Courageous Conversations: Tips and Strategies
April 28, 2022 - 10:00am-11:00am
Description: Courageous conversations hold intentional space for participants to engage in complex and uncomfortable dialogue around social justice issues. These conversations are courageous because they require participants to be vulnerable, bold, and open to sharing their own experiences and hearing the experiences of others.
During this webinar, Paul Taylor will invite participants along his journey from prison to promise as he provides context around the relevance of having courageous conversations in the field of reentry, why such conversations are important, and tips on how to invite and engage diverse participants in the conversation.
Participant Registration and Cost: This training is free. Participants need to register in advance for the training. Please visit here to register for Courageous Conversations: Tips and Strategies.
Being Comfortable in New Environments (Post Incarceration)
April 28, 2022 - 1:00pm-2:30 pm
Prince Bunn will discuss the psychological impact endured by returning citizens after extensive periods of incarceration. Prince will share his personal journey to reintegration and his experiences with getting reacclimated into his family unit, the workforce, and society without feeling overwhelmed.
Participant Registration and Cost: This training is free. Participants need to register in advance for the training. Please visit here to register for Being Comfortable in New Environments (Post Incarceration).
In 1994, Paul Taylor was sentenced to life plus 26 years in prison. Before being granted parole in 2017, Taylor served 23 consecutive years in prison. While incarcerated, he was actively involved in many of the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) re-entry initiatives. Taylor co-facilitated all of the VADOC state mandated programs for their re-entry cognitive community for over five years.
His passion and dedication to re-entry led him to create two community programs; S.A.N.I.T.Y (Standing Against Negative Influences Towards Youth) and alongside his co-founder Jawad Abdu, RVA League for Safer Streets. RVA League for Safer Streets is an unorthodox basketball league that intentionally targets & engages young men residing in high crime areas in the city of Richmond. Their motto “NO WORKSHOP, NO JUMPSHOT'' instills in league players the value of developing conflict resolution, problem solving, and critical thinking skills before dribbling or shooting a ball on the court. League players are required to complete specific workshops prior to hitting the court.
Taylor is also an advocate for Unitive Justice, Restorative Justice, and Criminal Justice reform. He is a strong community engagement leader and believes that “unconventional behaviorism is a cause for unconventional strategies”'. Through The Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), Taylor has co-facilitated courageous conversations with five Virginia localities. These sessions facilitated conversations between community members and law enforcement officials that led to greater understanding between the two groups. They also led to community projects that increased the understanding beyond those directly involved in the courageous conversations.
Taylor currently works for DCJS as a community based organizer and is a motivational speaker and equity advisor on race relations through his brand Taylor Paul Taylor LLC..
Presenter: Weldon “Prince” Bunn
Weldon “Prince” Bunn was born in Virginia’s Tidewater area in the 1960s. At age 13 or 14, he was arrested for trespassing on church property. He did not tell his father of this arrest and consequently, missed his court date. This resulted in his first arrest and detention. His initial encounter with the juvenile justice system was the beginning to his path to committing more serious crimes. He attributes his time spent in the detention center as being where he was first introduced to the philosophy of “best practices” for successfully committing a crime.
Eventually, Prince was sentenced to Newport News Detention Center at age 14 or 15 for auto left. He served his first prison sentence in 1990 for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Six months later, Prince was charged with first degree murder and sentenced to life plus 80 years in prison.
He attributes his decision to change his life to two significant events. The first was when he lost what he cared about most in this world; the passing of his caretaker and grandmother while he was incarcerated. The second was a message that he received from his daughter’s mother where she stated that he had cheated his daughter out of having a father.
Since being released, Prince remains dedicated to the promise he made to himself while incarcerated. He has used his passion, dedication and rich experience to become Trauma Focused, a Youth Mentor, and a Re-Entry Advocate. In his spare time, you can find Prince visiting juvenile detention centers to inspire the youth.
