![]() Hovey hasn’t ruled out opening another center – either in a prison or jail, or elsewhere in the community. Since the pandemic, she and Powell (he was hired on to Healing Broken Circles after his release and now serves as the director of outreach and new initiatives), along with the rest of the organization, are focused on reshaping the nonprofit’s mission for this post-pandemic world. Kendra Hovey, executive director of Healing Broken Circles, said there was a warden changeover at the prison, and the new administration decided to not invite Healing Broken Circles back. Powell, who was released in May 2020, said he was fortunate to miss the worst of the pandemic’s effects on people who are incarcerated, but he points out that many are still dealing with those impacts, particularly because the community center is no longer at Marion Correctional. “I went from … interacting with guys day in and day out to sitting on a bunk and not being allowed to move – and not being able to breathe, because we all had COVID.” “This is also another reason for me to get up and continue doing my prison sentence,” Powell said of his involvement with the center. He performed in the KUJI Men's Chorus and took part in TEDxMarionCorrectional. He facilitated programs and also developed his own programming focused on songwriting and musical expression. Suddenly, Healing Broken Circles had to figure out how to serve a population that not only had limited resources, but was also at a higher risk of getting COVID.īy this time, Powell had found his place in the community center. Then the pandemic hit, and the center closed. ![]() And those things carried me through my time. ![]() And it's something that I grew very familiar with, and I learned a lot about myself, but also how to deal with other people. ![]() “Prison isn't the most welcoming, engaging place to be. “You can't go into the community center without being part of the community we just won't let you,” he said. That is, until he discovered the prison’s community center, operated by Healing Broken Circles.įor almost 15 years beginning in 2006, the center offered the men at Marion Correctional 30-plus programs, including yoga, meditation, poetry and dance, as well as programming focused on workplace-readiness, parenting, wellness and personal growth.įor Powell, who described himself as “mad quiet” when he arrived at Marion, the community center, and its focus on encouraging people to explore new things at their own pace, helped him become more engaged and fostered his development in prison. But he didn’t get many opportunities to exercise his mind. Powell filled his time at Marion Correctional by working out and playing sports – anything to keep his body fit. ![]() Future collaborations with organizations like the National Science Foundation (NSF), USPTO, and other US-based think tanks will promote cross-border collaborations.Michael Powell lists the options for staying busy in prison as follows: recreation, education (if you qualify for it) and then, well, time. A shift that can only become a reality because of the high caliber science done at institutions like the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, CSIR-IGIB, and numerous other institutions around the country. Many of the young bright minds are choosing to stay home and build their own business. As I get back home to the US it is a bittersweet moment, I am truly enthusiastic about the growth of Indian startups and the culture shift from "brain drain" from the subcontinent. Komal Sharma Talwar moderated the session and posed thoughtful questions about the evolution of the #Indian startup #ecosystem. Archana Mantri, and other members of the innovation group is dedicated to student-led #startups. The entrepreneurial interest on campus was palpable. It was a true pleasure to present to the students, faculty, and researchers at Chitkara University. ![]()
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