Maab Ibrahim, Racial Justice Lead for Google.org, paid a visit to an Indiana Women’s Prison in 2018, then joined a ceremony for graduates of The Last Mile, an organization preparing people for successful reentry through business and technology training.
It was Ibrahim’s first time attending a graduation inside a prison, and after listening she was inspired as each graduate shared story and desire to succeed in spite of the many challenges they would face after release.
She writes in an essay: “Each year, 640,000 people are released from prison only to be met with an unemployment rate that is five times the national average. This rate is even higher for Black, Latino, and low income individuals, who are disproportionately impacted by mass incarceration. Devastatingly, more than half of those released from US prisons don’t land a job in the first year of returning home, in part because they don’t have the necessary digital skills to compete in an ever-changing job market.”
Google has been supporting criminal justice reform with over $48 million in grant funding and 50,000 pro-bono hours since 2015. The company also gave millions in funding to support job seekers impacted by the justice system with digital skills training and automatic record clearance. The The Grow with Google Fund for Justice-Impacted Communities gives million to nonprofits nonprofits to lead Grow with Google workshops and trainings.
The program is designed by justice-reform-focused partners, and they aim to help 100,000 people impacted by the justice system build career skills. The group helps with skills like finding and applying for jobs online, making a resume, or building a professional brand.
Google.org is also providing a $3 million grant and a full-time team of Google.org Fellows who will work pro-bono to support Code for America, which supports community organizations.
One formerly incarcerated woman who graduated and who learned digital skills using Grow with Google’s curriculum is now employed as a Returned Citizen Advocate at The Last Mile.
“I was incarcerated for three years. When I went in, I felt like I was very tech fluent, but when I was released, it seemed as though the entire tech world had changed. There were new norms and even how email was done felt unfamiliar. Different platforms and software were being used and I felt overwhelmed,” the woman explained.
A class called “Basic Digital Skills” helped her learn how to use documents and email efficiently. She learned how to write a resume, cover letter, apply for a job and interview, and landed a job that allows her to help other members of the community.
