Partakers College Behind Bars

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Partakers College Behind Bars

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Partakers works every day to reduce prison recidivism through essential educational opportunities and empowering mentorship relationships.

For 25 years, Partakers has worked to help reduce recidivism by promoting education and providing community mentoring for incarcerated women and men pursuing their degrees and educational opportunities. Through our College Behind Bars Mentoring Program, the powerful mentoring relationships that Partakers builds profoundly impact our students' lives, their mentors, their families, and their communities. Students who have graduated from the Partakers College Behind Bars Program show a 2% recidivism rate. Past studies show a 6 year national average of 79%*
*Bureau of Justice Statistics

In 2021 we launched our new Re-entry mentoring program, the Partakers' Empowerment Program (PEP) in partnership with Brandeis University's Educational Justice Initiative, to guide, mentor, and train returning citizens to help them successfully navigate their return and launch their new chapters. We believe in the power and the promise of lives transformed -we see it every day
Join Us In Our Work Transforming Lives and Building Futures

10/29/2026

Meet John!
John has been a mentor in both College Behind Bars and the Partakers Empowerment Program for over 6 years!

John mentors in response to mass incarceration in the U.S. and because he sees himself in his mentees. He’s helped many mentees by offering support, friendship, a safe space and a listening ear without judgement.

Thank you for all you do, John!!! 💛💙

Want to be a mentor like John?
Attend an informational session on Zoom (LINK IN BIO) or email [email protected]

NMDglobal | National Mentoring Day

10/28/2026

National Mentoring Day is October 27th, but at Partakers that’s just a normal day! We celebrate our mentors and mentees every day. You are the 💛💙 of what we do!!!

Learn about becoming a mentor at our next informational session on November 9th on Zoom. LINK IN BIO ➡️

09/22/2026

Partakers is seeking new mentors to join us this Fall! 🍁

Are you curious about volunteering with Partakers? Do you care about making a direct impact in someone’s life? Do you have questions about what it’s like visiting someone in prison? Please join us for this introductory informational session about Partakers programs, what it means to be a mentor, how it works, and to get your questions answered!

Join us on ZOOM tomorrow evening at 6:30pm.

PLEASE REGISTER USING THE LINK IN OUR BIO FOR “INFO SESSIONS” ➡️➡️➡️

09/16/2026

Mentors are the beating ❤️ of Partakers!
Thank you, Cisco and Clarke, for sharing your story with us!

Partakers is a Massachusetts nonprofit dedicated to reducing recidivism by supporting formerly and currently incarcerated individuals through a unique community mentor model. Through our education-based mentorship programs and reentry initiatives, we pair incarcerated students and returning citizens with volunteer mentor teams. Mentors BUILD BRIDGES and provide social and emotional support, community, and consistent connection to life “outside”, mending the gap between confinement and community. Our goal is to change the narrative around those impacted by incarceration and to create support networks that foster sustained transformation across communities in Massachusetts.

Interested in mentoring?
Have a story to share?
Email: [email protected]

09/14/2026

WE’RE ON A BOAT! 😎

We had a blast on Georges Island enjoying the beautiful weather and the even more beautiful company. We enjoyed the sounds of the harbour, conversations, and the time to relax and connect with one another. Reentry can be a very busy and intense time for people, so these opportunities to come together and “take a breather” are truly special.

CONGRATULATIONS to the 16th cohort of the Partakers Empowerment Program!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Fun fact: Georges Island is located only 7 miles from downtown Boston, and is home to Fort Warren, a National Historic Landmark. Like other islands in the harbor, Georges Island first served as a seasonal fishing site for the Indigenous people in the area. They lived on the islands in the summer and moved inland in the winter.

📸: Austin Huck

09/04/2026

JOIN US!
Learn what all the hype is about.

“When you mentor someone in prison with Partakers, you’re taking part in someone’s transformation, healing and growth. Mentoring, and being in community with people I may have not met otherwise, has been one of the greatest joys of my life. I’m forever changed and so grateful for the relationships I’ve made here.” -Cassie Huck, a mentor since 2021

08/07/2026

IT’S FRIYAY 🎉 And we don’t know how this weekend could top last Saturday night at Transformational Prison Project ‘s Prom 🤩

We had so much fun with friends, reentry and educational partners, and alumni at the Prom fundraiser organized by Transformational Prison Project. Not only could we could see Partakers alumni in every direction, we saw more than that: love for the community, happiness, style, healing, and most of all FREEDOM.

Thank you TPP for your partnership and your work. So many Partakers alumni have interacted with TPP as part of their journey to freedom. It’s empowering for us at Partakers to be a part of this special night, but also to see the love reflected in this community. It truly provides fuel and hope for progress. ⭐️❤️💪

Big shoutout to photographer, Lauren Miller, who always captures the best photos at so many important events. We appreciate you! 🫶

📸 Lauren Miller
Photobooth: PLUSH & POSE ✨

07/17/2026

Last Friday’s 💚 PICKLEBALL EVENT 💚 was jam packed with good vibes and great people interested in reentry! Huge thanks goes out to Adam Toler from the Center for Interfaith Collaboration, Nevia Selmon from Repair the World Boston, and Cam Boucher from Pickleball for Incarcerated Communities League (PICL) for bringing us together. Thank you also to Club Volo at Assembly Row for hosting us!

Justin Rodriguez was on 🔥 on the courts… ready for a rematch, bruh?! 😎

07/16/2026

💙 We believe that stronger communities start with stronger support systems.

This week, the Partakers team got certified in Adult Mental Health First Aid alongside our partners at THRIVE Communities of MA & Concord Prison Outreach 🎉

This certification gives us new tools to better support the people we serve and helps us continue to equip our volunteer mentors with the knowledge and confidence to recognize when someone may be struggling, respond with compassion, and connect them to the resources they need 💛

Huge thanks to Thrive for bringing us together 🙌 Experiences like this remind us that lasting change doesn’t happen in a vacuum—it happens when organizations come together, learn from one another, and invest in building strong ecosystems of care for those impacted by incarceration. Shout out to our great trainer, Lynn, from SYFS 🖐️ National Council for Mental Wellbeing

07/02/2026

THURSDAY, JULY 9th we’ll be joined by College Behind Bars (CBB) alumni, Sean “2ruTh7” Evelyn, to listen to his experience and learn about becoming a mentor with Partakers.

Mentors are at the heart of what we do! Mentors show up and support people who society has all but given up on. Partakers mentors understand the potential, the power, and the humanity of every individual behind bars and coming home! We see lives transformed everyday and invite compassionate people like YOU to join us on Thursday, July 9th to learn more. 🔗LINK IN BIO

Follow 2®️üTh7 🔥

Address

230 Central Street
Newton, MA
02466

Telephone

+16177952725

Website

http://partakers.org/

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