OPENING SPACE IN PRISON

[Brendan McKeague]

G'day Lisa - great to hear your 'voice' also and your experience of going 
into what for many is 'alien territory'....

It's a deep listening from all the participants in the circle and a 
speaking from the heart, with very little facilitation from me aside from 
holding space while sitting in the circle and saying a few affirmations 
('that must be hard for you' or 'your daughter is lucky to have you').  It 
goes like this for a few hours.

I agree that the 'holding of the space' is all that we need to do - they 
will provide the rest - and this is so similar to another perspective I've 
just come across....I've recently had a conversation here with a guy 
visiting here from the UK who is participating in a process called THE 
DIALOGUE TRUST http://www.thedialoguetrust.org.uk/ which has as its aim:
The Dialogue Trust aims to help efforts to reduce re-offending by 
developing dialogue between prisons, offenders and the community. It does 
this by running dialogue groups in liaison with individual prisons and 
probation departments.
The Trust was registered as a limited company in 2002 and as a charity in 
2003. Although a relatively new organisation, it contains a wealth of 
experience in setting up and facilitating dialogue groups and of group work 
inside and outside prisons.

What is dialogue?
Dialogue groups in prisons bring together approximately twenty prisoners, 
four volunteers from the community and prison staff when available in 
weekly half-day groups, with one or two professional facilitators. There is 
no agenda for the dialogue. The aim for the facilitators is to ensure a 
safe space for people to talk openly about issues that are important to 
them, so that understanding can develop between different (and often 
conflicting) sections of society, and enable the members of the group to 
think together in a mature and productive way.
The overall intention is to add to the work of rehabilitation and 
resettlement of prisoners by giving them the opportunity to talk on-a-level 
with people from outside, and with prison staff.
This looks good and may well be an avenue to 'open a bit more space' within 
the confines of the prison - mmmm I guess we're all imprisoned in some way 
or other....I wonder

I will pursue this idea here and see where the spirit leads

Brendan


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