International WORKPRIS Workshop in Prague focused on collaboration between third-sector organizations and prison services in Europe

On June 11–12, 2025, VOLONTÉ CZECH, o.p.s. hosted a two-day international workshop in Prague as part of the WORKPRIS project – Preparing third-sector employees to work with people in prison. The meeting brought together over 35 professionals from non-profit organizations, prison services, research institutions, and other organizations from seven European countries.

The aim of the workshop was to strengthen cooperation between the non-profit sector and prison institutions, define key competencies for staff working in prisons, and jointly design a workshop syllabus and suitable educational approaches based on real experience and international best practices.

Workshop Program

The first day focused on networking activities, sharing experiences from different countries, inspiring practice examples, and group work. Presentations featured contributions describing collaboration between third-sector organizations and prison services by representatives from the General Directorate of the Prison Service of the Czech Republic, the Prison Service Academy of the Czech Republic, and the General Directorate of the Prison and Judicial Guard Corps of the Slovak Republic. Participants discussed the conditions and key skills required of third-sector workers in prison settings – such as setting boundaries, communicating with different target groups, and navigating institutional culture and legislation.

Examples of good practices and innovative solutions were presented by representatives from EDUKOS (Slovakia) and CIK Trebnje (Slovenia), showcasing concrete projects and approaches for working with prisoners and supporting their education – from mobile applications (Forsa app) to workshops held in Slovenian prisons.

The day concluded with a discussion on the challenges of cross-border cooperation and how professional communities can strengthen both their competencies and mutual trust.

Scenario-Based Activities and Good Practices

The second day offered practical scenario-based learning, during which participants trained in groups using real-life scenarios to identify suitable procedures and necessary competencies.

The topic of prisoner employment across Europe was addressed by representatives from A-GIGA s.r.o. (Czech Republic), which operates call centers employing incarcerated individuals, and RESHAPE (Portugal), which runs a ceramics workshop and other services for prisoners.

Further group activities followed, where participants identified key and missing competencies and designed a training/workshop format suitable for third-sector professionals entering the prison environment for the first time.

International Participation and Shared Experience

Experts from Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Portugal, Hungary, and Italy attended the workshop – including representatives from the General Directorate of the Prison Service of the Czech Republic, the Prison Service Academy of the Czech Republic, the General Directorate of the Prison and Judicial Guard Corps of the Slovak Republic, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and organizations such as A-GIGA, NEUSTART, RESHAPE, RUBIKON Centre, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, and many others. This diversity enabled deep exchange of experiences and generated new ideas for future cooperation.

 

What’s Next?

The outputs of the workshop will serve as the foundation for developing a modular educational curriculum for third-sector professionals working (or wishing to work) in prison settings. Participants also expressed interest in further joint activities, pilot training, and the exchange of methodological materials.

The WORKPRIS project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme and coordinated by Richtungswechsel (Austria) in collaboration with VOLONTÉ CZECH and CIK Trebnje (Slovenia).

We thank all participants for their contributions, openness, and shared efforts to support integration and human dignity within European prison systems.

Disclaimer: This project is co-funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.