ATHENS, W.Va. – “Building Bridges to a Better Community”, a workshop dealing with the topic of reentry, will be held at Concord University on Thursday, April 2 and Friday, April 3, 2020. Sessions both days will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in University Point’s Pais Fellowship Hall.
The workshop is open to the community, and anyone interested in reentry or community development is invited to attend. Social work CEUs will be available. There is no charge to attend; however, pre-registration is required at lpace@concord.edu
“This training is an opportunity for participants to learn more about the barriers and the difficulty transitioning to the community once a person has been absent,”
Lori Pace, Concord University Criminology Instructor
“This affects all of us as national data reports 1 in 5 adults will be incarcerated in their lifetime, and over 90 percent will be released back into the communities at some point.”
“Although the training is specifically designed to focus on barriers to reentry by returning criminal offenders, it is also applicable to other segments of our population including veterans, those returning from inpatient substance abuse recovery, etc.,”
Lori Pace
Concord University’s Criminology program is sponsoring and facilitating this event in partnership with the West Virginia Council of Churches Reentry Initiatives and trainer Beverly Sharp who is serving as the workshop leader.
Sharp has worked in law enforcement and corrections for more than 30 years. She holds a Global Career Development Facilitator Certification (GCDF), as well as being a National Institute of Corrections Certified Trainer in Offender Workforce Development. Sharp has been Director of Reentry Initiatives for the West Virginia Council of Churches for the last three years and has developed nine Reentry Councils across West Virginia.
She was born and raised on the West Side of Charleston and works toward breaking down barriers across the state to reduce recidivism and facilitate an opportunity for offenders to successfully return to the community.
The training covers a host of topics including: School to Prison Pipeline; Adverse Childhood Experiences and Their Impact on Incarceration; Personal Barriers to Reentering the Community; Corrections and Law Enforcement Related Barriers; Legal and Societal Barriers; Expectations from Offenders; Barriers to Employment; Connecting with Employers; Improving Outcomes Through Collaboration; Developing Interventions; Implementing Effective Strategies; and Educating the Community. Additionally, Mercer County Legal Aid will speak about expungement.
This is typically a two-day workshop with participant engagement and participation in break-out groups, role-plays and team activities.
For additional information contact Lori Pace at lpace@concord.edu or 304-763-5396.
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CONTACT:
Sarah M. Pritchett
Concord University
Office of Advancement
PO Box 1000, Athens, WV 24712
(304) 384-6312, news@concord.edu
http://www.concord.edu
After 4 p.m.
pitzer@concord.edu
Office: 304-384-5211
Cell: 304-320-6405