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About us
Who we are
About Shannon Trust
Shannon Trust supports thousands of prisoners each year to transform their lives by unlocking the power of reading. We inspire and train prisoners who can read, to teach prisoners who can’t. Whilst most of us take reading for granted, for thousands of people in prison, reading a letter from home, considering a job application or looking at a newspaper is not possible until they learn to read.
Our reading programme is designed to make it as easy as possible for someone struggling with reading to begin to learn and improve their skills. Trained prisoner peer mentors work on a 1-to-1 basis with their learners in short bursts, usually 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Sessions take place in a safe, private space and learners progress at their own pace; there are no exams.
The reading programme uses Turning Pages, Shannon Trust's reading scheme, specifically designed for adults learning to read. It's made up of 5 manuals and 30 accompanying reading books. Our nationwide team of staff and volunteers train and support peer mentors in prison, and we work closely with prison staff across the estate to make the Shannon Trust available to anyone struggling with reading.
One of the aims of our new 3-year strategy is to reach many more people in prison. But we recognise too that most people in prison will eventually be released, and many in the short-to medium term. That means that education is often interrupted or even doesn’t start. So, we are also extending what we do into community settings, by partnering with other agencies, so that they can engage with potential learners who come through their doors.
There is also clear evidence that low literacy is often accompanied by low numeracy and our learning model – peer-led or self-study that is informal, go-at-your-own-pace and confidence building – can be adapted to include basic maths. So, our new strategy will see us expand our offer in this way, across the prison estate.
And we live in an ever-more digital world, so our learning materials need to adapt. So, this year we will release our Turning Pages app – allowing users to learn to read, on any device.
