Sessions
Drop in for any of our regularly scheduled sessions (stay as long or as little as you are able):
- Mondays, 6-8PM
- Tuesdays, 6-8PM
- Every other Saturday, 11AM-2PM
For the safety of our community, volunteers as asked to wear (K)N95 masks, unless unable.
We have masks available on site.
All volunteer sessions are held in the basement of the Social Justice Center at 1202 Williamson Street in Madison, Wisconsin. Please enter using the ramp on the side of the building, off of Few St by the small back parking lot. The front entrance is often not staffed during our sessions, so this is the only entrance to use.
Interested in helping out, but can’t make the sessions? Contact us to talk about fundraising, database work, and other remote possibilities!
Sign up here for weekly updates on sessions and local events.
Tasks
At volunteer sessions, there are a variety of tasks for volunteers to work on depending on the workflow that day and volunteers’ individual skills and comfort level. We have tasks that are mobile and ones that can be done seated. Some tasks are also more social than others.
Our most common tasks include:
- Responding to book and information requests from LGBTQ people who are incarcerated. This task involves reading the request, finding books, and writing a note back to the person. This is similar to being a “personal shopper” for people who are requesting books.
- Wrapping packages to USPS media mail standards. This is a sedentary and often social task.
- Weighing, stamping, and recording book packages in our database. This is a sedentary and often individual task.
- Database work like writing prison restrictions on envelopes. This is a sedentary task.
- Shelving and organizing materials.
- Administrative tasks like getting the mail, making copies, folding forms, etc.
If you have access to a vehicle and are comfortable lifting ~25lbs., consider helping us transport wrapped packages to the post office or picking up empty postal bins! Sign up here.
At volunteer sessions, we also host Intermission, which is a short break in the middle of each session where we do some training and education for the whole group and talk about patterns we’re seeing or changes in our process. This is also an opportunity to ask and answer each other’s questions. We always welcome and encourage questions in our collaborative work environment!
Training
New volunteers are welcome to come to any session. At your first volunteer session, an organizer will spend some time acquainting you with the project and the space. This may take 10 or 20 minutes. You will talk about:
- Our mission for the project and values for the space
- The lifecycle of a letter we receive
- The Social Justice Center, other orgs in the space, and how the space works
- Where our book sections and materials are
- How to do your first task — usually building a package for someone who wrote to us (“responding to book and information requests”) or wrapping packages
For your first several packages, we’ll have you check in with an organizer or seasoned volunteer to talk through how it went and what support you might need.
Groups
For groups larger than 5 people, please contact us to make arrangements in advance.
Because of the time and energy it takes to train groups and work on quality control as volunteers get used to the work, we really appreciate it if groups can commit to attending for multiple sessions. Thank you for thinking of us!
Accessibility
Getting to our space
The Social Justice Center (SJC) is located at 1202 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703.
- Bus lines:
- The B (E. Wash & S. Ingersol – .4mi) and C (Jennifer & Few – .1mi) bus lines have drop offs near the Social Justice Center
- Parking: Some free street parking is available in the neighborhood. You may also park behind the SJC in a very small parking lot if there are spaces available.
- Biking:
- There are bike racks on Few Street near Williamson Street. The SJC is about 500 feet from E. Wilson St., which is a bike boulevard connected to the Capitol City Trail.
- There is a B-cycle dock on Few Street across from the SJC.
Our entrance is stair-free and is located on the side of the SJC, on Few Street. Look for our sign! There is a ramp down into the basement. Note that sometimes there is junk and stuff in this area: we are working on eliminating this, along with our SJC partners. The door into the space does not have an automatic door opener.
Breathing
The SJC is a low-scent working environment. Please do not wear perfume, cologne, essential oils, or heavily scented products unless you need them for your own health. If you step outside to smoke, it helps to wash your hands upon your return.
In the basement, there are many old books that have dust and sometimes a small amount of mold. We make an effort to use low-scent packing tape and scent-free cleaning products.
Eating
You are welcome to bring food and beverages into the basement. On Saturday volunteer sessions, B2P often provides food. Please inform us when you get to the session if you have dietary restrictions and we will do our best to accommodate you — we also usually ask the room before ordering food for the day. Alcohol is not welcome at B2P volunteer sessions.
Sitting and standing
If you would like to sit down while you volunteer, you can choose to wrap packages. We have a number of places to sit. Filling letters involves standing and sometimes leaning over. The basement has a concrete floor.
Stress
The basement space can be crowded when there are a lot of volunteers present. You are welcome to step outside and take breaks whenever you like. You can also drop in and out of the session as suits your needs. Monday and Tuesday sessions are often quieter than Saturday sessions.
You are welcome to wear sunglasses, headphones, earplugs, or anything else that helps your sensory experience.
Some letters from individuals who are requesting books may contain triggers or upsetting material. We try to label the envelopes with trigger warnings, but will inevitably miss some. Volunteers are always encouraged to put letters back and fill a different one if they would prefer not to for any reason.
Restrooms
There is one wheelchair-accessible, all-gender restroom in the basement. There are two more wheelchair-accessible, all-gender restrooms upstairs on the main level of the SJC.
Miscellaneous
- The basement is primarily lit by fluorescent lights.
- We usually play music during volunteer sessions.
- Children and babies are welcome at volunteer sessions.
- Service animals are welcome in the Social Justice Center. Pets should stay at home.
- Please note that in the SJC space and during volunteer sessions you may encounter books and materials featuring nudity and that discuss sex and sexuality.
Please let us know if there are other ways we can work on accessibility in the space!