This workshop is a part of the Case for Radical Change Series on Abolition as an extension of the Lang Prison Initiative.

The Institute for Transformative Mentoring (ITM) is a dynamic training program located in the New School’s Center for New York City Affairs.  ITM’s immersive, experience-based pedagogy prepares credible messengers (people who are impacted by the criminal justice system, many of whom are formerly incarcerated) for work in social services fields throughout New York City.  These mentors help young people navigate community violence and interrupt the cycle of violence.

PRESENTERS:

Ben (Cincere) Wilson | Program Assistant, Institute for Transformative Mentoring
Ben (Cincere) Wilson leads trainings, offers college and career counseling, and coordinates program operations at ITM. He has managed partnerships between ITM, the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, and over 30 social service organizations. He previously worked as a high school equivalency instructor at Exodus Transitional Community, Inc., and as a writing tutor for Bard Prison Initiative’s High School Equivalency program. For over 15 years, he facilitated GED, mentoring, poetry, and theater programs in New York State correctional facilities. While helping young men, in prison, he won an “Honorable Mention” award for his submission to the prestigious PEN Prison Writing contest (2015). Cincere obtained a bachelor’s degree from Bard College.

Tamara Oyola-Santiago | Senior Director & Mentor at the Institute for Transformative Mentoring (ITM)
Tamara Oyola-Santiago is Senior Director & Mentor at the Institute for Transformative Mentoring (ITM). She is a public health educator and activist who specializes in harm reduction. After earning graduate degrees in Public Health and Latin American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Tamara joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a Presidential Management Fellow. Since 2009, she has been part of The New School, working with students to mobilize for social justice, equity and liberatory practices of education. Areas of life work include harm reduction services grounded in social justice in Puerto Rico and New York City, HIV/AIDS de-criminalization, self-determination and anti-colonial practices, Queer liberation and LGTBQIAGNC health. She is co-founder of Bronx Móvil, a fully bilingual (Spanish-English) mobile harm reduction and syringe services program that strives for drug user health and mobilization. Tamara is also part of the What Would an HIV Doula Do collective, a community of people joined in response to the ongoing AIDS Crisis.

The Institute for Transformative Mentoring (ITM) is a dynamic training program focused on the development of credible messengers working in the social services fields throughout New York City.

Closed captioning and live transcription will be enabled for this event. Any video recordings will be shared after the event.

Eugene Lang College is committed to ensuring that our programs are accessible to and inclusive of all. Please let us know when registering if you need any additional accommodations.