Theme: Pride and Prejudice

TEDxLeicester and HMP Leicester are combining efforts to produce a high quality TEDx Salon that will be unique for the UK. With this partnership we will develop a programme that involves inmates in the production, hosting and discussions taking place on the day, giving attendees an opportunity to engage with the Prison and its team in a meaningful way.

A day of talks and entertainment carefully curated to embody the theme of ‘Pride and Prejudice’, providing an opportunity to for the Prison team and attendees alike to open their minds to the possibilities of working closely with each other and supporting the rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates back into the Leicester communities upon their release. The ethos of ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’ will be facilitated by thought-provoking speakers and entertainment and the subsequent opportunities to network and share ideas about how to respond to the points raised.

What the Partnership hopes to achieve as a result of this Salon:

To consolidate existing community partnerships, such as with De Montfort University, Leicester University and others, and to create new opportunities for wider and more holistic approaches to rehabilitation and reintegration

To challenge perceptions that the prison and its team as a peripheral figure and is to be viewed as part of the wider Leicester community; not just the place where you are sent for ‘being bad’

To engender a more cohesive and ‘neighbourly’ approach to supporting inmates transition to life outside of prison, many of whom are local people who have lived in the area for a long time, and will continue to do so

To highlight to key members of Leicester’s businesses, charities and community leaders that re-offending is curbed in the communities in which ex-offenders reside, and therefore needs to strategically align efforts. The Salon intends to start and develop those conversations

To open up the prison and to challenge prejudices that may exist and ’bust the myths’ of prison life. This includes allowing staff and inmates to show their, perhaps, hidden talents

To foster a collaborative approach to producing responses to the major challenges faced by the Prison team and inmates, including effects of mental health difficulties, substance misuse, lack of accommodation, employment etc.

To lay the foundations for future TEDxLeicester and HMP Leicester partnership and a possible return for further Salons, building on the work of this inaugural session We anticipate this will be the first TEDx Salon of its kind in the UK, inspired by other successful events around the globe, including the much publicised TEDxMarionCorrectional Salons.
Whilst understanding the challenges raised by holding such an event, we believe that there is a fantastic opportunity to be trailblazers in the UK, developing work that is uniquely thought-provoking and inspiring.

This is an invite only TEDxLeicester Salon event.

The program is subject to change and amendment.

Access to the event shall be under the strict guidance of HMP Leicester all invited attendees must provide Photo ID.

No electronic devices shall be permitted into the establishment.

For further information contact carl@tedxleicester.com

HMP Leicester
Welford Road
Leicester
Leicester, Leicester, Le2 7aj
United Kingdom

CJ Burge

SOS+ Project Coordinator

CJ Burge is SOS+ Project Coordinator, at St. Giles Trust, a remarkable UK charity that breaks the cycle of offending through supporting disadvantaged clients back into education, training and employment. CJ is currently leading a team of facilitators, who use first-hand experience, to speak to at-risk young people about violence, vulnerability and exploitation, using interactive workshops and assemblies to educate and challenge misconceptions. In 2016/17 SOS+ delivered 295 preventative sessions across London, that reached 16,053 young people. SOS+ delivers sessions that cover knife crime; gangs and the consequences of crime; child sexual exploitation; county lines: drug-dealing and drug-taking; the reality of prison life; peer pressure and bullying; joint enterprise; victims; and abusive behaviour (amongst others). In 2016, CJ co-curated BRAVE.

Dr Bruce London Shakespeare Workout Concert Party

On the day of the TEDxLeicester Salon event,Dr Bruce Wall of the London Shakespeare Workout, assisted by HMP Leicester’s writer-in-residence Alistair Fruish worked with a group of men to create and deliver a piece based on the themes of Pride and Prejudice. The men had 2 hours to prep before they performed on the day. Dr Bruce has worked with at HMP Leicester on quite a few occasions in the past, to create inspirational activities based on the work of William Shakespeare. The prisoners are masked as well as Dr Bruce who is the main lead.

Dr Bruce Wall London Shakespeare Workout

On the day of the TEDxLeicester Salon ev ent, Dr Bruce Wall of the London Shakespeare Workout, assisted by HMP Leicester’s writer-in-residence Alistair Fruish worked with a group of men to create and deliver a piece based on the themes of Pride and Prejudice. The men had 2 hours to prep before they performed on the day. Dr Bruce has worked with at HMP Leicester on quite a few occasions in the past, to create inspirational activities based on the work of William Shakespeare. The prisoners are masked as well as Dr Bruce who is the main lead.

