Second Chance Studios Partners with WeWork to Support Formerly Incarcerated Fellows

NEW YORK, Nov. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Second Chance Studios (SCS), a nonprofit digital media company that trains and employs formerly incarcerated individuals, today announced its partnership with WeWork (NYSE: WE), one of the leading global flexible space providers. As the exclusive workspace partner for Second Chance Studios, WeWork will welcome the inaugural cohort of the Second Chance Studios Fellowship into its community through private workspace and All Access passes. In this partnership to champion education and opportunity, the two organizations consider workspace just the beginning.

Through a full-time, paid fellowship, Second Chance Studios provides hands-on technical, life, professional, and soft skills training to returning citizens. With the fellowship, SCS meets the needs of returning citizens to be reskilled for more physically and financially sustainable careers in podcasting and video production. At WeWork, Second Chance Studios Fellows will have access to the company’s global community through WeWork All Access, a monthly subscription-style service that provides access to any WeWork in the world. Participants in the program are also able to participate in WeWork’s networking events, mentorship programs, live and on-demand learning sessions, professional amenities, technological support, and more, giving them the resources they need to excel during and after the fellowship.

“For a community that has been marginalized and often faced spatial, educational, and economic barriers, creating a physical space to convene is not only an interruption to those barriers, it is a statement to the power that community has to connect and heal,” said Lajuanda M. Asemota, Chief Executive Officer and Cofounder at Second Chance Studios. “The relationships fellows build and the community they create in this space will stay with them for the rest of their lives, in great part to WeWork’s willingness to challenge the status quo.”

“At WeWork, our purpose is to harness the power of community to make a positive impact on people and the planet, especially by breaking down barriers of opportunity,” said Chris Ferzli, Global Head of Public Affairs at WeWork. “We’re honored to be supporting Second Chance Studios in their work to empower the next wave of media industry talent.”

Both leaders agree: community makes all the difference. Positive community support is extremely important when establishing reentry — the community has the ability to dictate the direction, development, and growth of the person reentering society. Second Chance Studios was born with a mission to position an untapped talent pool for industry success while building a healthier society, a more sustainable economy, and a path to economic empowerment. Their holistic fellowship program is built on three pillars that create a foundation for success: experiential learning, curated mentorship, and rigorous job placement. With community at its core and a global network spanning across 700+ locations and 38 countries, WeWork is poised to support Second Chance Studios in this mission.

WeWork will join Second Chance Studios’ community as a platinum partner. “Thanks to WeWork we are able to really create a home for Second Chance Studios and bring experts to the table to help Fellows become well-rounded media professionals,” said Coss Marte, SCS Board Member and Cofounder and CONBODY CEO. For an experiential learning program rooted in community, workspace makes all the difference. “We are so excited about this partnership between the two companies, as it symbolizes the need to create real, intentional space for individuals to do life-changing work,” said Jordan Vaughn, SCS Board Member and Head of Campaigns at maestra.

For more information on how you can support Second Chance Studios, please visit secondchancestudios.org.

SOURCE Second Chance Studios