Building Bridges of Opportunity serves to intentionally foster connection and collaboration between individual and organizations from public, plural and private sectors for the purposes of building healthier, more equitable and justice communities with our justice-involved neighbors. Throughout the year, Building Bridges planning partners offer state-wide events that offer tools and resources for going back into local communities with new connections and potential collaborations.
Each year, the Building Bridges planning team offers a unique gathering of the Ohio reentry community at the Community Experience. The Community Experience attracts community leaders, government officials, non-profits, policy makers, faith & community-based organizations, correctional professionals, law enforcement personnel, legal services, academics, justice involved citizens, and others interested in learning about and developing better community reentry responses.
UPCOMING EVENTS AND GATHERINGS
Tuesday Talks Series with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC)
TOPIC :: Child Support: Before, During and After Incarceration
DATE & TIME: July 9, 2024 @ 10:00AM on Zoom
Register here.
Child Support matters can feel confusing and overwhelming, even before employment and payments are disrupted by incarceration. Join us to learn more about the process, logical ways to stay on top of the issue and problem solve, and why it matters. A downloadable flyer is below to share with your colleagues, clients, and co-laborers.
Presenters: Ohio Office of Child Support
Andrew Chepp, County Services Supervisor
Tiffany Chinn, Human Services Program Consultant
Tuesday Talks provide family members of incarcerated adults, community members and local reentry stakeholders information regarding statewide initiatives designed to remove barriers to successful reentry and build bridges to better reintegration opportunities. Tuesday Talks occur every two months on Zoom on the second Tuesday from 10 - 11:30AM.
Questions about Tuesday Talks? Contact Darryl Graves at Darryl.Graves@odrc.state.oh.us.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS...
2024 Building Bridges Community Experience
Bridging Pathways to Hope
October 16-17 :: 9AM-3PM
Join the Ohio reentry community at this year's Community Experience. Our focus will be on serving reentry families, supporting youth returning home, and soliciting victims' voices in reentry. Our first day together will be all virtual via Zoom and our second day will be gatherings at regional host sites across Ohio. We look forward to being in community with you in October!
Now accepting Workshop Proposals for this year's Community Experience
The Building Bridges of Opportunity planning team cordially invites you to submit a workshop proposal for the 2024 Building Bridges Community Experience to be held on October 16-17.
Our theme this year is Bridging Pathways to Hope. We are looking for workshops that focus on cultivating goals, agency, opportunity, and resilience within one of three key reentry areas:
- Serving Families Through the Reentry Journey
- Support Returning Youth
- Soliciting Victims’ Voice in Reentry Efforts
Submit your proposal here.
Virtual and in-person workshop options available.
Deadline to submit is Monday, July 1, 2024.
The purpose of the Community Experience is to convene Ohio’s reentry community to provide high quality reentry education, emerging Ohio reintegration efforts, reintegration best practices, network opportunities, environments for sharing ideas, and advocacy opportunities for systemic reform.
Each year, the Community Experience brings together community leaders, government officials, non-profits, policy makers, faith & community-based organizations, correctional professionals, law enforcement personnel, legal services, academics, justice involved citizens, and others interested in learning about and developing better community reentry responses.
We welcome session proposals from any of these sectors to create the best opportunities for mutual learning.
View suggested workshop topics and host site locations here.
View a tentative Community Experience schedule here.
The planning team is looking for workshop proposals that aim to do one or more of the following:
- Enlighten and inform participants on challenges facing returning youth, families and victims and how they find hope through supportive relationships
- Highlight emerging trends, best practices, challenges, opportunities, and future projections for reimagining reentry and reintegration efforts
- Provide guidance and opportunities for well-intentioned allies, communities of faith, community-based organizations, and loved ones in their efforts to provide tangible reentry assistance
- Develop volunteer understanding for collaborating with local reentry coalitions (skills, practices, theoretical framework needed)
- Educate participants on perspectives, approaches, and practices that promote healing and wholeness with justice-impacted person
- Expose participants to communal systems and structures that impede the development of hope, tangible help and healing responses with justice-impacted community members
- Highlights what is happening locally in reentry efforts that offer opportunities for connection and collaboration
Submissions are due Monday, July 1, 2024.
If you have questions about a proposal, please contact Diane Bricker at dbricker@shpss.org or Reba Collins at rebakco@gmail.com.
Sponsors:
2023 Building Bridges Community Experience Resources
A Charge to Keep: Hope, Help, and Healing with Returning Neighbors
Thank you for making this year's Community Experience an impactful opportunity to learn, grow, and engage with your fellow co-laborers. Below are links to workshop resources, the schedule, workshop descriptions, and other information. Our theme this year was A Charge to Keep: Hope, Help, & Healing with Returning Neighbors. This year’s focus was on the role of volunteer partners and reentry allies. Faith-based servants, community members, and justice-impacted persons who are willing to walk with men, women, and families during reentry are critical in developing safer and healthier reintegration pathways and experiences.
Our goal is for reentry allies, justice professionals, impacted persons and service providers to become more deeply committed to creating positive reentry experiences by being more deeply connected to each other in community. The 2023 Community Experience was designed for you to leave equipped and engaged for your next actionable steps. Tell us how we did in accomplishing our goal by completing the Community Experience Survey here.
We were blessed to be in community with you on October 4-5, 2023 and look forward to seeing you next year.
2023 Community Experience Resources
A PDF of the session What Works: Addressing Crime-Related Risks and Needs to Promote Successful Reintegration and Personal Transformation is available upon request.
View virtual and host site schedules here.
View October 4 virtual workshop descriptions here.
Get October 5 host site arrival instructions here.
Click on PDF below for Presenters' Profiles or online here to view.
For details or questions, contact Community Experience Coordinator, Reba Collins, at allincommunity@wocumc.org
Want to keep abreast of upcoming Building Bridges of Opportunity events and gatherings? There are three ways to keep connected and foster collaboration between your fellow community members. Contact Rachel Sobitz at rsobitz@relink.org to be added to our email list.
Follow the Building Bridges Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/BuildingBridgesofOpportunity.
Check back here for upcoming events and gatherings.
Building Bridges Planning Partners
- West Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church
- Ms. Reba Collins
- Ms. Jami Nathan
- Ms. Brenda Oyer
- Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections
- Dr. Mike Davis
- Mr. Darryl Graves
- Ms. Jennifer Nail
- Ohio Commission on Fatherhood
- Director Kimberly Dent
- University of Cincinnati Corrections Institute
- Ms. Jennifer Scott
- Ohio Association of Local Reentry Coalitions (OALRC)
- Mr. Tom Luettke (Northwest Ohio Reentry Coalition)
- Ms. Diane Bricker (Delaware County Office of Reentry)
- Ms. Kysten Palmore (Depart. of Youth Services)
- Ms. Sandy Monfort (Allen, Auglaize and Hardin Country Reentry Coalition)
- Central Ohio Restored Citizens Collaborative
- Mr. Zach Ruppel
- Hamilton County Office of Reentry
- Ms. Trina Jackson
- The Four Seven Prison Ministry
- Ms. Kim Elliott
- Mr. Joe Domiano
- Vincentian OH Action Network & Accompanying Returning Citizens with HOPE
- Ms. Wendy Tarr
- Ms. Vanita Nevis
- Relink.org
- Ms. Barbara Campbell
- Ms. Rachel Sobitz
- Books for Bruises
- Mr. Louis Fields
- Young Christian Professionals
- Mr. Stanley Frankart