Exchange for Change, a Miami-based nonprofit, provides writing courses and anonymous letter exchanges that connect incarcerated and free student writers and forges bonds on both sides of the fence We believe in the value of every voice, and that strong, safe communities are formed when everyone has the ability to listen and be heard. Exchange for Change is committed to promoting dialogue across so
cial and institutional barriers and, particularly, to collaborating with imprisoned writers to foster empathy and create individual and social change. Our programs help individual writers realize the value of their own experiences, increase public awareness about the causes and effects of incarceration, and create opportunities for shared action toward social change. We provide opportunities for creative, intellectual engagement through writing. Students inside the justice system are given a voice and an opportunity to express themselves without worrying about being stigmatized, a first-time experience for many. Students on the outside learn from the knowledge and experiences of their inside writing partners, and both groups have the opportunity to listen to and engage with voices and perspectives they may otherwise never encounter. Students can express themselves anonymously, across different communities, to develop their individual voices and talents in order to become agents of change within their own communities.
