After serving a prison sentence, returning to normal life can be very challenging.  

The Postis Association, supported by the European Social Fund, helps those that have left penal institutions and remand centres to re-build their life outside these facilities. It focuses on finding work for young former prisoners to help young people find their feet and prepare them for their future.

‘I'm learning distance and patience. I see that I don't have to have everything, that I'm not the centre of the world. I have to fight for what I want. I think I have learned that here. We'll see if I can implement it into life when I get back home,’ explained Milena, a project participant.

The re-socialisation project assists former prisoners under 29 years of age, designed in collaboration with the Prison Service in Poland. It starts by preparing inmates in penal institutions or remand prisons, serving their first sentence to participate in the rehabilitation. Once they are ready, a mentor accompanies them on a long walk, covering up to 900 km. They then undergo training to gain professional qualifications that will help them to gain employment when they start searching for a job. 

After taking part in the project, Patryk secured a job and hasn’t looked back. ‘Thanks to the project, I found an apartment and I work in a steam car wash […] I don't feel like going back to my old life anymore. I like it the way it is.’ 

During the three editions of the project, which ran from May 2012 to June 2022, 68 former inmates from penitentiary units in Poland participated in the nation-wide project.  Many went on to find employment.