Do you have a specific business skill that you would like to share with our men? Perhaps you have a leadership or communication topic that you are passionate about…or a life lesson that you believe is important for them to know. If any of these are true for you, then we invite you to join us as an eSchool teacher.
eSchool (Entrepreneurship School) is an educational program which provides released participants (former inmates) a continuing business education. Participants are required to complete 16-20 workshops and assignments with passing grades within a seven-month period following their release in order to graduate from eSchool. Upon graduation, participants become eligible for business financing through PEP’s relationships.
Your willingness to volunteer has an incredible impact on the men in eSchool and plays a major role in the success of eSchool. With the influx of new releases and graduating students the class size varies from 15-20 students. The average eSchool participant has been out of prison less than 2 months and is highly motivated and eager to succeed in his new life. 100% of these men will be employed within the first 90 days of release. Many are now employed within 20-25 days of release, and all these students are starting new careers as they rebuild their lives.
Far different from most class settings, these students are there because they desperately want to learn. Formal presentations or conversational style discussions are the norm. Our students represent the essence of entrepreneurship: dedicated, inquisitive, hard-working and incredibly optimistic. All of these students have already written their business plans while in prison and some are looking to build on their current plans and concepts, as they learn from the executive lecturers. Others are not planning to start their businesses, but are looking to acquire general business knowledge which they can use to advance their careers. Additionally, eSchool provides participants with continued networking and fellowship opportunities with their PEP brothers.
Classes are held every Tuesday night:
7:00-8:30PM
Houston PEP Office
6501 Navigation Blvd, Ste. H7
Houston, TX 77011
Dallas PEP Office
10830 N. Central Expressway, Suite 240
Dallas, TX 75231.
For your presentation, the classroom is equipped with computer and internet service, an overhead projector with screen and a presentation board for illustrations.
Before class starts, the men will gather for an informal dinner and you are welcome to join us then. Class begins with a pray in followed by an introduction of the instructor and topic by the PEP class facilitator. If you love to teach, but want some ideas on the subject of your presentation, we do have a syllabus of topics for your review. These topics are complete with teaching guide, lesson plan, and suggestions for your presentation.
We schedule our instructors for both locations at the start of each quarter so that our volunteers will have time to plan and prepare their presentations.