Pro Bono Partnership Program
Each season, 2nd Story partners with mission-aligned organizations that do not have the budget to collaborate with us through our CultureBuilds programming. Thanks to generous supporters, we have partnered with Cannabis Equity IL Coalition, the Illinois Prison Project, Training Resource and Information Network (TRAIN), and Spork! through our Pro Bono Partnership Program. Through these partnerships, we created experiences, from single symposiums to multi-week workshops, to help constituents and advocates to more deeply and powerfully share their stories.
Below are testimonials from this our partners:
Facilitators Shepsara Satimu and Lexi Sanders stand outside the offices of the Illinois Prison Project.
“In our Ambassador Fellowship Program, we create space for formerly incarcerated people to develop their leadership, advocacy, and storytelling. In fostering these skills, our goal is to support the Ambassadors to become advocates in their own right and lend their voices to the movement against mass incarceration. The work of 2nd Story, funded through the pro bono sponsorship, will allow our Ambassadors to improve all aspects of their storytelling skills. This will be particularly beneficial, as the Ambassadors will receive training not only on how to craft powerful stories, but also on how to make sure the stories are just as impactful when spoken to different audiences. 2nd Story has helped us to emphasize one of our core principles, "Everyone's voice matters,” and it would not have been possible but for the work of your supporters.”
- Kaitlyn Foust, Education Program Manager, Illinois Prison Project
"The Coalition is so grateful for our partnership with 2nd Story. Their team provided a space for our members to develop their storytelling ability, which was instrumental to personal and professional growth within our team. Our members have learned how to craft and deliver their stories, so regardless of the audience, the delivery will be made in a way that leaves the audience ready to respond in a positive way. We cannot wait for our members to take what they learned to key stakeholders in our work. Thank you 2nd Story!”
- Douglas Kelly, Executive Director, Cannabis Equity IL Coalition
We are privileged to have been selected for the pro bono partnership program with 2nd Story. TRAIN is a grass roots committee, with the main goal to collaborate and share training and staff development resources in order to best meet the needs of those served by community-based behavioral health organizations. 2nd Story provided us the opportunity to connect themes of our Healing the Healer conference through a breakout session and a personal story for our closing. Our overall goal was to provide opportunities for caregivers and organizations to promote resiliency, self-care, and reflective practice for everyone in the system. 2nd Story helped to thread concepts of resiliency and self-care throughout our work and highlight how important it is to understand your personal emotional resources and how to stay motivated in your professional life in regard to caring and supporting others. This conference wouldn’t have been the same without 2nd Stories presence.
- Debbie Podmore, LSW, Staff Development and Training, Lawrence Hall
We are thankful to the sponsors of our Pro Bono Partnership Program for helping us say, “YES!” to mission-aligned organizations when they reach out to collaborate, independent of their budget or size.
Our Pro Bono Partnership Program is made possible with generous support from The Lupo Family.
Are you and individual or business who would like to help us expand our Pro Bono Partnership Program?
Please email Managing Director Lauren Sivak at lauren@2ndstory.com..