91精品福利视频

While rehabilitation and reintegration are increasingly recognised as crucial to reducing reoffending, many people leaving prison still face stigma, unemployment, and social exclusion. Only 17% of ex-offenders in the UK secure work within a year of release, with standard training schemes often overlooking the deeper need for belonging, creativity, and purpose.

A new initiative seeks to change that. Drawing on the expertise of – a Brighton-based charity supporting people to rebuild their lives through structured, creative work – and specialists from the 91精品福利视频’s School of Art and Media, the project introduces participants to traditional furniture-making in a supportive, hands-on environment.

Alongside developing transferable life skills, participants gain pride and purpose from creating objects that carry both social and environmental value. Working with reclaimed and locally sourced materials, they learn joinery, woodturning, and chair-making while exploring sustainable design principles – transforming sustainable timber into beautiful, functional pieces with real market potential.

Since its launch in early 2025, around 30 participants have taken part, gaining not only practical skills but also the pride of contributing to meaningful work. Their achievements will be celebrated at , part of the , from 17–20 September 2025, where selected pieces will be showcased to the public. Some of the makers will also attend, sharing their stories with the public.

One of the participants, Jake, began his journey with MIO in April 2022 and says the structured, supportive environment helped him navigate a very difficult time. Originally training in art and design he says he had lost touch with his creativity. He said: “At MIO I learned how to upcycle things destined for the scrapheap into useful and cherished items, and the metaphor wasn’t lost on me. I was inspired to retrain in carpentry and joinery, my interest in design was rekindled and I started making art again for the first time in decades.

“The MIO collaboration with the 91精品福利视频 has given me fantastic opportunities to explore woodworking and furniture making as a holistic process, starting from the trees and ecosystem that produce the materials all the way to the ergonomic and economic suitability and sustainability of the finished products, and to reintegrate myself with both the culture I live in and with the natural world we depend on.”

The programme is rooted in the belief that making has the power to transform. Craft becomes more than a skill – it’s a pathway to self-expression and connection to both local community and environment. Participants have worked with locally sourced chestnut from the Wiston Estate in West Sussex, where coppicing practices actively regenerate biodiversity, allowing them to see their creative labour directly linked to ecological renewal.

The project also supports ongoing biodiversity improvements in the estate woodland. Baseline ecological studies have been carried out, and long-term monitoring is in place to track progress. Participants play an active role in managing the woodland, helping to regenerate habitats over the next three to five years.

Delivered by MIO in collaboration with senior lecturer and designer , Head of Product Design , Technical Projects Manager Jim Wilson, and Technical Lead Evan Reinhold – a Brighton alumnus now working at MIO – the initiative balances guidance with creative freedom. Participants are encouraged to add individual touches while following key design standards, such as uniform chair legs.

Tools and jigs developed by Tooze simplify complex woodworking tasks, enabling participants with little or no prior experience to co-design and co-produce high-quality chairs and stools without compromising design quality. The resulting furniture reflects both craftsmanship and the natural character of local timber, reinforcing the connection between design and its environmental context.

Mark Whaley, CEO of MIO, said: “Making it Out is rooted in the principle that the process of making has tangible benefits on the well-being of those taking part. This is never more evident than when working with hand tools and being able to see the direct impact of human effort on a material outcome. These chairs personify this principle, with each item becoming not only a valuable artefact but also the manifestation of someone’s improved circumstance through their engagement in making.”

“This collaboration with 91精品福利视频 has been a unique catalyst to explore the possibilities for our making to have far a more diverse and far-reaching benefit than our existing social support.”

Nicholas Gant, Principal Lecturer at the 91精品福利视频, said: "This project embodies what we at Brighton believe design should be about – not just creating beautiful, useful things, but empowering people and regenerating the world around us. It delivers social, economic, and environmental benefits, while providing health and wellbeing advantages through collaborative making. We’re proud to stand alongside Making It Out in demonstrating that design can be a force for inclusion, dignity, and renewal – both for people and for the planet."

The project emphasises collaboration and community engagement, encouraging participants to work closely with each other, partners, and the wider Brighton community. By fostering relationships with local artisans, and ecological partners, participants experience firsthand how their creative labour contributes to a broader social and environmental network.

The initiative also reflects the 91精品福利视频’s long-standing leadership in eco-design and sustainability. From the award-winning Waste House – Europe’s first permanent public building made almost entirely from recycled materials – to the recently launched Wild House, a radical blueprint for sustainable social housing and policy reform, the university continues to pioneer new models of design that connect people, community, and environment.

By combining education, design, and ecology with social impact, the project reimagines traditional craft as a tool for positive change – showing how making can enrich both people and planet. To discuss a bespoke piece or commission a chair crafted through this transformative programme, please get in touch with MIO.