What We Do
The Pollen Initiative is fulfilling a new mission to equip incarcerated people with multimedia skills – including written, audio, and visual journalism – to share stories that change lives, inform policy and narratives and build communities.
Formerly the Friends of San Quentin News
Our History & Journey
- In 2013, the San Quentin News incarcerated staff had a bold vision: to provide free access to their journalistic-caliber newspaper, focused on hope and rehabilitation, to the over 150,000 incarcerated individuals in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
- The San Quentin News staff secured help from the Center for Social Sector Leadership at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business to develop a 10-year strategic plan and with the support of a large capacity-building grant from the Reva & David Logan Foundation San Quentin News expanded distribution into all 35 CA state prisons.
- In the years since, the Friends of San Quentin News took on a growing role by advising and supporting the San Quentin News with expansions into non-English language content, an internal news broadcast and Wall City magazine.
- In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and San Quentin prison lockdown forced most San Quentin News production activities outside of the prison. With funding from the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, FoSQN started a Journalism Fellowship to support formerly incarcerated San Quentin News alumni in their efforts to continue production of the newspaper.
- Today, the Pollen Initiative is now developing programs to bring the incarcerated-run media model to other states and prison institutions, and to serve formerly incarcerated individuals with professional development, mentorship and references for employment.
Overview of Projects
San Quentin News (SQN) is the only independent incarcerated-run newsroom in the country located at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. SQN delivers positive human transformation through the power of journalism and storytelling. SQN includes a monthly newspaper, quarterly magazine, video news segments, social media and website digital presence, and discussion forums that bring criminal justice system policymakers and stakeholders together for dialogues with the incarcerated.
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Wall City is a 32-page page quarterly magazine produced by SQN that allows writers the freedom to explore issues through long-form and visual storytelling. Magazine contributors participate in workshops on writing craft, data visualization and layout design. They work closely with experienced editors throughout the publication process, from story pitch to the printed product.
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ForwardThis Productions is an incarcerated-run video production and training program at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. The mission of ForwardThis is to share stories of hope, transformation and rehabilitation through film to increase public safety while combating mass incarceration. It aims to change the public’s perception of the incarcerated by humanizing their stories through film and digital video while helping those inside develop transferable skills.
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Central California Women's Facility Media Center
In March 2024, the Pollen Initiative, in partnership with the local facility administration, launched a media center at the largest women’s prison in the U.S. This ground-breaking initiative will roll out a wide range of programming this year. A CCWF Journalism Guild will train participants in reporting and news writing, and support the operation of an incarcerated-run publication. Newspaper staff will also have access to specialized training in layout design, audio and video production. Articles from CCWF will be available online and in print through their own in-house publication and through San Quentin News. The media center’s first cohort began their journalism training in late 2023
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Our Impact
By The Numbers:
Testimonials
In the words of those we’ve worked with, see below for stories of how the Pollen Initiative has created tangible change:
“From my heart: Thank You! In six months when I parole, I’ll have skills that will give me a real future and an honest career outside of prison, doing the kind of work I love all because of San Quentin News and Wall City Magazine which only exists because of your support! Thank you!”
Andrew Hardy
San Quentin News Contributor
“Thank you for taking an interest in our Media Center. Here at San Quentin News, we strive to inspire change by injecting the value of humanity from within the walls of San Quentin. Our work has provided hope to other incarcerated around the states as well as created a positive vibration out onto the broader communities. Your generosity will allow us to push forward with our mission. Thank you!"
Dao Ong
Layout Designer
Thank you for your support
Pollen Initiative is spreading the hope and opportunities that San Quentin News and other media programs cultivate to other incarcerated communities. We are expanding to the largest women’s prison in the world, Central California Women’s Prison to train and develop the participants in multimedia skills and managing their own platforms. Upon release we are also looking to provide pathways to internships and employment.