Gillian McFarland

Artist in Residence at De Montfort University and an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Genetics at Leicester University.

With a degree in Fine Art from St Martins School of Art, Gillian McFarland worked as a curator of a travelling art gallery for Fife Education Authority, taking contemporary Art to remote communities. After undertaking her postgraduate study in Art Therapy she worked for over 14 years as the lead Art Therapist in NHS Tayside in a variety of psychiatric settings including Adult and Child Mental Health and Acute Forensic Wards. Following a move south Gillian returned to her own arts practice working as artist /educator with Bath Artists Studios, the Holburne Museum, 5x5x5 Creativity and Creativity Works. She became the Education Lead for Bath Artist Studios delivering on Mental Health and Wellbeing projects over a number of organisations. With a wealth of experience running educational and therapeutic arts workshops across schools, colleges, in health and social care settings she is now based in Leicestershire with a studio in the Cultural Quarter. She has won numerous awards.

Michael Brome

Prision Officer

Michael Brome is a prison officer at HMP Leicester with 13 years service.In this time he has worked in several areas and teams using his calming nature to deal with very challenging situations and individuals.Helping people to challenge themselves and overcome obstacles. Michael is also a spoken word artist, represented by literature organisation Renaissance one, mentor and workshop facilitator based in the East Midlands (Leicester). He has performed widely – from music and literature festivals to comedy clubs, from cultural venues such as New Arts Exchange to universities, theatres and day centres for senior citizens.In 2007 he was a contributing artist to the ‘Freedom Showcase’ a spoken word show for the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade cultural series and since then has been invited to do writing commissions for Cultivate, Writing East Midlands, Curve Theatre and many more.He also went on to win a national competition, the Spoken Word Commission.

Michael Corrigan

CEO Prosper 4

Michael is an ex-offender and co-founder of Prosper. He spent over a year in Brixton and Belmarsh prisons serving a fraud offence, being released in 2013. Michael’s passion is to change the way in which work and employment opportunities are provided to offenders, in order to support resettlement. Quality outcomes are the key drivers for Michael: he wants to change the accepted norm of mundane and minimal standards in the justice sector; and he wants to ensure positive outcomes result from his work. Michael is a widely-experienced business executive, having worked in the UK and overseas. He spent ten years with Deloitte in London, including five years as a Partner. He has worked in industries from financial services to agriculture, and catering to manufacturing. He is used to working with large teams, and to growing businesses to achieve their goals.Michael led and worked on an employment project in Brixton Prison.  The project was a huge success, and over 200 men found work .

Pamela Dow

Director of Strategy at the Ministry of Justice

Pamela is a senior Whitehall civil servant with experience of education and justice reform at the highest level. Serving as principal private secretary to Rt Hon Michael Gove MP in his role as secretary of state for education, and then again as his director of strategy at the Ministry of Justice, her particular interest is in public service improvement and how to make positive change using the machinery of government. Outside work Pamela is involved in a range of projects with young people to increase and improve the quality of public debate. She has been a judge for the Institute of Ideas Debating Matters Competition since 2014, including for the 2016 National Final, and helped found both Debating Matters Israel and Debating Matters Beyond Bars, at HMP Birmingham. She also supports the Economist Education Foundation schools programmes, 'Burnet News Club' and 'Policy League'. Pamela founded De Beauvoir Debates in 2015 and is sits on the Advisory Board of the Weidenfeld Hoffman Trust,

Phil Novis

Governor

Phil Novis, has been since February 2015,the proud governor of HMP Leicester. Primarily known for trouble shooting and performance improvement he was brought to Leicester to raise standards after a poor Inspection. He is transforming (not transformed) the prison and violence has reduced. The prison is much more purposeful and is now flourishing, having reached the top 50 of the Prison Rating System after having been 101 in the first quarter of 2016. He is proud of his colleagues who have supported him without question and delighted that one of them has been recognised for a national award. He is equally proud of the partnerships that have been made, which have contributed significantly prisons overall improvement. Most significantly he is proud of men and women who have adjusted to the changes that he has implemented and who have also made the prison a better place. The event is testimony to all at Team Leicester.