MILWAUKEE — A program in Milwaukee County is growing and strengthening the life skills of inmates at the Community Reintegration Center in Milwaukee County.
The Building a Path to Success workshop is hosted by My Way Out, a re-entry organization in Milwaukee. The six-week workshop is a collaboration between My Way Out, University of Wisconsin-Extension and Milky Way Tech Hub.
The focus is to bridge the tech gap for the transition back into society. It teaches inmates financial literacy, credit building, resume writing, interview skills and more.
Ruben Gaona is the executive director of My Way Out. In 2017, Gaona completed seven years of a 10-year sentence. Then, two years later in 2019, he founded Second Chance Wisconsin and began providing guidance through motivational speaking to formerly incarcerated people and others facing barriers.
His experience working in re-entry with the State of Wisconsin inspired him to co-found The Way Out.
“We believe that this holistic approach to reintegration will significantly contribute to participants’ overall well-being and success as they transition back into the community,” said Gaona.
He said the workshop is giving them hope for a successful life after they get out.
Isaiah Ferrington is a graduate of the program. He said his goal upon re-entry is to make money in a positive way and be a productive member of society.
“To see somebody like Ruben who’s changed his whole life and been in the same situation as the rest of us in this program, makes us believe we can do better,” said Ferrington.
Jamal Bell also participated in the program. He said as someone who isn’t really into technology, this workshop helped him learn a lot.
“I believe this is a big step in helping the recidivism rate and guys that are reintegrating into society,” said Bell. “It’s very necessary.”
The group of ten graduates is just one of many that will go on to use their new-found skills and build their own paths to success.