For the international nonprofit Prison Yoga Project (PYP), recovery and healing can be delivered through mindfulness and trauma-informed movement. This is a mission that a Clinton School of Public Service graduate student has now mapped out for long-term expansion across Arkansas.
Chloe Stringer, a native of Austin, Texas, partnered with PYP for her Capstone project, titled “Investigating Strategic Opportunities for Prison Yoga Project’s Program Growth in Arkansas.” Her nine months of field research culminated in a phased strategic growth plan that equips PYP’s team with an actionable roadmap to grow its operations throughout the state.
A Strategic Blueprint
Prison Yoga Project provides yoga and mindfulness programming to incarcerated and system-impacted individuals across the United States and globally, offering resources and training designed to support restorative justice. To pave the way for the organization’s expansion in Arkansas, Stringer conducted qualitative interviews with key informants, formerly incarcerated individuals, and administrators at corrections and re-entry facilities.
Her research evaluated facility-specific needs, investigated local attitudes toward trauma-informed programming, and identified the outcomes administrators prioritize when adopting new services. Through this analysis, Stringer established concrete criteria to help PYP pinpoint long-term, high-impact partnerships.
“Working with Chloe on this Capstone project was a great experience,” said Nicole Hellthaler (’19), Executive Director of Prison Yoga Project, who is based in Little Rock. “She was dedicated and professional. Her Capstone has created an excellent blueprint for us to expand our programs throughout Little Rock and Arkansas as a whole by identifying the places where we are most likely to create sustainable, impactful partnerships.”
Because Stringer’s work took on the important tasks of market research and networking, PYP can immediately begin implementing programs. The completed growth plan features a phased approach, offering low barrier steps the nonprofit can execute right away alongside long-term pathways that can be developed over time.
Reclaiming Humanity on the Mat
Stringer’s work also included volunteering weekly alongside Hellthaler, assisting with a yoga program inside a local jail’s men’s re-entry unit. The experience allowed her to witness firsthand the real-world implications of the programming she was analyzing.
“Jails and prisons are not easy places to feel hopeful in,” Stringer said. “So many of our country’s problems intersect in correction facilities: poverty, drug and alcohol addiction, childhood abuse. I saw the men in this unit take their humanity back for themselves, take ownership of their actions, but not let what they’ve done in the past take away the opportunity they have to do better for themselves, their families, and their communities.”
Stringer noted that observing the dedication of the participants during these sessions solidified her understanding of the unique roles required to drive change.
“This project reminded me that everyone working in public service has a niche, and each one of these different activities and interests are important when you look at the big picture of large-scale change,” Stringer said. “Getting to contribute work that allows PYP to deliver more hope and healing through yoga to more people is something I will always be proud of.”
To maintain her connection to the mission, Stringer is currently completing Prison Yoga Project’s 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training program, ensuring she remains actively involved in expanding public health and service initiatives across Arkansas.