Inspiring Conversations with Stacey Putka of Breakthrough

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Putka. 

Hi Stacey, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was originally hired by a national organization in 2017. We have been tackling the problems of mass incarceration and recidivism in Colorado ever since. We have worked in 3 facilities within the Department of Corrections and served nearly 200 individuals. We have learned that we need to be nimble as an organization to respond to what we are seeing on the ground in our communities. We have learned that leveraging entrepreneurship as a mindset is helpful to our program participants as we support them in their career development and re-entry goals. We have learned that our community, specifically employers, need more support from us to provide fair employment opportunities to our program participants. We have learned that human connection matters the most as we seek transformation behind facility walls and in our communities. We learned that it was time for us to break through and localize our operations. 

That’s why we chose Breakthrough as the name of our Colorado-based non-profit. One of our people inside, Rhidale, said Breakthrough is best at, “bringing a tangible and accessible network into a place that historically doesn’t have that. One major transformation is creating greater circles of contribution; no longer limiting the scope of achievement to being someone’s laborer. Saying you can dream as much as you want to and here are the resources for you to be successful. You’re not limited because you’ve made a mistake.” 

At Breakthrough, we are passionate about solving the problem of mass incarceration and recidivism. Our goal is for 100% of our program participants to be stable and to have meaningful jobs, relationships, and communities. Breakthrough is committed to reforming society’s response to incarceration, building connections across communities, equipping participants for successful reintegration, and advocating for awareness of our shared humanity. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
COVID-19 has presented unique obstacles over the past two years. A large part of our work is done inside correctional facilities and the pandemic has made it difficult for us to gain access to the facilities. We want everyone inside correctional facilities to maintain their health so it made sense to limit their exposure to the rest of the community. we pivoted to letter-writing programs, sending educational videos inside, and launching a correspondence book club to maintain connections with our people. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We believe that humans are more than their past. We believe in the power of change. Through compassion, connection, and community, we help people rebuild their lives and ultimately help them reintegrate into society—all while challenging outdated perceptions to reform how our country defines criminal justice. 

We are a 501c3 non-profit organization that prides itself in supporting people with criminal histories as they transform their lives and radically altering the community’s perception of the incarcerated population. Our holistic approach includes an in-facility career education program, community engagement, re-entry support, a fair opportunity hiring program, and criminal justice advocacy initiatives. 

Our in-facility program develops the soft-skill that are essential to personal and professional growth through PAIRIN, teaches job readiness skills with curriculum designed in partnership with Google Boulder, and cultivates the entrepreneurial mindset through class sessions and group work designed by Colorado State University. In the entrepreneurial phase of the in-facility program, the people in our program pitch their business ideas to classmates and volunteers. Our in-facility program welcomes community members to volunteer as mentors. These mentors assist the in-class learning process by providing feedback, encouragement, and real-life experience. During a participant’s initial reentry, staff will connect them to wraparound services, as well as to volunteer mentor support from the community. Our support extends past release, staff maintains contact every week for the first month of re-entry. Additionally, our Fair Opportunity Employment Program works to recruit fair opportunity partners and develop resources/tools to support in hiring and maintaining fair opportunity talent. We will match employers struggling to find quality employees with our people re-entering society and provide them the tools they need to successfully work together. Lastly, advocacy is an essential part of working in the criminal justice sector. Through the spread of information and engagement initiates we are advocating for a more fair and productive justice system. 

We believe in humans, and in our shared humanity because we know that every person deserves to be seen, heard, and challenged to rise above their past to break through to a better tomorrow. 

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The entrepreneurial mindset is the key to success. We are obsessed with the problem of recidivism and are constantly taking in information to adjust our solution to address that problem. I have also personally learned that I have to set and maintain solid personal/work-life boundaries in order to tackle this problem. Thinking about mass incarceration and recidivism can be overwhelming so I have to focus on what’s within my control, not get distracted by “shiny things”, and fill my own cup. 

Pricing:

• $3,100 ($260 monthly contribution) Invest in one currently incarcerated person’s life by providing them with the 8-month in-facility program, “The Challenge”
• $1,500 ($125 monthly contribution) Provide program materials for one person going through “The Challenge” program. This is not a full representation of how much it costs to provide the full program to one individual for 8 months
• $650 ($55 monthly contribution) Invest in someone’s ability to find and job and connect with their community by providing one welcome home pack (laptop, cell phone, and other essentials)
• $65 ($6 monthly contribution) Invest in someone’s warm welcome back into the community by providing one re-entry support session to someone we are welcoming home
• $25 Facilitate community by providing a coaching session between a volunteer and a returning citizen

Contact Info:

• Email: stacey@timetobreakthrough.org
• Website: www.timetobreakthrough.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/time2breakthrough/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimeToBreakthrough
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/t2breakthrough
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TimetoBreakthrough
• Other: https://mailchi.mp/timetobreakthrough.org/newsletter-sign-up

Image Credits
AJ Campli
Drew Carlson