Partakers College Behind Bars

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Partakers College Behind Bars

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 communi

ties. 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

04/25/2026

As we close out and the month of April as
Partakers is celebrating and honoring our extraordinary community of
🎉
At Partakers, our over 400 Community Volunteer Mentors are the ❤️ of all we do!
Our Mentors Amaze Us!

They are truly our heart and soul.

The mentor experience changes their
perspective and their lives profoundly
as they forge lasting bonds
with the students they support, guide, and celebrate.

What Does it Take to Be a Partakers’ Mentor?

Simple-Share Your Heart.

Partakers Has Two Distinct Mentor Opportunities:

Our College Behind Bars Program, in partnership with
Boston College Prison Education Program
Emerson College Prison Initiative
Tufts University Prison Initiative

and our Reentry Program, The Partakers Empowerment Program (PEP) in partnership with Brandeis University Educational Justice Initiative

We Invite You to Discover How YOU Can Get Involved.

Join Us for one of our Virtual Info Sessions-

The Power of Partakers Mentoring

via Zoom
📌
Two Upcoming Info Sessions on

May 11th* or May 26
*Please Note the Date Change for Our First May Info Session

To Learn More and to Register, Visit https://www.partakers.org/powerofmentoring

Hear from current Mentors and Graduates to Learn about the Power of Mentoring with Partakers.

Be a part of our work

Transforming Lives and Building Futures

Because👇
Mentors Matter

04/13/2026

We have at long last turned the corner to Spring. 🌾
Despite these often overwhelming and challenging times, we at Partakers are greeting the new season with action and opportunities to build on our almost 30-year legacy of fostering relationships that change lives.

Once you are involved with Partakers, you remain connected, and your view of incarceration and what YOU can do to make a difference in the lives of those impacted by the carceral system changes forever. A wonderful, heartfelt email from a long-time Mentor demonstrated again the lasting power of Partakers relationships. This Mentor has remained in contact with their Mentee after their release and wanted to support them in their transition, helping them find employment.

While there are no "magic wands" in the difficult and often fraught journey home, just knowing there are folks there for you, rooting for you, and doing whatever they can to help find the resources so you can navigate this path means the world. We are so proud to be here whenever and for whatever our students, graduates, and Mentors need for information, resources, and most especially community.

April is . At Partakers, our Volunteers are the foundation on which we grow. Our network of over 400 community volunteer mentors is literally transforming lives and building futures.
We do not believe that anyone should have to make this journey alone.

In a time of disconnect, we are working to bridge communities and foster empathy, understanding, and lasting connections.

What makes Partakers stand out from all other in-prison and reentry models? Simply- our Mentors! We know Relationships Matter! Mentors Matter!

We currently have wait-lists for Mentors for both our College Behind Bars and PEP Reentry Program.
In this season of new beginnings, when so many of us are asking "What can we do to make a difference?", we hope you will consider joining us in our work, "Transforming Lives and Building Futures."

Arthur Bembury, Executive Director
Partakers

READ Our Newsletter Here-https://conta.cc/4c35XpT

Tufts University Prison Initiative
Boston College
Emerson College
Brandeis University

01/18/2026

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."
~Martin Luther King, Jr.
Letter from Birmingham, Alabama jail, April 16, 1963.

01/06/2026

January is .
At Partakers our are the ❤️ of all we do!

We cannot think of a better way to celebrate and to kick off 2026 than to invite you to JOIN US! for one of our Virtual Info Sessions- "The Power of Partakers Mentoring" via Zoom
LEARN MORE and REGISTER HERE➡
https://www.partakers.org/mentor-info-session

Hear from current mentors and graduates to learn about the power of with Partakers and how you can get involved and join us in our work
Because👇

12/29/2025

Dear Friends,
It is hard to believe that we are at the close of 2025.

We want to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very happy, healthy, and peaceful New Year filled only with joy.

For Partakers, 2025 has been a year of big changes and exciting growth, filled with special moments celebrating the stories of lives transformed.

At Partakers, we do not believe that anyone should have to make this journey alone. In a time of disconnect, we are working to bridge communities and foster empathy, understanding, and lasting connection.

