Community Connect Workshop spends a weekend at CCWF

On July 26 and 27, 2025, a first-of-its-kind event for Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) and the entire state was held inside the Main Yard gymnasium.

The two-day workshop called “Community Connect” was filled with multiple “how-to” presentations on legislative advocacy, civic engagement, how to build policy teams and co-ops in prison, and the importance of power mapping and building support networks. Participants also discussed topics relating to the LGBTQIA+ community, parole board, accountability, restorative justice, and climate.

Resources were also provided by the event sponsors: Ella Baker Center for Human Rights (EBC), Initiate Justice (IJ), Initiate Justice Action, the Mend Collaborative, California Coalition for Women Prisoners, Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition (SWFC), and Five Keys Home Free.

“The goal is to educate and build community so people feel empowered to change their environment,” said April Grayson from Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition (SWFC). The room was filled with many folks from different walks of life, education levels, and sentences, but on this weekend, none of that mattered.

Musician, filmmaker, and community organizer, Thanh Tran, and Initiate Justice Community Advocacy Manager Inside, Lee Gibson, kicked off the event.

Tran hyped up the crowd with a catchy refrain: “When I say ‘Community,’ you all say, ‘Connect.’”

Over the next two days, those two words roared repeatedly throughout the gym, reminding everyone present of the event’s intent.

In reflecting on his incarceration, Tran said, “I wished I had community when I was inside, so we’re bringing community now.”

This was the first time most participants had been introduced to the legislative process, how bills are passed, and how incarcerated folks have contributed. CCWF resident Leylani Simmons said she felt she never had a say in the process, but the event changed her mind.

“Now, understanding the verbiage, it helps me understand what I can do for myself,” Simmons said. “I feel empowered.” This was the feeling throughout both days.

When reflecting on the co-op portion of the presentation, Claudia Ceseña from EBC stated, “This may feel new, but we already have these community-building skills; we just need to use them.”

During breaks and lunch, the teams intermingled with residents, elaborating on their area of expertise, showing solidarity, or just sharing a few laughs.

“I enjoyed getting all the resources I needed, and I had fun,” said Madeline Spooner, who has only been at CCWF a few months.

Moving forward, organizers want to be guided by the women. “We want to bring this to hard-to-reach, underserved prisons,” Tran said. In the future, IJ hopes to bring a bill clinic to CCWF to inform residents about the legislative process.