Spark Inside: Coaching in prisons

“You might not naturally think that the criminal justice sector is an upbeat place to work,” says Louise Potter, Head of Communications at Spark Inside. “But I love working in this area. It’s full of really passionate, clever, determined people who are absolutely committed to making a difference.”

Set up in 2012, Spark Inside is a charity that has transformed the lives of over 1,500 people living and working in prisons. It pioneered coaching in prisons, with the aim of connecting people in prison with the ‘spark inside’ that will motivate them to lead a crime-free life after release. 

Spark Inside’s award-winning coaching programme, the Hero’s Journey, is a structured life-coaching programme for 15-25 year olds in prison. It consists of three weekly two-hour group workshops, followed by the option of eight one-to-one coaching sessions. 

The charity also delivers coaching for prison staff and, in 2020, expanded its programme further.

“Young Black people told us they’d like to see a programme that addressed the issues they face such as systemic racism and limiting beliefs,” says Louise. “So we developed the Black Hero’s Journey together with young people and expert advisors. Delivered by Black coaches, it specifically addresses the experiences of young Black men in prison. It’s an empowering, celebratory programme that includes a section on Black Joy.”

As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting prisoner rehabilitation, the Goldsmiths’ Company Charity awarded Spark Inside a core funding grant of £60,000 over three years, running from March 2021-2024. In addition, it gave Spark Inside a pandemic support grant of £15,000 in March 2022 and a cost-of-living support grant of £2,000 in January 2023.

“Spark Inside is a really special, hopeful charity that focuses on potential,” says Louise. “We know that the system is in a difficult place, but we’re convinced we can help make prisons a place of rehabilitation.”

The impact is undeniable. A 2015 external evaluation found that the Hero’s Journey contributed to a reduction in re-offending of 33% six months post-release. Subsequently, a 2017 evaluation discovered that participants experience positive changes in: decision-making, problem-solving, emotional intelligence, wellbeing, resilience and confidence. An impressive 72% of participants believed they could overcome any future challenges they might face after completing the programme.

“I love the concept of the Hero’s Journey, the idea that we all have the capacity within ourselves to be the hero of our own story,” adds Louise. 

“It’s a shift from telling people what to do to telling people they have potential and asking what they want to become. You see this light go on and it makes for lasting change, because the desire to transform their life comes from within.”

Tyrone, 26, is one of the people who’s benefited from the Black Hero’s Journey. “I was sentenced to four years,” he says, “and the struggle was not getting drawn into bad activities. I knew I wanted to go somewhere with my life, to be better. Spark Inside put me on a positive path. It was a first step to reinventing myself.”

Following the programme, Tyrone took up the offer to receive one-to-one coaching and has qualified to become a coach himself. “Tyrone now coaches other young men with a criminal history,” says Louise. “He gained a jewellery manufacturing qualification and is in full-time employment. It’s incredible to see how he’s grown and the positive ripple effect he’s having on other people.”

Noel Williams, who coaches young men aged 15-18 at HMYOI Cookham Wood, explains what makes the Hero’s Journey programme special. “It’s not like mentoring, where you’re like an older brother with your arm around the person telling them what to do. It’s about empowering people. We ask people what inspires them and they co-create a new life plan for themselves.

“A lot of the young people I work with were kicked out of school at 11, 12 years old. A lot of them have complex needs. A lot of them are looked after children. One 17 year old told me, ‘Even my mother doesn’t think I’m capable of doing something positive. You’re the first person who’s made me think I can.’”

According to Noel, one of the most transformative elements of the Hero’s Journey is ‘possiping’, which means positive gossip. “We’ll pair up two people and ask them to ‘possip’ about each other, tell the other person something positive about themselves. Someone might say, ‘Oh, he’s got banter’ or ‘He helped me out’ or ‘He’s a family man’.

“Then we ask what they think the other person might do in the future. It’s such a powerful exercise because it helps people to see strengths in themselves they might not recognise.”

Jay, 21, agrees that possiping was an important part of the Hero’s Journey. “I came out of my shell when we did the possiping exercise. It makes you think positively about yourself.”

Jay had previously struggled with drug use and had been caught up in a troubling pattern of offending. After taking the Hero’s Journey course, he hasn’t touched drugs and his life has changed. “Since I’ve been out of prison I’ve stuck to everything I said I wanted to do,” he says. “I’ve changed and I’m living as honest a life as possible.”

The core funding grant from the Goldsmiths’ Company Charity helps ensure that Spark Inside will be able to support more people like Jay and Tyrone in the future.

“For any charity, unrestricted core funding is gold dust,” says Louise. “Lots of funders like to fund innovative projects, but it’s really important to have the freedom to put money towards our everyday costs that enable us to deliver our vital work.”

Spark Inside has used the grant to pay for staff costs, including delivering the Hero’s Journey.

She also values the Goldsmiths’ Company Charity’s understanding of the criminal justice sector. “They know what we’re up against. We deliver in an extremely challenging environment. We know that if things change, they’ll support us so we can pivot and continue to have an impact.”