Jobs

As we count down the months until our FM Comedy Night in November, Office Manager Leanne Heerey visited HMP Aylesbury to speak to staff and inmates with regards to re-employment after prison.

HMP Aylesbury is a young offenders institute, housing young men between the ages of 18 and 27. It is not a resettlement prison, so hasn’t always had the support to aid young offenders with regards to resettling back into the community, helping to prepare them for life after prison. However, this is something that is starting to happen but of course, there are some exceptions from time to time, whether it is down to inmates being sent to different prisons or not being released until a later date.

Members of staff at HMP Aylesbury are currently trying to set up an Employment Hub, but due to lack of staff funding this is proving to be fairly difficult. It would be a fantastic idea to be able to provide these individuals with certain skills in a workshop such as CV writing, cover letter writing and interview tips. This could even be extended to teaching them how to speak to people, practicing their communication and interaction skills, especially in an interview environment.

We feel that small changes like this have the potential to make a huge difference, which is another reason why Trailblazers is our charity of choice for this year’s FM Comedy Night. Some inmates are expected to find work within 6 weeks of leaving prison, which is quite a tall order for anyone, let alone ex-offenders. What Trailblazers does to help these people is nothing short of inspiring and is something that needs to be talked about more, but isn’t, due to the stigma attached. If people are willing to make a change, then they deserve to be supported.

Again, these kinds of charities are extremely underfunded which is why we want to fundraise for Trailblazers, so they can do more to help these individuals. If you haven’t already booked your tickets to our FM Comedy Night, please click here! We can’t wait to see you on the 16^th of November!