Advocacy
We work to shift criminal justice policy and public perceptions, advocating for fairness of opportunity and equity – most significantly, racial equity. We do this through building relationships and partnerships, advocacy campaigns and media relations.
Policy
We build relationships with, support and partner with like-minded organisations and charities in the sector and beyond to advocate for systemic change and for the potential of young people in prison. You can see who we’ve worked with and the impact we’ve had so far in our impact section.
Campaigns
Our campaign, Being Well Being Equal, pushes for wellbeing support for young men, particularly young Black and Mixed Heritage men, in prison to be prioritised and tailored to meet their specific needs.
In 2022, we brought together an alliance of six voluntary organisations, committed to rehabilitative services and supporting racial equity & wellbeing in prisons, to drive forward the campaign.
In 2023, we published the Being Well Being Equal report, consolidating research, policy and practice focused on the wellbeing of young men in custody, and most importantly, insights from these young men themselves.
Find out more about the Being Well Being Equal campaign.
Media
We publicly advocate for systemic change; for the power of coaching; and for the potential of young people in prison. We work to shine a light on these issues via the media and we platform those with lived experience. You can see some of our media coverage in our impact section.
The voices of those with lived experience
We recognise the lived experience of young people in prison and see them as experts. We listen to their ideas and feedback to help to shape our strategy, coaching programmes and our campaigns.
Read this report from The Listening Fund about our journey to become more accountable to young people.
In-prison advisory boards
The in-prison advisory boards (IPABs) are formed of Spark Inside ambassadors (a paid role for people in prison) and representatives of Spark Inside. We keep our participants at the heart of everything we do, and the in-prison advisory boards are a platform for people in prison to voice their opinions and effect change.
We have acted on what young people in prison have told us, including:
- the development of the tailored version of our life coaching programme, Black Hero’s Journey™
- shifting our evaluation method to Outcomes Star (Youth Star), which is completed as a collaborative process between client and coach, without leading or directing the client, which helps instil trust
- having a senior Spark Inside staff member present at their meetings, especially those who can implement any changes recommended by them.
Spark Inside Champions
The Spark Inside Champions are a group of young men who may have taken part in Spark Inside’s programmes or have accessed coaching in prison but are now back in the community.
They meet regularly with our Participation and Engagement Manager to help shape our programmes and advocacy campaigns, advise our recruitment, and champion the potential of young people in prison, racial equity, wellbeing and more.
Recently, they have been feeding into organisational discussions as we co-produce our Being Well Being Equal campaign, report, and toolkit.
The intention is for the group to work collectively and supportively, in a space built on strong, trusting, reciprocal relationships, with regular opportunities to strengthen skills and confidence alongside involvement in our work.
