Inside Out: how a unique project is helping young ex-offenders find professional opportunities

I feel so privileged to be a part of a brilliant new project to help coach young prison leavers who are trying to enter the world of work. LinkedIn is partnering with Inside Out, a social enterprise to provide guidance and employability skills to young ex-offenders.?

Inside Out was founded by Greg McKenzie in collaboration with Zack Fortag, who first met and connected with each other on… LinkedIn! Their aim is to highlight the challenges that young people face when they leave the prison system, and with the help of LinkedIn provide the tools, skills and a professional network to help them find new opportunities and progress.

Inside Out is a unique rehabilitation programme and for its debut project focuses on the business of fashion, providing the group of recent young prison leavers with the materials and training they need to market the UK’s first clothing brand created, designed and hand produced by young ex-offenders. I joined other mentors such as the creative director of streetwear label Mandem, Paul Allimadi, sales coach Jeremy Blake and the co-founder of 10,000 Black Interns, Dawid Konotey-Ahulu who helped not just with technical skills such as screen printing and design, but also business skills like sales and marketing, and important softer skills like teamwork and problem solving.

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to meet the group in the LinkedIn UK office and we spent several hours working through their LinkedIn profiles, learning about their amazing ambitions and also having a lot of fun! I was really impressed with the drive of my mentee to make an impact in the world, as well as his curiosity and his interest in learning. The chance to mentor these young people is as much a learning opportunity for me as it is for them. It’s both humbling and eye-opening to hear their stories. And it’s inspiring to learn about their passion and ideas for future careers and business endeavours as they look forwards.

One of the things I love most about the project is how it brings LinkedIn’s professional network and community to life. We’ve helped the group create their own LinkedIn profiles, worked with a professional photographer on profile headshots, and perhaps most importantly, want to welcome them to our community 31m+ UK professionals on the platform. You can connect with the participants of the project via their LinkedIn profiles below!

Shaquiel Campous - https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/shaquiel-campous-3a4927b3/

Donell Mukasa - https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/donell-mukasa-191328235

Shiloh Williams-? https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/shiloh-williams-6b5326235/

Tiko Tarawali - https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/tiko-tarawali-9a3355235/

Tashan Lane-Pierre - https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/tashan-lane-pierre-9a83a1235/

Syed Hussain - https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/syed-hussain-577518235/

Elton Gilbert - https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/elton-gilbert-5b847b176/

Zakaria Haji - https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/zakaria-haji-437461235/

The Inside Out clothing range will be sold in a pop-up store, Blank Canvas, at Westfield Stratford City, open from 19th-28th April. Blank Canvas is designed as a destination that celebrates new beginnings, so not only will you be able to buy the clothing range and meet the designers, you’ll also be able to see live art transforming a literal blank canvas into a community art space. Visitors can get help from LinkedIn coaches offering tailored support and advice on how to access job opportunities. Coaches will be available to speak with you on the 19, 21 and 26 April, and on 21 and 26 April we will also be hosting a series of inspirational panel talks and guest speakers, including celebrity author and chef, Levi Roots and Kineta Kelsall, Senior Director Training (Social Media), Jellyfish.

Earlier this month, I shared LinkedIn research that looked at the advantages of more inclusive recruitment policies for other disadvantaged groups, such as people with disabilities or caring responsibilities. Inside Out shines a light on the potential for recruiting prison leavers. By giving young ex-offenders a second chance to demonstrate their potential we can start to remove some of the barriers they face and empower thousands of prison leavers to make a fresh start.

Tickets for Inside Out, at Westfield Stratford, are available on eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/inside-out-x-linkedin-present-blank-canvas-256379