{"id":2734,"date":"2025-05-12T11:06:02","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T11:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.growtransformbelong.com\/staging\/2147\/?page_id=2734"},"modified":"2025-07-25T08:16:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T07:16:00","slug":"champions-community","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.growtransformbelong.com\/staging\/2147\/champions-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Champions Community"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Champions\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cStrong leadership, mentorship, and dedication from those within the justice system, including correctional officers, can serve as the backbone of rehabilitation efforts, ensuring individuals leave prison more prepared to re-enter society.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Eric Holder<\/strong> (Former Secretary-General of the United Nations)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Champions Community<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Project Overview<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Champions Community Project is a one year international training programme designed to empower Prison Middle Managers (PMMs) to lead cultural change within their own establishments, using the Growth Project as its evidence-based framework. Delivered across three European countries, this initiative is a collaboration between Richtungswechsel, Dr. Sarah Lewis, Grow Transform Belong CIC and Steven Van De Steene from Smart Corrections.<\/p>

The project identifies and supports leading PMMs as Champions who are trained to implement the Growth ethos within their prisons. The goal is to improve prison culture people working and living in prison, strengthen community connections and enable more effective multidisciplinary collaboration. By doing so, the project aims to tackle the complex challenges faced by prison staff and people in prison, promote an inclusive culture and build legitimacy and job satisfaction across the sector.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Do you want to be part of the CHampions Community?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Join us<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Subscribe to the Champions Community newsletter today!<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Vision<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Champions Community project envisions a transformative shift in European prison systems towards a more humane\u00a0and effective environment for both incarcerated individuals and staff. The long-term societal change aspired to is a comprehensive cultural transformation within prison settings that prioritises staff wellbeing, reduces recidivism rates and improves\u00a0(re)integration prospects for formerly incarcerated individuals. This vision includes the establishment of a resilient European network of professionals dedicated to continuous improvement and innovation in correctional practices.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Geographical Area<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The project will span three European countries, selected based on their potential to contribute effectively to the initiative. The inception phase will involve engaging with governmental, prison service and NGO partners to form a specialised international culture taskforce. Criteria for country selection will include strong partnership opportunities with local NGOs dedicated to advancing staff culture and capacity.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Target Groups<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Ultimate Beneficiaries<\/strong>:
All staff, service leaders, incarcerated individuals, families and the broader community, benefiting from an improved prison culture and social integration.<\/p>

Direct Beneficiaries<\/strong>:
Champions, their colleagues, mentors and trainers who will receive leadership development and training to drive cultural change.<\/p>

Indirect Beneficiaries<\/strong>:
Other prison staff who will benefit from the positive changes fostered by the Champions, serving as inspiration for professional development within the prison system.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Project Activities<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The project consists of multiple stages designed to cultivate a culture of growth within prison facilities:<\/p>

Stage 0: Preparation<\/strong>
Identification of objectives, mentor needs, and initial recruitment of mentors and champions.<\/p>

Stage 1: Assessing Culture<\/strong>
Participants will undergo residential training focusing on current prison culture and\u00a0future-oriented\u00a0practices, complemented by prison visits and ongoing mentorship.<\/p>

Stage 2: Implementing Change<\/strong>
A second residential training phase will focus on culture change strategies, reinforced by continued mentorship and progress check-ins.<\/p>

Stage 3: Maintaining A Culture Of Growth<\/strong>
Training sessions and prison visits will sustain\u00a0growth\u00a0practices, culminating in a final summit for knowledge sharing and documentation of insights.<\/p>

Stage 4: Evaluation<\/strong>
A follow-up evaluation will collaboratively assess the project\u2019s impact, refine strategies and foster knowledge dissemination among participants.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Impact<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Champions:<\/strong>\u00a0Empowerment through leadership development and mentorship.<\/p>

Incarcerated Individuals:<\/strong>\u00a0Improved environment leading to higher chances of successful\u00a0(re)integration.<\/p>

Other Prison Staff:<\/strong> Improved working environments, reduced occupational stress and higher job satisfaction.<\/p>

Mentors and Trainers:<\/strong>\u00a0Opportunities to share their expertise while gaining valuable experience.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Building a European-Wide Community<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A fundamental aspect of the Champions Community project is the creation of a European-wide network of prison professionals. By leveraging existing networks such as EPTA and collaborating with organisations like ICPA and other organisations in the leadership development space, the project aims to create a sustainable platform for continuous learning and systemic change across the European correctional landscape. This community will actively engage with members of the RESCALED movement, co-creating staff development and cultural enhancement initiatives across the prison landscape.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Our Network<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The project\u00a0is lead by\u00a0Richtungswechsel<\/strong>\u00a0as project coordinators with\u00a0GTB \u2013 CIC<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Smart Corrections<\/strong>\u00a0as partners. Additionally, we\u00a0will engage a range of stakeholders, including:<\/p>