Passionate volunteer Sarah Pender from Devizes in Wiltshire is helping to change that. She has completely changed the lives of countless illiterate prisoners, thanks to her truly remarkable work with the Shannon Trust. With 13 years of experience directing an alternative to incarceration, prison literacy program. Using her training, literate inmates educate those who are unable to read, addressing a growing and vital problem where roughly 70% of the incarcerated population is illiterate.
Pender’s expertise in phonics informs her very effective volunteer efforts. Understanding the fundamentals of phonics is essential for reading, and she has honed this knowledge through her previous work with children. Her experiences inspire her to help provide incarcerated women with the tools they need to thrive. This creates a positive learning community where they can educate their classmates.
And the impact of Pender’s training is felt far beyond the realm of literacy. She explains that after just a few lessons, every time an offender starts reading, they start to picture a better future for themselves. This newfound ability fosters hope and ambition, enabling them to consider job prospects, housing options, and making meaningful contributions to society.
For Pender, her volunteer work is “incredibly inspiring,” as she sees the transformations of the men and women she trains firsthand.
“You really see people going from being complete non-readers to actually believing they’ve got a future – because they can think about getting a job, housing or just making a difference on the outside.” – Sarah Pender
Her pride in the accomplishments of her students is clear. Countless former prisoners work towards new and inspirational goals once they finish their literacy education. Pender’s dedication to this cause is a reminder of just how crucial it is to address literacy issues in our prisons. She’s passionate about it, too, because she knows that when people are better at reading it improves their lives and makes the whole community better off, too.
Thanks to her partnership with the Shannon Trust, Pender has been able to make great strides in providing prisoners with the literacy support that they need. Her dedication to education and empowerment drives her advocation alongside volunteers. In this talk she demonstrates how teaching people to read can help unlock the lives of all people incarcerated.
