Project 180 

presents the

2024 Strong Voices Lecture Season

In partnership with The Boxser Diversity Initiative

The Transformative Power of Project 180

Our 2024 season explores Project 180’s work as a prisoner reentry nonprofit where we turn dreams of a purposeful life into reality.

March 8, 2024. Turning Lives Around

On March 8th, members of the Project 180 Family will share their journeys of internal and external change during their tenure in our Residential Program.

A person’s reentry into the community after incarceration is a community event as well as an individual experience. When reentry goes well, the community gains a hard worker, taxpayer, and responsible parent. This transformation from lawbreaker to law-abiding citizen requires having the will and desire to change, but most reentrants don’t know how. Project 180 assists with patience, knowledge, and resources and, over time, as will, desire, knowledge, and means coalesce to become one’s foundation, the magic of transformation occurs.

A resident once said, “It’s been a long road. I became an IV drug user when I was twelve years old. That’s all I know. That, and I know how to live behind bars. Project 180 is the place that taught me how to not do that anymore.” Project 180 provides the advocacy, direction, and support reentering citizens need as they learn how to transform their thinking, behavior, and the course of their lives.

October 11, 2024. The Light They Cast

Join us for the premiere of “The Light They Cast,” a documentary film about the men of Project 180.

“The Light They Cast” is the powerful story of nine men and their inspiring journey on the road to recovery as they navigate the realities of prisoner reentry. Through raw and personal accounts, they reveal some of their darkest moments measured against how far they’ve come with the love and support of Project 180.

From their first week out of prison or jail to celebrating milestones of sobriety, employment, and even marriage, they highlight the importance of having someone believe in you until you can believe in yourself. Courageous, vulnerable, and determined to unlock their potential, the men of Project 180 are nothing short of inspirational.

Produced by Miles Larsen and Janice Shelton.

Please note that, due to the 1 hour, 11-minute length of the film, this event will begin at 11:15 am.

Click here to secure tickets.

Strong Voices is held annually and features national, regional and local experts. Over the past ten years, the series has explored

  • Barriers to Successful Reentry (2014)
  • The Implications of Disadvantage for Crime and Punishment (2015)
  • Addiction, Reentry and Recidivism (2016)
  • The Prison Experience (2017)
  • The Effects of Incarceration and Reentry on the Family (2018)
  • Models for the Future at Work Today: Successful Strategies in Incarceration and Reentry (2019)
  • Celebrating Second Chance Employers (2020)
  • The Intersection of Trauma, Addiction, & Incarceration: Implications for Mental Health and Well-Being (2021)
  • The Disease of Addiction: Filling Our Prisons and Jails (2022)
  • A Look Behind the Scenes: The Realities of Prisoner Reentry (2023)

In 2013, Project 180’s national media audit reflected that prisoner reentry was not a topic of public discourse. In order to bring the issue of prisoner reentry out of the halls of justice and academia and into the public domain, Project 180 began the Strong Voices/Strong Subjects lecture series.

Since its inception, the series has drawn over 2,000 attendees.