This project, Building Tech Skills, Opportunities, Health and Wellness for Returning Citizens, led by YWCA Madison, Inc., aimed to support citizens returning to their communities post-incarceration by providing technology skill development, employment training and networking opportunities critical for achieving economic stability while fostering healing and dignity. Providing access to career growth opportunities and increasing long-term earning potential while addressing the diversity gap in the tech industry by helping to provide qualified candidates to area employers was a critical component of this grant.
The Challenge
YWCA Madison has built a successful model for increasing economic opportunity through its YWeb Career Academy, graduating 12 cohorts and helping participants, particularly women and people of color underrepresented in technology, secure family-sustaining employment, including several graduates who obtained jobs with starting salaries above $50,000. Building on this success, the organization identified an opportunity to better support individuals returning from incarceration. Returning citizens frequently reenter communities after years without exposure to modern technology, while job applications and workplace communication have increasingly moved online. At the same time, many face housing instability, substance use challenges and the stigma of a criminal record, making it difficult to secure employment and rebuild their lives. These barriers contribute to poor mental health, social isolation and high rates of recidivism.
Project Goals
YWCA Madison recognized the need for a program that combines technology training, restorative justice and wellness support to improve economic opportunity, strengthen community reintegration and reduce recidivism. To address this, YMCA Madison proposed to:
Provide access to mass media and emerging technologies to improve employability.
Increase access to education, economics, and job opportunities.
Increase social support through both tech training and wellness by providing tailored restorative justice support to returning citizens.
Results
Throughout the grant period, this project continued to connect individuals impacted by the criminal justice system with technology training, restorative justice practices, employment preparation and community support to promote healing and reduce recidivism. As each cohort progressed, YWCA Madison refined its curriculum based on participant feedback and lessons learned, including introducing Wellness Wednesdays, which incorporated mindfulness practices such as yoga, deep breathing and journaling to support participants’ mental wellbeing. The program also expanded one-on-one restorative coaching, providing healing-centered support for its largest cohort to date of participants with open Dane County Circuit Court cases. Participants connected with peers facing similar challenges, received guidance from restorative coaches with lived experience and accessed resources that supported their long-term stability and success.
The project achieved strong employment and education outcomes. Seven participants graduated from the program, with three securing employment immediately after completion and four developing business plans to launch their own businesses. The program celebrated its first participants completing the full YWeb Career Academy pathway, beginning with Intro to Computer Skills, continuing through the 16-week Coding Boot Camp and concluding with the new YWeb 2.0 course. All participants who completed the full pathway are now employed and have remained engaged by returning to facilitate Restorative Circles, volunteer in the classroom and mentor future cohorts. Two participants who entered the program while on ankle monitors successfully completed their extended supervision during the course.
The project also expanded participants’ access to higher education, employers and community resources. Through partnerships with the UW Odyssey Project and the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Human Ecology, participants toured campus, explored educational opportunities and connected with university faculty. Faculty and community partners volunteered their time to review resumes, provide career guidance and introduce participants to academic pathways that may have previously felt out of reach. The program also increased employer engagement by expanding mock interviews and employer presentations while sustaining partnerships with organizations including the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Ubuntu Research & Evaluation, IamWe and Forward Service Corporation.
Lasting Impact
The project created sustainable pathways to employment, education and community support for individuals returning from incarceration. Graduates of the program have remained engaged by returning as mentors, Restorative Circle facilitators and classroom volunteers, strengthening future cohorts through lived experience. The project also established enduring partnerships with the University of Wisconsin, employers and community organizations that continue to expand participants’ access to higher education, career opportunities and supportive networks. In addition, refinements to the program model, including an incentive-based study grant and enhanced restorative coaching, have strengthened participant engagement and positioned the program for continued success.
