Help Support the Walls to Bridges Program (W2B)

Walls to Bridges artwork of a pencil and prison bars

Our Goal: $20,000

Our goal is to raise $20,000 to sustain our current programming and support the growing demand for more courses at a wider range of correctional institutions. All gifts are eligible for a tax receipt.

Raised: $0
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Support This Project

About This Project:

Walls to Bridges (W2B) prison education is based on the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program model in the United States. Half of the students in any class are incarcerated and half are undergraduates from campus. They study together as peers in for-credit, semester-long seminar courses that emphasize dialogue, collaboration and problem-solving. Any course within any subject can be taught W2B style with trained facilitators.

The first Canadian W2B courses were taught in the Fall 2011 through a partnership between Wilfrid Laurier University & Grand Valley Institution in Ontario. Having taken the Inside-Out training at Graterford prison, Urban and Inner-City Studies Associate Professor Judith Harris presented the idea to Larry Morrisette, an Indigenous educator from UWinnipeg. Larry insisted that we start this program in Winnipeg. The first course was taught at the Women’s Correctional Centre in 2014. More and more UWinnipeg instructors took the W2B training. As a result, in 2018, we taught the first course at Stony Mountain (SMI) in the Medium Security unit. Today, W2B instructors now come from a number of departments: Criminal Justice, English, Theatre and Film, Conflict Resolution Studies, and Urban and Inner-City Studies. Currently, W2B courses are offered at Stony Mountain at all three security levels. Micro courses are offered at the Women’s Correctional Centre by Hope McIntyre (Theatre and Film).

The impact to date has been truly profound, with students describing our courses as life-changing. As we mark our 10th year, we celebrate our success and look towards further expansion. We have taught 37 courses to 427 students. In the spring of 2024, we offered the first W2B training outside of Ontario & developed the MB W2B Manual. Six inside student trainers were involved and are part of an inside W2B Collective guiding the program. Four inside students have an incredible 30 credit hours or more at this time. Additionally, 60 future students have been screened for the program at SMI and are awaiting an opportunity to take courses.

Testimonials:

“We all wanted to share and learn from each other from our very first moments together. This desire we all shared carried right through to our last class together. It amazes me how well we are all connected on a spiritual and intellectual level. The knowledge that we have all gained from this experience will be carried with us. And just like the stories that brought us together, our story will be timeless.”

- W2B Inside Student

“Being in this class, I’ve learned so much about myself. I am going to miss the wagon wheel. When I first came to class, I was not comfortable sharing. Now I am comfortable sharing and communicating about myself, more than I ever was before.”

- W2B Outside Student

 

All gifts made are tax-deductible.

If you prefer not to make a gift online, you can also send a cheque (marked for "Walls to Bridges Program") to:

The University of Winnipeg Foundation

901 - 491 Portage Avenue

Winnipeg, Manitoba

R3B 2E4 Canada

OR

Call toll-free: 1-866-394-6050

Help Support The Walls to Bridges Program

Give By Phone

Call: 204-786-9995

Give By Check

Send a cheque to:

The University of Winnipeg Foundation
901 - 491 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E4 Canada

*Note: Please make sure to mark your cheque for "Project Name".