All three Intensive Journal® method institutional programs have stayed on course via Zoom and Cisco Webex platforms during the summer and fall of 2020. Good fortune in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic social distance protocols instituted throughout the Province of British Columbia, Canada.
The spring and summer program for eight men at the William Head Institution Federal Penitentiary near Metchosin, BC finished in early November, 2020, with certificates awarded to those inmates for completing the 12 weeks of workshop sessions.
In December, the eighth program in four and a half years was initiated for five newly enrolled inmates. The Correctional Services Canada pandemic protocols limit all Canadian prison program groups to a maximum of five inmates. Utilizing a secure Cisco Webex video platform, this group will complete the 4th of 12 weekly workshop sessions on the 30th of December, 2020. The program for this new group of inmates will run through February, 2021.
Since the program began in 2015, nearly 85 inmates have successfully completed the Intensive Journal® program at William Head Institutions. In that time, none of the men who completed the program and have been released on parole have returned to the prison!
The spring and summer program for seven men at the New Roads Community—created by the Our Place Society—in View Royal, BC, finished in mid-November, 2020. Certificates of Completion were awarded to those who completed the required number of 12 weekly workshop sessions. Between the two scheduled groups—the administration and staff at New Roads—undertook a special project to hardwire computer capacity in the secure facility where the Intensive Journal® course is conducted. No WiFi is available in the recently renovated, secure campus facility. Following two weeks of extra effort by the staff and residents, the Intensive Journal® program is now fully operational via Zoom at the New Roads. 11 men enrolled for the current workshop series running until February, 2021.
12 registered family caregivers from the Family Caregivers of British Columbia were enrolled in each of the two six-week series of Intensive Journal workshops across the province of BC. The series both included all of the writing prompts for the Life Context Intensive Journal® workshop. Both workshop series were conducted via Zoom platform with an FCBC staff professional as Zoom host.
Beginning Tuesday, January 12, 2021, the Province-wide Depth Contact workshop series will begin for Family Caregivers of BC. As of mid-December, there are 10 family caregivers enrolled in this workshop series. Registrations are still being taken.