[Press Release]
St Giles is delighted to have been awarded a £500,000 grant from the Goldsmiths Company charity, to fund its life-changing prisons work.
The £500,000 Landmark Grant will fund St Giles’ Peer Empowerment Programme (PEP), which will empower 150 prisoners in 5 prisons (3 of which are women’s prisons) to develop new skills and gain recognised level 3 qualifications in Advice and Guidance.
This industry standard qualification, supervision, management, and on the job training, plus pathways into placements, provided through the PEP help to create long-term, transformative change for those leaving prison.
The Peer Advisor programme not only enhances the confidence, skills, and employability of people who have been in prison but also supports others facing similar challenges. The acquired skills are highly transferable and open doors to a range of careers.
Nicky Park, Director of Criminal Justice and Women’s Services, said:
“We are immensely grateful to the Goldsmiths’ Company Charity for the award of a Landmark grant of £500,000 towards our work in prisons, as part of our Peer Empowerment in Prisons programme. Underpinning all our charity’s services is our Peer Advisor programme, which is a structured package of support and training to enable people who have overcome barriers to help them to move their own lives forward and help others in the process. People in prison are amongst some of the most disadvantaged people in society and empowering them with positive opportunities to boost their skills and confidence delivers benefits for everyone, through reduced re-offending.”