Why Matthew does this work:
I am ashamed to say that I am someone who has not always contributed to his community. As a justice-impaired individual, we contribute to the systems of harm within the carceral setting, by subscribing to a caste system that ascribes one's worth based on the harm they've done. As marginalized individuals within the correctional setting, we are taught to grab at control and power at every chance we can, even if this means marginalizing others within the system in order to inflate our own worth. Through educational opportunities I began to see for the first time the way the correctional system harmed those it was supposed to be rehabilitating, with its focus solely on retributive policy. Education and exposure to compassion led to empowerment, self-reflection, and for the first time in 17 years, the desire to make amends for past harms. It is my belief that everyone deserves to be met with compassion and empathy, and that deficits within the most marginalized among us, are overcome through social capital. Through facilitation of mutual aid support groups focusing on empathy and community, I want to contribute something positive to my community.

Biography:
Matthew is a mental health and human services major with concentrations in grief, trauma and loss counseling and addiction studies, at the University of Maine. Through a year-long mentorship program with the Health Education Training Institute, Matthew became fascinated with the power of empathetic listening and radical acceptance in the mutual aid support group setting. Working with THEI as the Transitional Program's Research Fellow, Matthew is currently providing peer support to THEI alumni, and researching the history of carceral trends in America and radical hospitality practices in the field of reentry. Matthew grew up in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.