“I believe in the resiliency of people and that when we have proper support, we are all capable of becoming the best version of ourselves. So when I learned that there was a lack of wellness programming available to female offenders at the Edmonton Institution for Women, particularly in the maximum-security unit, I decided that would be the focus of my project.

Journaling has given me an outlet to express difficult emotions, personal confessions and self-exploration, and I wanted to share the tools that I found helpful.

I facilitated three 40-minute expressive journaling sessions. I started with a talk about the benefits of journaling, shared some examples of how it had helped me and offered some instructions on getting started. Then we gave it a try. I played some relaxing music while they completed their journaling prompts.

Unexpectedly, one of the sessions was one-on-one. The inmate was very kind to me and excited to learn about journaling. After she completed her prompt, she showed me how to draw an eye and what it represented for her. At that moment, the facilitator/learner roles switched. It reminded me of her humanity and reinforced the idea that women who are incarcerated have much to give and share.

After spending two years learning about corrections from my professors and my textbooks, being able to contribute in an active role gave me an experience and perspective that I will look to for the rest of my career.”

–Amanda Dombroski, 2nd year, Correctional Services