Making It Out was established to provide a realistic but supportive work environment to prison-leavers, those on day release from open prison and those considered at risk of committing crime. We aim to reduce rates of re-offending by engaging service-users in the arts while giving them structure and useful employability and creative skills.

It arose from our work as prison teachers. We observed how men came to education in prison, engaged with the curriculum and voiced a desire to turn their lives around and live a crime-free life. On release, they often returned to their previous environments and with nothing productive to do, fell back into offending. We saw them return repeatedly to prison.

Making It Out was formed in the hope that, with the right support, this cycle of offending could be halted. There is a current emphasis on encouraging prison leavers into employment. Our experience is that many people leaving prison are struggling with too many challenges; poor mental health, addiction issues, homelessness, lack of familial or community support; to be expected to proceed straight into work. By providing a structured day with purposeful activity and support we aim to reduce reoffending. The idea was to provide a ‘bridge’ provision to assist people through a tricky transition period into employment or further education.

Our service-users attend daily and participate in a variety of creative projects. In doing this, they learn and practise many different creative techniques and skills. In addition to this we are an accredited centre for business and enterprise qualifications. Our service is designed to be individualised; focussing on the person and addressing what they want to achieve by attending Making It Out.

Our workshop is equipped to work in wood and metal and other mixed media. Our long- term aim, in order to be more self-sustaining, is to obtain paid commissions from local businesses. This ensures our day-to-day work is meaningful and purposeful and diversifies our income stream.

 Our track record:

 In 2019, we made more than half our income from paid commissions. In May 2019 we completed a large commission refitting a charity shop for Emmaus. From this work, we have now obtained four more commissions: fitting out a new sewing and craft shop in Brighton and remodelling two small organic supermarkets and a clothes shop.

We also recreated some wooden toy animals from designs created by Roger Fry (Omega group) for a 100 year anniversary exhibition at Charleston House.

 We have completed two large scale art installations for Brighton Pride 2018 and 2019.  We have run workshops on lino-cutting and screen printing and produced saleable products from both. The Christmas cards we designed and printed from lino cuts in November 2019 were all sold out by Christmas. One of our service users who is employed as our arts mentor took a lead on this project and his pride at its success was palpable. Future plans include co-creating a memorial to all the homeless people who have died on the streets of Brighton. It will be created in collaboration with a range of homeless and substance misuse charities, churches, hostels and local colleges. MiO are also embarking on a project with a youth offending team and a youth homeless charity to re-purpose an urban area. This project will involve designing and making a series of 3D graffiti tags. This project was commissioned by the local council to improve the area which had been commandeered by drug dealers and local people reported feeling threatened.

We have only been in operation for two years but have developed a strong presence in our local community of Brighton and Hove.  We are engaging with many other agencies including homeless charities, probation and CRC services, local prisons, local churches, businesses, the job centre, artists and art galleries. Being a productive member of our larger community is very important to our ethos and mission.