Subject Area Track Descriptions

Advocacy

Policy change is a necessary and essential goal. We seek proposals that uplift advocacy efforts led by currently and formerly incarcerated people to increase access to education and opportunities for meaningful careers within the field of higher education in prison. 

Allyship (New)

We understand that partnership with true allies is an essential part of liberation work. This year, the Rise Up Steering Committee warmly invites pairs or groups comprising directly impacted people along with their allies to showcase, as co-presenters, the best of what this kind of collaboration can produce. Presenters may describe programs, research projects, campaigns, or any other kind of collaboration that has borne fruit for the reform movement. Proposals should speak to the roles each presenter plays in the research, program, or initiative, and to the specific benefits of working across the lines of criminal legal system involvement.

Equity & Inclusion

Classism and Racism are pervasive in all institutions in the United States including prison and higher education systems. We seek proposals that call to the surface the pervasive reality of oppression, as well as possibilities for true equity and inclusion to transform and abolish systems. 

Programming & Informal Education

Education is not limited to experiences recognized by institutions. We seek innovative models for education inside and outside of prisons led by currently and formerly incarcerated people. 

Research/STEM

Research allows us to better understand our experiences and contribute to collective knowledge. We seek proposals that demonstrate and uplift the transformative potential of research in all areas with an emphasis on STEM, which is often neglected in higher education in prison programming. 

Pathways to Professions

Are you working in a field in which formerly incarcerated applicants face particularly difficult barriers to entry, promotion and advancement, or professional success? In this track, we seek presenters from professional fields traditionally inaccessible to those experiencing lifelong collateral consequences of incarceration. We hope to see presenters from the fields of medicine, law, finance, business, academia, tech, and more who can speak to their experiences and explain how they overcame the barriers to work in their field.