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Public Education Team

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HEARD’s Public Education Team

Video Description: A horizontal video of Franly, a caramel-skinned man with an afro signing in front of a white background, wearing a black short sleeved shirt. The video fades to a black background with ivory HEARD logo and ā€œwww.behearddc.orgā€ in the center.

The Public Education Team (PET) is a group of formerly incarcerated disabled/deaf people, and their loved ones, who are impacted by prison and policing systems. Each round of PET includes four-to-six months of gatherings where we develop our skills as peer educators, learn about systems of policing, explore the history of abolition and prisons, and learn conflict resolution and harm reduction skills. Community members who join PET are paid for their time in learning with and from each other.

Additionally, PET participants work together to develop video content for our library as a part of community education for people coming back home. These videos are designed to support people in learning what they need to know to navigate the world after their release. PET participants also have the opportunity to build their skills and gain knowledge to become co-facilitators, peer supporters, and deaf interpreters in their own communities. For more information on PET and how you can support PET, please contact  HEARDā€™s Reentry Program Director at advocacy@heardadvocates.org. 

HEARD’s First Cohort of the Public Education Team – Video Description and Transcript: bit.ly/heard-pet