Welcome to our new Co-Executive Directors, Gabby and Zoe!
Hello friends,
It's strange to write together, from the perspective of two people with a shared vision. So to start, we'd like to introduce ourselves: Gabby Oglesby and Zoe Barker-Aderem, the two new Co-Executive Directors at Yoga Behind Bars. We are honored to be here.
As you all likely know, our work at YBB changed drastically as a result of Covid-19. Facilities closed to programs like ours. Many remain closed today, though we are excited to be back working in person at Echo Glen, teaching classes for veterans at the jail in Kent, and launching a pilot program for youth behind bars throughout Washington State.
Many of you have seen what a powerful tool yoga and mindfulness can be to people behind bars. There are big opportunities if we pause and take time to learn and grow. To engage more deeply with our students and teachers behind bars, to let their experiences guide this organization. To stand as witnesses and advocate for change in every way we are able.
We want you to know: we're still here, we're doing the work, and we're grateful you're sticking around.
In community,
Gabby & Zoe
Gabby Oglesby - I come to this work as a survivor of systemic and intergenerational trauma. Yoga has been a part of my self-recovery process and self-care since 2013. In 2019 I received my 200-hour yoga teacher certification and in 2020 I received my first trauma-informed yoga teacher training. I currently teach independently and have collaborated with organizations centering Black Indigenous People of Culture (BIPOC) around Seattle. I also have worked in non-profits for the last decade in a variety of capacities and with many different populations. I'm of Afro-Caribbean descent and hail from the East Coast (NY + CT). I'm an artist, dancer, organizer, singer, and generally enjoy creating things.
Zoe Barker-Aderem - I'm a white person who believes deeply in Community Centric Fundraising practices. I've been working in service of and alongside incarcerated folks in the King County Jail for the last eight years, where I've facilitated creative writing classes. I'm a playwright, an occasional poet, someone who loves to make. Mostly, I live by Roque Dalton's words, that poetry - like bread - is for everyone. I feel the same way about yoga, where my own practice taught me to see my body as my home, a place to build strength from. I am excited to work alongside you all as we support our students in building strength and resources, as we ask what YBB is and what it could be.