What makes Partakers stand out from all other in-prison and reentry models? Simply- our Mentors! We know Relationships Matter! Mentors Matter!

Each day, Partakers supports so many women and men who have been impacted by the carceral system. We are providing opportunities to change the trajectory of their lives, the lives of their families, and the future of their communities.

We simply could not do this vital work without your friendship and support.

Please take a moment to read our 2025 Annual Appeal Letter.
➡https://rb.gy/ife13e

Thank you for always being here for us!
With appreciation and heartfelt wishes for the New Year,
Arthur Bembury, Executive Director

Read Our Full Winter 2025-26 Newsletter Here➡ https://conta.cc/3XcZCBp

12/19/2025

In this season of giving, we are so grateful to all who recognize that Mentors Matter!
Thank you for supporting the important work we do to foster vital mentor relationships for folks pursuing their education inside prison and for those navigating the difficult journey upon reentry.

We invite you to read our 2025 Annual Appeal letter from our Executive Director, Arthur Bembury➡https://shorturl.at/6HBNn

Thank you for your friendship and support.
You are an essential part of Partakers success in "Transforming Lives and Building Futures".

Please share with your community.

12/07/2025

“All we have is kindness, and Partakers is a way to spread more of it!”
~Partakers Mentor

Each day Partakers IS making a difference in the lives of women and men impacted by the carceral system. As one of our graduates reminds us, “Thanks to Partakers, no one has to make this journey alone.”, and thanks to the extraordinary Partakers community of friends, mentors, and supporters we are working to be sure no one does. We are truly transforming lives and building futures-with the very real ripple effect of changing families and communities all while building lasting connections of empathy, understanding, and hope.

Please take a few moments to read our 2025 note from our Executive Director, Arthur Bembury
➡https://shorturl.at/7VPCn

DONATE TODAY ➡https://shorturl.at/xdyZL

Thank you for your friendship and support and for sharing your heart so we may grow our work "transforming lives and building futures."

11/25/2025

In this season of Thanks, we have the opportunity to express the gratitude we feel all year long for our extraordinary community of hundreds of Mentor Volunteers, Community Partners, Supporters, and, of course, our amazing Students and Graduates.
We are so fortunate to have such a special community sharing our vision and goal of "Transforming Lives and Building Futures."
Without YOU we could not have the impact we do.
We could not help change the narrative around incarceration.
We could not provide dignity and hope...and we could not experience the pride we have in seeing each of our students strive to reach their true potential.

Our Students say it best-"Partakers doesn't just change your life…it gives you one!"

Thank You! for being a friend of Partakers.

Join us in our work!
Learn More About Partakers Here-https://www.partakers.org/

In this Season of Giving Please Consider Partakers in Your Giving Plans -Donate Here:
https://www.partakers.org/make-a-donation

11/17/2025

What an amazing afternoon! 🎉
Thank you to all who joined us yesterday to be in community, sharing your stories, and celebrating the power of Partakers Mentoring. Wonderful to see so many old friends and welcome new ones. So much joy! The Partakers community is extraordinary.
Thank you to our friends Everyday Boston for joining us.

In a disconnected world, we are flipping the switch as we have been for 28 years, ensuring that folks impacted by the carceral system have the support and community they need to thrive.
We are in the business of connection, community, and building bridges of empathy and understanding. As one of our graduates reminds us, "Thanks to Partakers, no one has to make this journey alone."
Because Mentors Matter!

If you would like to learn more about joining us in our work, Transforming Lives and Building Futures
Visit Here➡https://www.partakers.org/powerofmentoring

/forBeingAFriend

11/13/2025

At Partakers, we are so fortunate to be surrounded by kindness every day. Through our unique Mentoring Programs supporting incarcerated students in our College Behind Bars Program and Returning Citizens in our Partakers Empowerment Program (PEP) with Brandeis University Educational Justice Initiative , we have the amazing opportunity to share kindness and build community.

Join us in our work "Transforming Lives and Building Futures"

Visit our website to learn more-https://www.partakers.org/

Address

230 Central Street
Newton, MA
02466

Telephone

+16177952725

Website

http://partakers.org/

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