Jacob Hill (audio) Breaking Barriers: How Offploy fosters Employment for Ex-Offenders

The Locked up Living Podcast: Surviving and thriving in prisons and other challenging environments

keywords

Offploy, ex-offenders, employment opportunities, peer mentoring, social entrepreneurship, stigma, rehabilitation, community support, inclusivity

summary

In this conversation, Jacob Hill, founder of Offploy, shares his journey from being a prisoner to creating a peer mentoring organization that supports socially excluded individuals, particularly those with criminal convictions. He discusses the challenges faced by ex-offenders in securing employment, the stigma surrounding their past, and the importance of community support. Jacob emphasizes the need for employers to be more inclusive and understanding, and he reflects on his own experiences with prejudice and the emotional toll of advocacy work. The conversation highlights the societal impact of providing employment opportunities to those who have been incarcerated and the transformative power of second chances.

takeaways

• Offploy supports socially excluded individuals to achieve their goals.
• Jacob's journey from prison changed his perception of ex-offenders.
• The fear of prison can be more daunting than the experience itself.
• Starting Offploy was a way to repay his debt to society.
• Reputational risk is a major barrier for employers hiring ex-offenders.
• Employment opportunities can significantly reduce reoffending rates.
• Employers should focus on the individual rather than their past convictions.
• Community support is crucial for the reintegration of ex-offenders.
• Inclusivity in hiring practices benefits both employers and society
• Self-care and resilience are essential in advocacy work.

https://www.offploy.org/