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Sociology Colleagues Awarded WOW Award for work with HMP Long Lartin’
Amid a busy teaching term, this small team volunteered their time, energy, and expertise to reach 12 men serving long sentences at HMP Long Lartin, a high-security Category A prison. Most of these men had never experienced formal education before.
The course gave the learners the opportunity to discuss and learn through their own lived experiences, develop critical thinking and express ideas creatively through poetry and art.
The learners were so inspired that they created a podcast to reflect on the experience - speaking with passion about the content and their lecturers.
Several have since become peer mentors, enrolled in further study, and applied for distance-learning university courses. The prison has invited the Warwick team back for a second cohort this year.
Behind the scenes, this work demanded meticulous planning, long-distance travel in poor weather, complex security clearance, and balancing childcare - all while teaching in a challenging, unpredictable environment.
The team's nominator told us: "These colleagues also inspired me with their enthusiasm and camaraderie, providing an example of how great it is to teach important subjects as a team and in solidarity."
This project is a shining example of what happens when academic passion meets social justice, as it brought life-changing education to a group often forgotten and overlooked by society.