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Our work

Distant Voices

This area of support looks to help people who find themselves the furthest away from systems of support and stable independent lives. Our activity focuses on people who have experienced the criminal justice system, asylum seekers and refugees.

Spotlight: Spark Inside

“ What we have really appreciated about our partnership with BLCFT is their flexibility and consistency over several years. This has enabled Spark Inside to grow confidently and to reach more young people with transformational coaching - while at the same time maintaining our high-quality and applying greater rigour to how we measure impact. BLCFT is an engaged partner, caring about the challenges we face working in prisons and how we are overcoming these, as well as the successes.”
Vicki Cardwell, CEO Spark Inside

Spark Inside uses coaching in prisons to unlock the potential of individuals and drive culture change in the criminal justice system so that rehabilitation is possible. Our vision is that the futures of people in contact with the criminal justice system are determined by their potential, not their past. We are one of the first organisations to take life coaching to 15-to-25-year-old men in prison, and to use systems coaching to bring together prisoners and staff in prison.

Our Hero’s Journey coaching programme equips young people in prison with the motivation, resilience, skills and mindset to make the most of their talents and opportunities (e.g. education, employment) and escape the ‘revolving door’ of prison. Our programmes also impact prison culture, to give individuals the best chance of flourishing within the prison environment: our coaching for prison staff supports participants’ wellbeing and equips them with the skills to better support the prisoners in their care.

Since 2012, we have transformed the lives of almost 2,000 prisoners and prison officers pioneering coaching in prisons. BLFCT has supported Spark Inside for a number of years with a mix of crucial core funding and support to enable the charity to expand into the East Midlands.

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