I have never been inside a category C prison before, and as each gate was unlocked and then locked again, I felt drawn into a space that was home to many women who were closed in from the outside world. These women were low-level offenders who posed a moderate risk and were not suitable for open conditions.
I tried to imagine what it must be like to live here every day – unable to be heard, unable to express myself, unable to convince others that I did matter. DESPAIR was the word that came back to my mind time and time again.
I was lucky. I was there with my colleagues to deliver a 6-week Toastmasters communications workshop as my level 5 project in the Leadership Development pathway, and I was heard, I was able to express myself and I did matter – because I was free.
Despite being eager to get started immediately, we had to abide by the rules and obtain clearance through pre-employment checks, which took a LONG 6-8 weeks to complete. We were also given key and security training, which brought home the level of responsibility we were being entrusted with when opening and closing those gates on our own, without any prison staff present to make us feel secure as we stepped into this unknown world.
At long last, the waiting was over, and we all received clearance and our journey began.
Firstly though, we were advised of some more rules, more constraints!
We had to address the women as instructed: not prisoners; not inmates; not ladies; just WOMEN. That was easy to remember.
We were told not to reveal our surnames, talk about our personal lives, or disclose where we lived in case some of the women should want to contact us upon their release. We had to be constantly aware that we could not get too friendly.
Bringing tea and biscuits was a definite no, making us even more conscious of the harsh restrictions that were imposed within the prison.
But rules were rules!
As the women began to appear, we wondered what awaited us during each session. We were keen to give our all and make a difference, so we always arrived equipped with our agenda, our training guides, stopwatch (to time everyone), table topics, pens, paper and masses of enthusiasm and excitement.
We started by introducing ourselves and our reasons for joining Toastmasters and how it had changed us. After asking them to introduce themselves, we began with the warm-up exercise followed by a short 10-minute training during each session; how to deliver a speech, the importance of vocal variety and body language, storytelling, the power of 3, the purposes of a speech…
We then progressed onto the speeches and gave them a list of topics to choose from. Once the speeches were ready, the women eagerly delivered them in front of the group.
The speed with which they prepared them and how quickly they grasped everything amazed us. What we came to understand is that each one of them deeply desired the freedom to express themselves and, above all else, be heard – a stark contrast to their life in prison.
We heard some deeply harrowing stories: abuse by those they trusted, imprisonment at the age of 17 for being groomed and being associated with murder, and another woman’s experience of being told by her teachers that she was useless and incapable of achieving anything. Others shared their love of writing and music and how these passions had shaped their lives.
We concluded each session by inviting everyone in the room to provide feedback on the speeches, a moment the women thoroughly enjoyed. This was followed by the distribution of certificates and a warm round of applause.
Each time we arrived for our session, unlocking and locking the gates again, we felt an increasing sense of gratitude for the opportunity to help these women realise what they needed most; to be heard, to express themselves and feel that they DID matter.
This is the power of Communication.
This is the power of Toastmasters.
