

During the University's fall term of 2010, beginning in September and wrapping up in December, we enjoyed the participation of twelve youth and eight Inside-Out Alumni. Prior to the kick off of the term's book club, Melissa Crabbe, Inside-Out's Assistant National Director, held a second Inside-Out facilitator training for the alumni participating in the Friday club; this was a fabulous opportunity to work through ideal practices for initiation of discussion as well as to trouble shoot issues that arose during the pilot program. Book club meetings took place every Friday in the Phoenix unit of Serbu, a dormitory-style unit for a co-ed group of 16 youth. Together, we read Calvin and Hobbes, a comic book by Bill Watterson unique for its clever mix of humor and profundity.

During fall term, only two I/O alumni were able to participate who had been involved over the summer. Ted and Katie, who piloted the program during the summer, co-facilitated the fall session, and enjoyed the enthusiasm of the group's new participants. Five of the youth who participated during the summer rejoined the club for fall, and only one summer participant chose not to rejoin the group (the others were released). The more balanced numbers were great: we did wagon wheels, held small group discussions, and overall had a much more involved and integrated feeling in the room with the balance of youth and I/O Alumni. Further, we feel that a nearly 2:1 ration (youth to alumni) is critical to maintaining emphasis on equal participation and avoidance alumni over-participation (simply teaching to the youth rather than participating with them).

The Inside-Out class formula is the model for the book club, in which open and enthusiastic college students join up with incarcerated youth to enjoy and learn with each other. Meetings are full of debate and discussion about issues topical and profound. While a plan for the session is always mapped out by alumni ahead of time, some of the most memorable and sweetest moments occurred unexpectedly. One day, the plan for class time was met with relative disinterest from the youth. There wasn't much response to the preconceived discussion questions, when, suddenly, the conversation broke wide open. One of the Serbu youths mentioned his take on the 2009 film Avatar, which the Serbu unit had watched on DVD the night before. Just like that, a surge of energy had electrified the stagnant discussion. Each and every youth and alumni was jumping to share his/her take on the film, and we rolled with the unforeseen turn in focus, happily devoting the remaining session time to what had become a lively, open discussion.

Midway through the term, we had a half-hour discussion about the ideas of "fate" and "destiny," inspired by Calvin and Hobbes. We talked about free will, and about the possibly contradictory idea that everything happens for a reason. The youth were eloquent on both counts, reflecting both a desire to feel control over their actions and a need for the security of a guiding plan to life. The level of dialogue, consistent with our own Inside-Out experiences, was much higher than what is often achieved in a college classroom. One Friday, we discussed war and peace, our tendency to turn violence into entertainment, and the damage this has on individual lives. It was moving that people were so willing to make themselves a bit vulnerable by sharing and asking questions (the comic dealt with Mutually Assured Destruction and the Cold War, which, coming into the discussion, the youth knew nothing about).

In the book club, we seek to set a positive example for youth and to create a fun and stimulating environment—a distinctly different feel from that of the school classroom as these youth know it. As alumni, we go to Serbu to share our company with the youth and to enjoy theirs. We are not interested in posing as instructors, psychologists, or social workers. Like the Serbu youth, we are students, and we just happen to be a little further along towards an education and stable life. We've learned a lot about the differences of working with youth as opposed to the adults in Inside-Out classes, and will continue to consider how to best design the program to meet everyone's needs.

The Inside-Out Alumni Book Club reconvenes in conjunction with the University's winter term on Friday, January 21st. We are eager to get things going, this time with a larger group of youth (16) and a slightly updated format. Reading a longer work of literature like Calvin and Hobbes posed a few problems. Because of the minimal availability of intriguing reading material in the Phoenix unit, many of the youth tore through the book, likely reading around the clock, within a week of our distributing copies to them. We loved the enthusiasm, don't get us wrong! Unfortunately, the reading rate of the youth outpaced that necessary for focused discussion. This term, we plan to serialize readings by distributing two or three short articles weekly offering varying viewpoints on a predetermined current issue. Book club meetings will consist of discussion and organized debate beginning with basis in the readings and finally extending in any direction it will. This format of serialized reading and the increased encouragement of participation through debate is intended to make contribution as accessible and comfortable as possible for all involved. In addition, we are excited about our plans to organize a closing ceremony, warmly celebrating the participation of all involved, for the end of the term.

If anyone has suggestions for material, projects, or activities, or further inquiries about our experience, please contact us at insideout@uoregon.edu.

- Alex P., University of Oregon
Interning with Inside-Out National Program

Northwest Hub Meeting

Inside-Out alumni in the Pacific Northwest are invited to attend the second Northwest Regional Hub Meeting for Inside-Out.  We'll be working with instructors, department of corrections staff, university administrators, and other alumni to develop the program in the Northwest.  We hope to have attendees from Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia!  Lori Pompa, the National Director of Inside-Out, will be attending as well.  It's really important to have a large alumni presence at the meeting, so please come if you are able! 

The events are February 17th to the 19th at the University of Oregon in Eugene.  Alumni are invited to the Thursday evening event with Lori Pompa, as well as the strategic planning and presentations on Friday.  Please RSVP or send questions to insideout@uoregon.edu  We look forward to seeing you! 

