Established in 2012, Spark Inside has worked with over 2000 people who live and work across 16 prisons, young offender institutions, and secure training centres in England.
2009
In the beginning…
Our Founder, Baillie Aaron, was teaching entrepreneurship in prisons in the USA. She observed that, despite being motivated to change, many people in prison felt there were significant barriers to building a crime-free future.
Baillie saw that when people connected to their passion — their “spark inside” — they could imagine a different path. She wanted to build a programme that would give young people a clear purpose to strive towards on release: a compelling alternative to returning to crime.
2011
Finding coaching
Baillie asked young Londoners whose lives had been impacted by prison what support they needed. They were clear:
They didn’t want to be told what to do
They wanted tailored, individual support
What they wanted was coaching.
2012
Hero’s Journey™ is born
Baillie met life coach Lola Fayemi, who designed what is now Spark Inside’s award-winning intervention: Hero’s Journey™. This was the first structured life coaching programme for 15- to 25-year-olds in prison, enabling them to build motivation, define goals, and move away from crime.
As Hero’s Journey™ expanded across London and the South East, we recognised that the tense and often chaotic prison environment was not always conducive to rehabilitation. It became clear that prison culture itself needed to change.
2014
The Conversation is piloted
Following an appeal from a prison governor, our programme team developed and piloted a pioneering systems coaching programme:
The Conversation Systems Coaching Programme® (The Conversation).
The programme brings together prison staff and people living on the wings, and through dialogue, aims to enhance their relationships, improve empathy, and support sustained positive cultural change.
We piloted the Black Hero’s Journey, a co-designed programme responding to the specific needs of young Black and Mixed Heritage men in prison, first delivered at HMPYOI Isis.
Hero’s Journey™ three-year impact report published
An independent evaluation by The Social Investment Consultancy showed Spark Inside had made a clear, positive impact on over 350 young men across three years.
In response to COVID-19, Spark Inside adapted its services to expand its offer of life coaching to prison staff, supporting them in their wellbeing during an unprecedented period.
We set out the vision and mission we hold today: to use coaching to unlock the full potential of individuals and drive cultural change, so that the futures of people affected by the criminal justice system are determined by their potential, not their past.
Spark Inside began delivering Hero’s Journey™ at HMP Lincoln, in partnership with the Lincolnshire Action Trust — our first programme outside London and the South East.
In partnership with the Forward Trust and the National Probation Service, we began delivering coaching in the community, enabling access at different points in young people’s journeys.
We partnered with the Prison Reform Trust, coaching 20 Prison Governors and 12 Deputy Prison Governors, reaching 50 prison staff across the year. An evaluation by the University of Lincoln found that Spark Inside coaching helps prison staff build resilience, manage stress, and improve wellbeing.
We began a pilot at HMP Brixton, delivering coaching skills training for prison gym staff, to enable them to have powerful, transformational interactions with the young people in custody who know and trust them.
We published an audit of Black Hero’s Journey, which found the programme enables participants to challenge negative stereotypes, develop a positive sense of self, and discover greater purpose, motivation and hope for the future.
Spark Inside selected as The October Club’s Charity Partner
The October Club raised over £750,000 for our work at its annual Gala, enabling us to reach hundreds more young people and expand our work to three prisons in the Midlands.
Hero’s Journey™ was rolled out regionally for the first time, delivering at two prisons in the East Midlands.
2025
Coaching young women
We began coaching young women, supporting two cohorts in HMP East Sutton Park with one-to-one sessions. We began developing a new programme tailored to the specific needs of women in prison.
2025
We published our Impact Report 2024 – 25
This year was a landmark one for Spark Inside — a year of growth, innovation, and recognition as we continue to champion the power of coaching in the criminal justice system.
Our Head of Programmes won Charity Innovator of the Year at the Charity Staff and Volunteer Awards, recognising the early impact of the Hero’s Journey.
2016
Spark Inside was shortlisted for Best New Charity at Charity Times Awards
2017
We received a commendation for ‘Prisoner Re-integration’ at the Robin Corbett Awards for The Conversation at HMP Belmarsh.
2019
Spark Inside won HCL Technologies’ “Goodwill Champions: The Wave Makers” Award, presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
2024
The Black Hero’s Journey was recognised with two awards: the Zurich Municipal Award for Diversity and Inclusion, and the Community Organisation: Race, Faith or Religion Award at the National Diversity Awards.
2025
Hero’s Journey and Black Hero’s Journey, were shortlisted in the Children and Youth category for 2025’s Charity Awards.
