Level Learning

Happy April! 🩵 Did you know that this month is both Financial Literacy Month AND Second Chance Month?

To celebrate, we are so excited to announce our newest guide for our learners inside: Build Your Financial Future: Stabilize and Grow. Today, 121 of these guides are in the mail heading directly to people in prison across the country – and thousands more will follow!

Every stack of paper in this photo represents a new beginning and a brighter future for someone preparing to come home. This new curriculum builds on the foundations of financial literacy. It helps learners understand how to manage debt, build a safety net, and make a plan for their future.

A huge thank you to our subject matter expert, Kevin Paulin! Kevin shares his own powerful story of reentry and transformation to encourage our learners. As he tells them in the first lesson: "You have an opportunity to make new decisions that will impact generations to come. You have an opportunity to be great."

What do 7,000 steps toward stronger communities look like? 🩵

At Level, they look like 7,000 incarcerated learners preparing for a brighter future. By accessing educational and workforce development content, these individuals are taking active steps to transform their lives – and our shared communities. 🚀

Reaching 7,000 learners is a profound milestone. In the American prison system – often a "digital desert" where access to transformative education is severely limited – we are working to equip people with the modern skills they need to build economic security after release.

We know that when returning citizens succeed, families are strengthened, and our entire ecosystem becomes safer and more resilient. That is the true impact of this work. 💪🏽

This milestone isn't just Level’s win – it is a collective achievement made possible by a powerful community of believers, from the families supporting their loved ones on the inside to our visionary philanthropic partners 🙏🏽

Big news for our Level family! 💥 We are growing so that we can serve even more of your loved ones across the country.

We’ve just added five new facilities to our program, from South Dakota to South Carolina! This means more incarcerated learners will now have access to our entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and job-training guides. 📖✨

New facilities now serving:
🔹 South Dakota Women’s Prison
🔹 Jackson Parish Jail
🔹 Jenkins Correctional Facility
🔹 Tyger River Correctional Center
🔹 C.S.P. Los Angeles County

At Level, we believe that a brighter future is possible for everyone, regardless of where they are today. We are so grateful to the families and supporters who walk this journey with us.

Do you have a loved one at one of these facilities or the other 1,000+ we serve? Share this post or tag a friend who needs to see this! 👇🏽

🏠 "A 'house' is just a structure, but a 'home' is where you are loved." – David Jones

David Jones grew up in Northeast DC with a deep understanding of what it means to belong. But when he found himself incarcerated in a facility with zero educational programming – a "digital desert" – he had to fight to keep his mind active and his future bright.

David didn't wait for an opportunity to come to him; he reached out to Level.

While on the inside, David completed nearly 10 of our educational guides. He studied entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and more. When it came time for his release hearing, those certificates were more than just paper – they were proof to the judge of his dedication to change. ⚖️

David is now home, navigating his new life with resilience, ambition, and the same guides he used on the inside to build his credit and plan his future business.

At Level, we believe that education is a bridge. It connects the person someone is today to the person they have the potential to become for their family and their community. 🩵

Read David’s full story of perseverance and transformation here: https://learnlevel.org/david-jones-success-stories/

Please join us in welcoming David home and celebrating his hard work!

💙 Love this story of Kathy and Phil Shaw in Virginia who are supporting their loved one on the inside 🙏🏽💪🏽🙏🏽💪🏽💥

For seven long years, Phil and Kathy Shaw had been on the list for adoption, waiting for the call that there was a baby available for placement with them. At last, it came. Go to Roanoke, the Virginia couple was told; there’s a 6 month old boy there for you to see. “They said, ‘Of course, you don’t have to take him if you don’t want,’” says Phil. But as soon as they arrived and a staff person brought the baby to meet them, there was no question about them taking him. “He looks to Kathy,” Phil says, “and he reaches towards her, like, ‘That’s my mama.’ Oh, we knew. We knew.”

They named their new son Bronson (a movie starring Charles Bronson was on TV when the parents-to-be were discussing names, and they knew “right then and there that was his name”) and the connection the Shaws immediately felt to the boy has remained steady ever since, even through the challenges they’ve faced as a family. “We had our problems,” says Phil. “He’s been a difficult child to raise, Lord knows – Kathy took the brunt of it – but we love him. He’s still got problems, but, you know… he’s my son. He’s our son. And we want to help him in any way we can.”

With Bronson currently incarcerated in a Virginia state correctional facility, the help his parents want to provide is by way of education. “Kathy has an associate’s degree, I have a bachelor’s degree, and we realize education is power,” says Phil. “Simple as that. You get an education – and it doesn’t have to be book education, it doesn’t have to be to get an actual college degree – any knowledge only helps you and, if you’re working, only helps your employer. So that’s what we want for our son. We want him to be successful.”