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

Thursday, February 17th:

Evening:
“Education and Encounter: Turned Inside-Out”
Lori Pompa, Founder and National Director of Inside-Out, speaks at U.O. Law School

Friday, February 18th:

Morning – Strategic planning for Inside-Out: national, regional, and school-specific strategizing for instructors and school and prison administrators.
       Topics to include: administrative outreach, instructor recruitment and support, and program development

Catered lunch

Plenary Session—Reports from the various programs and initiatives in the Northwest region, and networking to increase Inside-Out capacity

Afternoon – Alumni panel and workshop, including reports from alumni at Oregon State University, Portland State University, University of Oregon, and Philadelphia alumni (participating via teleconference).

Catered dinner

Saturday, February 19th:

Meeting at Oregon State Penitentiary with Inside members of the Oregon Think Tank to plan for regional Instructor training in December 2011. (tentative)

Philadelphia to hold an Alumni Training

The Philadelphia Alumni group will be holding a training tomorrow, January 15th, to prepare for their work with Community College of Philadelphia's work with a re-entry program. The training is designed to improve facilitation skills and to discuss the various preparation needs to engage in this kind of work.

Lori Pompa will be leading the training, with the help of Philadelphia alumni coordinators Frank and Cyndi. The training will run from 10 am to 6 pm and will include discussions of program rules, parameters, values, goals, and a space to express any concerns the participants might have. Facilitating dialogue and running the class is a major focus of the training, and will hopefully help the group create a dynamic and engaged classroom environment to enable leadership from all participants.

Hopefully all participants will finish the training with a strong grasp on the theoretical and practical issues of the program, and will therefore take strong leadership in the future of the project. Another hope is that the training templates from Philadelphia and Oregon can be blended to offer alumni facilitation trainings across the country.

Media Archive

We're trying to archive all the media regarding Inside-Out from across the country. If your campus newspaper or local media have published something about the program, please send us the link! We'll post the article in the Media Archive, which will help get the word out about the program in your region, and build the narrative of Inside-Out.

First day of class for Institutional Inequalities through UO/OSP

Yesterday was the first full class meeting for Professor Ellen Scott's Inside-Out sociology class at the Oregon State Penitentiary. The class is entitled Institutional Inequalities and Individual Lives, and is focusing on the sociological processes of social injustice and the process of structural inequality. This is Professor Scott's first class, and I'm working with her as a graduate teaching fellow for the class, serving as a teaching assistant and helping with the logistics of university and prison relationships.

Our first day meeting together was wonderful. Our students, inside and outside, are a fabulous group with diverse experiences and interests, who are already bringing profound insights into our group dynamic and the subject material. I can't wait to see what unfolds in the course of the class.

This is my third Inside-Out experience. Watching the group on the first day, I was able to witness the process by which our individuals became a group. The nervousness that had been expressed on both sides was quickly eliminated. The Wagon Wheel became somewhat unruly, with conversations lingering beyond the instruction to move on to new seats. There was laughter and the dynamic feel to the dialogue that emerges when people have a genuine interest in one another. Joksters emerged, as did those who were focused tightly on the sociological theories presented. Within the first hour, we had all spoken with one another, and were developing the baselines of friendships through common and divergent interests and experiences.

Half of the inside students have taken at least one Inside-Out class before. Because of the concentration of Inside-Out professors in Oregon, and their choice to teach a variety of different courses, students have enrolled multiple times, and are accruing university credit and experience. One outside student, in addition to myself, is also an alumni of a previous Inside-Out class. The returning students eased the first class somewhat, through their comfort with the surroundings, but also through their honest expression of their nervousness and the depth of the experience to come. For the new students, the honesty of the experienced class members seemed to open up a space for greater confidence from the first moment.

By the end of our first three-hour meeting, we had covered a lot of ground. We got to know each other through the Wagon Wheel and "Two Truths and a Lie" icebreakers. We introduced one another to the group as a whole, telling a bit of what we'd learned in the icebreaking activities. We established our group rules for dialogue in a collaborative way. We then spent about forty-five minutes discussing the text read for the week: Jay McLeod's Ain't No Making It. The social theory and ethnographic studies produced in the text opened an elevated and engaged conversation about our social positions and the differing theories of class in the United States.

Over the next eight weeks we will discuss the experiences of our fellow Americans who suffer from poverty, a lack of health insurance, the inability to escape the lower class status inherited from their parents, and the situation of those who are incarcerated. I have every faith that our class will tackle these difficult topics with respect and enthusiasm, and that we will arrive at our graduation ceremony with a new idea of our own lives and relationships.

Leaving OSP yesterday, I felt a great surge of hope and inspiration. Our students were shaking hands, wishing each other well, and joking as they left the classroom. Those of us in blue and those of us with visitor nametags were a single group for a moment, leaving as students to return to our various routines. A new cohort of Inside-Out student has been formed, with all the promise and pain that this entails. I can hardly wait to see what will happen next.

Inside-Out Alumni taking second classes

There are two Inside-Out classes being offered this term through the University of Oregon.  Both classes have inside and outside students who have participated in other Inside-Out classes in the past. 

This year, eight professors from four colleges and universities in Oregon will offer Inside-Out classes.  They are being held at the Oregon State Penitentiary, the Oregon State Correctional Institution, and Coffee Creek Correctional Facility through Portland State University, Oregon State University, Chemeketa Community College, and the University of Oregon.  Classes are being offered in sociology, literature, film, and geography.

Because of the variety of courses offered and the number of participating institutions, students on the inside and the outside have the opportunity of experiencing Inside-Out again.  Their presence in the classrooms offers the opportunity to add insights and confidence in the setting, as well as allowing students to broaden their educational experiences. 

In addition to these students, two alumni are serving as teaching assistants in Inside-Out classes.  Hopefully there will be more leadership roles developed in the future.