Voices of the Inside: The Endeavor and The Insider

The Endeavor: A Decade of Dedication

Since 2014, The Endeavor has been a publication for and by the residents of Everglades Correctional Institution. We strive to be the voice of our community, promoting unity through a shared purpose by providing factual information that enables residents to make the most informed decisions possible.

Over the past 10 years, we have undergone a number of staff changes, administration changes, incentivization, Covid, and countless other day-to-day challenges. But we have persevered to reach this point. In the same year Exchange for Change celebrates its 10-year anniversary, we do as well. That's a really big deal. Every staff writer, editor, copy editor, or designer with The Endeavor has taken Henry Unger's Journalism class. Every one of us has been involved in several other E4C classes. E4C has enabled The Endeavor to rise to the level of success it has achieved in these past 10 years.

We select stories to publish by looking at what's coming up on the institution's calendar, maintaining contact with administration and staff, and identifying hot-button issues impacting residents by speaking with them about their interests. Community engagement is key in maintaining our status as a trusted news source, and it is key in rising to new heights.

To achieve more, we must learn more and do more.

A number of The Endeavor's staff are now enrolled in The Prison Journalism Project's J-School. The entire staff will be enrolled soon. In May we won a 2024 Stillwater Award for Prison Publication of the Year.

We are dedicated to being the voice of our community, and extend our heartfelt thanks and congratulations to E4C for its unceasing commitment to helping writers like us achieve that goal.

Justin Slavinski, E4C Student

The Insider: A Journey of Growth and Confidence

If I had been asked five years ago to create a newsletter from scratch for the entire compound housed at Homestead Correctional Institution, I would have walked away from the opportunity. I never thought of myself as a creative person, let alone a writer. Writing had always been an interest, but imposter syndrome always tightened its claws, convincing me that I was not good enough, and my thoughts were not interesting.

When the idea for a compound newsletter was brought to HCI’s Lifers Program, however, I thought it was a great idea. Then someone from Classification asked me to be the one to lead the project. That spark of confidence that it took to say yes is owed to Exchange for Change. Being a part of E4C’s program has not only taught me invaluable information and given me a purpose, but has built the confidence I need to venture out on different writing opportunities. The voice in my head whispering you’re not good enough was silenced by the feedback, lessons and support offered by every single E4C facilitator that I encountered.

The Insider started out as four bare pages and me begging people for submissions. 

Today the women at HCI eagerly wait for a copy on publication day. Walking across the compound I am bombarded with questions on how and what to submit. The confidence that the E4C program has instilled in me has not only opened doors for me, but a hallway of doors for the other 600 women who read it. 

I am no longer begging for submissions but begging for paper to expand.

Brittany Miles, E4C Student