StandOut’s Blog
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By recognising that we have choices, we can feel more in control. But how does this work for someone in prison? Amy, one of our Lead Coaches, recalls a recent conversation with StandOut participants at HMP Pentonville about what it means to have "the slight edge".
Men at HMP Wandsworth and HMP Wormwood Scrubs tell us what they’d like to see bridging the gap in provision that exists between leaving prison and thriving in the community - and how we could support them to navigate this transition.
As Alex, our Head of Programmes, moves on from StandOut after six years, he reflects on all that he has learnt, and all that he will take with him to his new role at The Hardman Trust.
StandOut’s new Communications Lead, Hannah Stevens, reflects on her first six weeks in the role. She’s finding that an organisation’s values are easy to learn, when they’re woven into everything.
Anyone who has been in a StandOut classroom will tell you that there’s something special about it, magical even. But it’s difficult to put your finger on what that is. Joe Tarbert, Programmes Manager at StandOut, puts into words what that “magic” looks - and feels - like to him.
StandOut is taking part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2023 and we need your support. Donate to our campaign between 28 November and 5 December to have your donation, and your impact, doubled.
As we come together at the end of each StandOut course, we share special moments, reflect on progress, and recognise that each person's journey through the course has involved commitment, energy, and resilience. The recent graduation at HMP Pentonville was particularly special, as we were able to invite family and friends of the men on the course along to celebrate with us.
To mark StandOut’s fifth year as a registered charity, we welcomed guests to ‘join the conversation’ at our recent celebration event at Salesforce Tower in central London, where the stunning views provided a striking backdrop for the evening.
In July 2021, we asked Ahmed to share his experiences in a blog. He was two years on from completing the StandOut course at HMP Wandsworth and spoke of the challenges he’d faced since leaving prison and his determination to pursue a career in IT. After several setbacks applying for jobs, he called for employers to look at people’s passions, not their past when it came to the application process.
Almost another two years since his first blog, Ahmed updates us on where his journey has taken him since.
From the ground floor of our office in Vauxhall to the sky garden of PA Consulting’s office in Victoria, our most recent Career Hub reached new heights. Not only literally, but also in a new collaboration with volunteers.
Nelena Paparisva and her colleagues from PA Consulting volunteered with StandOut at HMP Pentonville last year to support people on the StandOut course develop their CVs. In her blog, she shares her experience - from her unique perspective as a former police officer.
Approaching his release date, Carl wasn’t hopeful for the future - but then he met StandOut. Carl reflects on his journey since leaving prison, his increased confidence and how he’s using his voice to advocate for change.
In this, the second blog in our Thinking Back, Looking Forward series, we hear from John, who has recently moved on as lead coach at HMP Pentonville to a new role outside of StandOut, in the world of education. John joined the StandOut team in January 2021 after two years at Pentonville as a prison officer through the Unlocked Grads programme. Now, on the other side of his journey with us – having made a fantastic impact during his time as a StandOut coach, he reflects on his experiences and what he will take forward with him in his next steps.
Over the past six months, colleagues from EY have joined our volunteer groups in prison to support StandOut Trainees with CV sessions, mock interview workshops and celebrate their achievements at end of course graduations.
In this blog, they share why they were motivated to get involved, and their personal reflections on the StandOut programme.
We are pleased to bring you the first of our ‘Thinking Back, Looking Forward’ series of blogs. ‘Thinking Back, Looking Forward’ will celebrate the journeys and recognise the realities of individuals who have been involved in our work, from their own unique perspective.
In the first of these blogs, we hear from Alex Rose, StandOut’s Head of Programmes, as he reflects on where his journey with StandOut has taken him so far and what’s on the path ahead.
November saw an exciting next step in StandOut’s journey as we launched a pilot programme at HMP Wormwood Scrubs.
The course had many highlights for the coaching team but mock interviews and the graduation afternoon are golden moments, and during these sessions it was clear how much the men had grown in confidence during the course.
StandOut is taking part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2022, and we need your help.
The Big Give is the largest online match funding campaign in the UK. For one week only this December, it is offering our supporters a unique opportunity to have their donation doubled, meaning your donation can have double the impact.
StandOut has always known that it isn’t perfect and that it has to work hard to keep improving, to get better at meeting the needs of the people it works with. Recently, we commissioned an independent expert, Russell Webster, to evaluate our work to help us identify our strengths and weaknesses. You can read the evaluation report here. In this post, Russell reflects on the evaluation.
John completed the StandOut programme in May 2021 where he set some ambitious goals. His determination and proactive approach to self-development since leaving prison has inspired the whole StandOut team. We asked John to write something for StandOut’s next trainee bulletin about staying motivated, but we felt everyone could learn something from Trainee John’s approach to making lasting change.
StandOut has reached a significant moment: five years since we ran the first pilot course in HMP Wandsworth in the spring of 2017: cause for celebration but also for a redoubling of our effort.
Hannah has joined StandOut as an experienced coach. For our recent trainee bulletin, she talks about coaching - why we do it and what impact it can have.
Ezra took part in StandOut in HMP Pentonville last summer. Since leaving prison, Ezra has been working hard to get closer to his personal goals with the support of the StandOut coaches backing him every step of the way.
As StandOut celebrates an important anniversary, we asked Katie Nutley, Head of Reducing Reoffending in HMP Wandsworth, to reflect on what has been achieved in the last five years.
People often talk about how hard the first weeks can be after being released from prison. In our last trainee blog of the year, StandOut Experts Beyond Bars member Hall speaks openly about the challenges he faced as he navigated his first year after release.
Our CEO and co-founder Penny Parker recently joined a StandOut workshop in HMP Wandsworth and reflects how, even in a shorter version of our full programme, the men found a safe space to be vulnerable.
StandOut launched a Helpline service to offer critical support to men leaving our partner prisons when face-to-face work was not possible. We've written a report to summarise our learning from the Helpline and give voice to the people we worked with during the pandemic.
Ahmed took part in StandOut in HMP Wandsworth two years ago. We invited him to write a blog about his experiences since leaving prison.
Last year, we supported Joey via the StandOut Helpline service as he prepared to leave HMP Wandsworth. Almost a year later, we caught up with Joey to find out what prison was like during the pandemic and how StandOut supported him to navigate the challenges since being released.
StandOut is taking part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge this year! Save the date to double the impact of your donation for people leaving prison.