It was Bronson who discovered Level and told his dad, “Check this out. This is something.” Once Phil did check it out, he realized that the program offered a rare opportunity for his son to further his education while he was incarcerated. “The state of Virginia is very, very backward when it comes to educating their felons over 21,” he says. “If you’re under 21, they have a high school for you, so you can graduate from high school. If you’re under 21, they do rehabilitation. If you’re over that age, it’s incarceration. And they do nothing – I repeat, nothing – to make sure that when you leave those gates you won’t be back. I like the fact that Level is helping people that sometimes have no help on the outside. By helping them, you’re only going to make them a better citizen when they get out.”

Bronson getting out is a thing Phil and Kathy think about a great deal. And they have worries. “When you get out of prison, you’ve done your time according to the law, okay?” says Phil. “However, most public opinion is, they hold it against you. As a matter of fact, here in Chesterfield County, my son will not be able to rent an apartment. Why? Because he’s a convicted felon. Does that make sense to you? It doesn’t make sense to me. And then, it was only up until recently that if you owed fines to the state of Virginia, they suspended your driving license. Now, if you’re lucky enough to get a job, and you’re lucky enough to have some place to stay, it better be on a bus line or you have somebody to take you to and from the job. Failing that, you’ve got to drive. Well, what happens? You’re breaking the law again. What happens? They’re going to send you back in.”

💙 Proud to share the story of Nicole Steward in Michigan who is supporting her loved one on the inside 🙏🏽💪🏽🙏🏽💪🏽💥

“I’ve always helped others.” Nicole Steward is a self-described jack of all trades whose jobs have ranged from real estate agent to hairdresser, insurance agent to photographer. But no matter what her profession’s been at any given moment, Nicole has always made time to lend a hand to those around her. At a high school in southern Michigan, where Nicole has lived since she was in high school herself, she ran an outreach program in which she mentored teenage girls. At her church, she runs a women’s ministry. For the past several years, she’s also been working at Oaklawn, a provider of mental health and addiction services in Indiana. Initially, she facilitated support networks for families in need there. Now, her work focuses on men who have committed domestic violence and children who have experienced it.

Helping others runs in Nicole’s family. Her mother spent many years working as a substance abuse counselor, and Nicole remembers how she would come home and tell Nicole about her therapy groups. Now that she’s become a counselor, Nicole says, “I call her and I tell her stories from my groups. My mom still works, so she still has group. So we go back and forth talking about the different groups.”

Now, the impulse to help others has shown up in the next generation of Nicole’s family. Her son, Jordan Johnson, who’s currently incarcerated in a state prison in Michigan, has told her when he gets out he wants to be a motivational speaker. She sees that future for him as “promising” because of the way Jordan has applied himself on the inside. “He’s read, like, 40 books since he’s been in there,” Nicole says. “Not little 100-page books. I’m talking thick books, you know? So he’s gaining knowledge and more information so when he does come out, he’ll be able to help others.”

Read the full story on our blog https://learnlevel.org/nicole-steward-success-stories/

Finding a job after prison comes with so many barriers and headwinds. Many people feel that it's nearly impossible - set up to fail. There are ways to get through. We’re excited to partner with Honest Jobs, whose mission aligns with ours: creating opportunities for justice-involved individuals to succeed.

Honest Jobs is the nation’s largest job board built specifically for people with past justice involvement. Thousands of employers across the country use Honest Jobs to hire formerly incarcerated talent, and the site is free for job seekers.

See more at https://learnlevel.org/finding-fair-chance-employment-with-honest-jobs/

🤦🏽 🧐 😤Did you know that Oregon, like many states, bans books on computer coding from being sent to people in prison?

Crazy, right?

Prison Pipeline on KBOO Community Radio of Portland, Oregon reached out to talk about this topic and more related to hashtag . Give it a listen 🎧 https://kboo.fm/media/129782-interview-alex-wright-prison-education

Want to know more about Level and the team behind it? Listen to the latest episode of the Escape into a Cause podcast that features Level's work in across the country. Thanks to Stephanie for the fantastic interview 🙏🏽🧡💙💥

We sat down with Alex Wright, Executive Director of Level, to dive into their work!

Level creates and distributes educational and job training content for people in prison, helping them thrive after release and break the cycle of incarceration. Their programs focus on the unique needs of incarcerated learners and their supporters on the outside, believing in the power of education to transform futures for individuals, families, and communities.

Want to earn some ‘good bragging’ rights? Here's how:

Volunteer: Help transcribe handwritten completion forms from incarcerated learners. You can do this from anywhere- home, school, or office—and directly support someone’s educational journey.
👉 https://learnlevel.org/volunteer/

Donate: Your gift empowers people in prison to find purpose, gain skills, and increase their chances of success after release.
👉 https://learnlevel.org/donate/

✨ Bonus: Share your support on social media! Every post helps Level reach more families and learners.

Want a chance to win Texas Stars tickets? Sign up to get involved (link in bio) or post your and DM us!

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or Spotify.

Big thanks to Nightlight Insurance for making this episode possible!

