On the evening of July
22, 2015, a group of 20 or so volunteers sat at small tables in a classroom of
the Dempsey Center, in Harlem. These volunteers-- members of the Episcopal
Church of the Heavenly Rest, located at 5th Avenue and 90th
Street, and The Brick Presbyterian Church at 62 East 92nd Street-- were
doctors and students and corporate headhunters and even professional opera
singers. Across from these volunteers sat men and women, ranging in age from 16
to 70, had been recently released from prison.
This was Mock
Interview Night, a project of the Circles of Support produced in partnership
with the Harlem Community Justice Center, Interfaith Center of New York,
Network in the Community, and the J.C. Flowers Foundation. Designed to help
participants hone their interviewing skills and increase their confidence as
they navigate the job market, Mock Interview Night pairs formerly-incarcerated
individuals with professionals in their communities. As the Community
Engagement Specialist for the Harlem Community Justice Center, an organization
that provides reentry programs and support for recently paroled men and women,
I was awed and inspired by the depth of human engagement that fraternity that
emerged from the evening.
After several rounds
of interviews we all sat in a circle, sharing compliments and constructive
feedback. It was clear that everyone felt that it was an incredible, and incredibly
successful, evening. This was especially true for the two brothers who were in
attendance; the younger brother had just returned home after 4 years in prison
and his older brother was there to support him through the reentry process, not
to mention to brush up on his own interviewing skills. They seemed overjoyed to
be together, smiling and laughing often.
The Harlem Community
Justice Center, a community court located in East Harlem, works to strengthen
its neighbors and community by providing resources and opportunities to the
families of those returning home from prison. Strong families support, and are
in turn supported by, strong communities.
As we streamed out
into the warm summer evening, exchanging our final “goodnights” and “goodbyes,”
no one could doubt that the participants of Mock Interview night would succeed.
And their success was emblematic of even greater things to come.
By Thomas Edwards, Community Engagement Specialist and Nicolas Maiarelli, Circles of Support Intern
