Correctional Services Canada shared this story in their national newsletter earlier this year. Dr. Elisabeth Rondinelli shares her experience of bringing together Acadia sociology students and incarcerated women in Atlantic Canada's first cohort of Walls to Bridges at the Nova Institution for Women in Truro. Read more in our Q&A with Dr. Rondinelli below.
On December 4, Nova Institution for Women hosted a closing ceremony that marked a milestone in education and rehabilitation: the successful completion of the first-ever Walls to Bridges (W2B) course offered on Canada's East Coast. This groundbreaking partnership between Acadia University and Correctional Service Canada brought together six students from Acadia and five incarcerated women from Nova Institution in a shared classroom inside the facility. Those who completed the course were invited to bring a loved one or support person to celebrate their achievement. The ceremony brought together institutional staff such as management, program officers, primary workers, and teachers alongside Acadia University's Head of Sociology and Dean of Arts, all united to celebrate the participants' dedication and achievement.
Walls to Bridges is a unique program that offers university-level courses within correctional institutions, pairing "inside" students with "outside" students to learn as peers. The goal is simple yet transformative: to break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and foster mutual understanding through education. As the program's byline states, "We are One, Not the Other."
The course, Seminar in Family Issues, ran from September to December under the guidance of Dr. Elisabeth Rondinelli, Assistant Professor in Acadia's Department of Sociology. Students explored the complexities of family life, examining how social structures, state policies, and cultural norms shape intimate relationships. Weekly sessions combined scholarly discussion with experiential learning, encouraging participants to reflect critically on both academic texts and personal experiences.
Throughout the semester, students collaborated on a major group project, embodying the program's emphasis on collective creation and decision-making. The closing ceremony celebrated these achievements, highlighting the courage and commitment of all involved.
Participants shared reflections that captured the spirit of the experience:
- "Life changing, fun, and motivating."
- "I enter a circle of trust with these girls, where I'm able to be my true self. There is no us and them, we become one. I've learned so much about myself, and I honour that so much, it gives me hope for my future."
- "This experience has taught me a lot about myself. I have grown as a person with the help of everyone involved in this program."
- "I was very honoured to be a part of this program. I have learned a lot about myself and the women who have taken part in this program. I feel that programs such as these are integral to understanding differences in life and knowing that at the end of the day, we are all human and women, and we can connect upon those pillars to create understanding and empathy. We can build each other up and really focus on the bridge that connects us, not the walls that separate us".
Through their experiences, the benefits were evident: reduced isolation, improved confidence, strengthened social connections, and a deeper understanding of social constructs and of themselves. This opportunity meant more than earning three university credits; it represented a chance to engage in meaningful dialogue, develop new skills, and experience a sense of community beyond prison walls. For Acadia students, the experience offered a rare opportunity to confront assumptions and engage in transformative learning. For Nova residents, it was a step toward reintegration and a reminder that education can open doors, even behind walls.
As the first W2B course on the East Coast, this partnership sets a precedent for future collaborations. It demonstrates that when we break down barriers and learn together, we build bridges not just between institutions, but between lives.
Exploring the complexities of life
Dr. Elisabeth Rondinelli shares her experience of bringing together Acadia students and incarcerated students at the Nova Institution for Women in a Q&A.
How long has this program been in the works?
Offering this program through the sociology department at Acadia has been about 3 years in the making.
There were several stages, including being trained as a Walls to Bridges instructor, getting approval from Acadia to teach the course, developing a relationship with administrators at Correctional Service Canada as well as Nova Institution for Women, selecting both inside and outside students, and finally, teaching the course for the first time in fall 2025. I'm teaching the course again this fall, with a new cohort of both inside and outside students.
What stood out for you as a learning experience for all of the students?
One thing that stood out for me was how enthusiastic students were to really know one another and find where they had common ground.
One of the activities we did each week was called a 'wagon wheel', which involves students sitting across from one another and being asked questions that span from the silly to the serious. As students started to know each other better, I asked them to reflect on bigger questions related to their past and how they envisioned their futures, as well as to reflect on what they were experiencing in real time in the course.
I was impressed at how game the students were to experiment, be curious, and especially to be vulnerable with one another. Many of the students left the course saying that they had learned more about themselves than anything else how they talk about hard things, how they process and receive the vulnerability of others, and how they are placed in social systems that have shaped their life's trajectory.
What was the major group project and how did you help facilitate that? How did the students take the lead?
Students choose what they do for the final project, and work on it collaboratively in the latter half of the term. My role is to guide them through the process but ultimately to take a step back and let them take charge of what they do and how. It was a joy to see them take it on so readily.
Last year, students created a large-scale puzzle. Each student had their own piece of the puzzle to use to represent what they were taking from the course or what stood out for them as personally significant. Each piece fit together and was ultimately meant to signify the bond they had developed and their interconnectedness.
Students presented their puzzle at the closing ceremony and I think the audience left with a strong feeling of the strength of the bond formed in that classroom.
How does this opportunity fit into the learning experiences of students in the sociology program?
One of the things that sociologists are trained to do is to understand how institutions shape people's lives from schools, to family and, of course, carceral institutions like prisons. We ask questions about the kinds of power dynamics that unfold in these institutions and about the inequalities that exist that advantage some and disadvantage others.
Walls to Bridges creates a space where the wisdom and personal experience of all students becomes part of the learning process. The course is really about experiential learning: we do the course in the prison together and bring together a group of students to have conversations that normally would be impossible.
My goal is to encourage sociological thinking that is informed by the knowledge and perspectives of the people in the classroom, with the aim of encouraging solidarity and mutual respect between those who are incarcerated and those who are not.