💛🧡 Proud to share the story of Peggy Smedley in Michigan who is supporting her loved one on the inside 🙏🏽💪🏽🙏🏽💪🏽💥

For Peggy Smedley and Donnie Rickner, it all started with a smile. They met through a mutual friend who plays bass guitar. He and Donnie, who plays electric guitar, were in a band together, and when Donnie said he was ready to leave Ga***rd, Michigan, where he’d been living, and start fresh somewhere else, the bass player let Donnie move in with him. Peggy happened to be staying at another friend’s house just across the road. The two met, and “His smile got me,” she says. They hit it off really quickly, and soon Peggy noticed more things about Donnie: “The witty charm that he’s got. Gracious personality. Gets along with pretty much everybody.” He’s “different,” she says. “And goofy.”

So Donnie left Ga***rd for Traverse City, Michigan, where Peggy was born and raised and where she’s been living on the same property for 42 years. She loves life there – the weather and the water and the closeness of the community. “I know everybody,” Peggy says, “from Elk Rapids, Central Lake, Traverse, Charlevoix, Eastport, little town of Kewadin. Nice little area. Love everybody up here.” She and Donnie enjoy camping around the beaches and lakes. She’s a single mother of a 22-year-old and has been the primary caretaker of her own mother since her father passed away 15 years ago. Still, for Peggy and Donnie, “anything that we can do, we try to go and do,” she says.

Two years ago, she and Donnie moved into her grandmother’s house. The couple had a five-year plan, one that included them getting “married and everything.” But when Donnie was incarcerated, all of those plans were put on hold. “Kind of threw us for a loop,” Peggy says. “All it takes is one thing or one person that you think you can trust to not necessarily be your friend. Or somebody to accuse you of something, and it’s like, whoa, wait a second. Anything can happen.” Now Peggy and Donnie are looking at years before they can resume the life they were planning. Peggy says she’s looking forward to “just having him back home and getting our life back on track. Move forward with everything again.”

In the meantime, they’ve tried to find help for Donnie on the inside. His current facility offers some vocational programs, but it doesn’t have instructors or counselors to teach them. Peggy discovered Level online while she was looking up programs that Donnie could access while he was incarcerated. She saw Level was approved for his facility and asked him, “What do you think about doing something to learn something new?” He was all for it.

What Peggy appreciates about Level is that it keeps Donnie busy and “gives him something to keep his mind right and focus on. He said he’s been learning a lot with the different guides that he got so far. He said he’s learned things that even he, at 47, didn’t even know existed. He says he always gets excited when he gets a guide from Level. I’m like, ‘I got another one coming.’ He’s, like, ‘Oh, great! I can’t wait!’ This gives him something to look forward to, and it’s definitely something that gives him hope for getting out again.”

Read the full story: https://learnlevel.org/peggy-smedley-success-stories/

⭐️ "How do I get a job after prison?" and "What companies hire felons?" are questions we hear asked all the time by people coming out of prison. Our friends at Honest Jobs set up a company and a job listing service to answer these questions and help returning citizens find employment. It's good for companies, too, because it turns out that overlooked talent with a criminal record often end up being great performers with less turnover. We're big fans of Honest Jobs!

Which makes us all the more grateful when Honest Jobs posted a really kind blog post about Level's prison education service. "That's why we're proud to highlight the work of Level, a non-profit organization that is making a huge impact on incarcerated individuals by providing accessible, in-demand education while on the inside."

Read the post here -> https://www.honestjobs.com/post/level-prison-education-made-simple-across-the-country

💛🧡Check out the inspiring story of sponsor Diamond, who is working overtime to support her family and her loved one in prison. 🙏🏽💪🏽🙏🏽💪🏽💥

“When we are together, life is good.”

That’s how Diamond Quarles sums up being with Jerrod Jackson. The two met in high school and just seemed to belong together. Whenever life has separated them, they’ve managed to get back together, and it’s always for the better. When they reconnected during her senior year in college – just over 10 years ago, a fact that stuns Diamond (“Wow, that’s a long time!”) – they committed to each other for the long term. Now, they have two sons, ages 10 and six, and have built a real family.

“We do a lot with the kids,” Diamond says. “When we’re together, we travel. We do a lot of family functions together on his side of the family and on my side of the family as well.” She describes the two of them taking the boys on beach trips with Jerrod’s family, battling each other in dance competitions with the kids, trying new restaurants, and watching movies together. Diamond admits to falling asleep, but Jerrod, she says, “is really a movie guru.” And though he might not come across as someone who likes to read, he does. “He’s definitely one that you could find in the bookstore,” Diamond says, “and it’s kind of nerdy but cute at the same time.”

Lately, life has separated Diamond and Jerrod again, as a result of Jerrod being incarcerated in a county jail in Virginia. That’s taken him away from his family, from truck driving, a job he was truly passionate about, and from working on cars, another love of his. “Anything hands on, he’s the man for you,” Diamond says. Keeping Jerrod motivated for the future has been a challenge in a facility that doesn’t offer much in the way of educational programs. That’s where Level has played a vital role. Jerrod heard about the program from another learner and asked Diamond to look into it. She did and thought it offered him an opportunity to gain information and resources and connections that could benefit him when he’s back on the outside.

Check out the full story on our blog: https://learnlevel.org/diamond-quarles-success-stories/