LinkedIn’s ambition is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. However, systemic stigma stacks the odds against people with criminal records, and for a job market in the throes of a pandemic recession, finding work can become almost impossible. LinkedIn developed Inside Out to challenge perceptions of young prison leavers by empowering them with the tools and connections to kick-start their careers.

The idea centred on a four-week social impact programme to help young prison leavers get back on track, with coaching and support delivered by members of the LinkedIn community. Our objectives were to position LinkedIn as a trusted community brand and a platform on which everyone feels they belong.

Prison leavers are stigmatised and often excluded from the world of work. The creative strategy was to equip prison leavers with the network and skills to show (not just tell) their untapped value to businesses and the economy.

To tackle stigma, LinkedIn and the social enterprise Inside Out created a rehabilitation programme which saw the creation of the UK’s first streetwear brand created by young prison leavers, launched in a community space in Westfield Stratford. The prison leavers were able to sell clothing they had designed and made themselves, while a specially designed in-store experience told their personal stories, helping to break the stigma of a criminal record. Street artists painted their portraits in real time, bringing the Inside Out participants to life via graffiti art. These images were embedded with QR codes, letting people connect with them via LinkedIn to help build their network.

Prison leavers face life-long discrimination. Not all employers recognise how hard it is for ex-offenders to rebuild their lives, which is one reason why so many go on to re-offend. In the UK, the estimated annual social and economic cost of recidivism is £18bn.

To deliver an important message about the power of inclusion, we supported young-offenders through a four-week mentorship programme, helping them to build confidence, develop essential skills, and prepare for the workplace.

The exclusive store provided a vibrant backdrop for broadcast media and helped bring the story to life - allowing the participants to engage with the local, East London community. At time of launch, a quarter of Newham residents were earning below the living wage, making it one of the poorest boroughs in London. Taking the project to Stratford allowed us to deliver a broader message to the community about fair and equal access to opportunity.

LinkedIn created a new communal space within Westfield-Stratford to launch the new streetwear brand, which was run by the Inside Out participants. The media space allowed us to showcase growth and open opportunity for those in the local community too. We invited people to attend through content on LinkedIn, Westfield’s magazine ‘E20 Journal’, earned coverage and the participant’s social media channels. During the 10 day long event, street artists painted portraits in real-time, bringing the participants to life and encouraging visitors to connect with them on LinkedIn. The space hosted an array of activities that catered to the wider community including panel talks with career mentors, workshops with LinkedIn Coaches, professional headshots, and networking opportunities for participants and the wider public. The campaign message was focused on driving a sense of belonging, proving that people of all backgrounds are welcome on the platform, breaking down the bias towards young prison-leavers.

Inside Out received exceptional coverage, with 34 pieces of earned media. Reaching an audience of 855,067,700 million - with features on BBC London News, ITV News and Channel 5 News. Delivery against our brand objectives was incredibly strong. As well as achieving our brand perception objectives we also saw real steps towards a more equitable future for our prison leaver participants. Today, our prison leaver participants are working in fashion (two running their own brands), mentorship or in full-time education with two employed by Inside Out itself, as LinkedIn supports the scheme for another year. The Inside Out programme has undoubtedly changed the trajectory of our prison leavers lives, demonstrating in real terms the life changing impact of connections, opportunity and a second chance.