A 11- Workbook SE Skills & Reentry Curriculum for Justice-Impacted Individuals and Their Families

Trauma-informed. Turnkey. Built by a Marine veteran and ready for your facility, program, or ministry.

Built from the Inside™ BFI Incarcerated Program BFI Workbooks Pathlight Mentor Program™ Pathlight Workbooks

11 SEL Workbooks + Online Courses

8 full chapters per book
3 lessons, 1 tool, 1 case study per chapter
“Uncle Aaron” stories + “Unc Ron” quotes
Real-world reflection and practice

Turnkey Master Curriculum

500+ page facilitator guide
Built-In Self-Assessments
Modular lesson plans + self-assessments
Group and solo exercises
CDOS + CASEL aligned

Family Companion Guide

125-page standalone book
Helps families reconnect emotionally
Shared SEL language and understanding

Delivery Options

In-cell print workbooks
Tablet-compatible
Facilitator-led or peer-run groups
Certification path available

Can also be solo: non-group journey for each individual

Master Manual: Your Turnkey Transformation Playbook

“It’s not just a manual — it’s a blueprint for restorative leadership from the inside out.”

Facilitator Certification Training Manual

Where Insight Meets Impact — Train the Leaders Who Transform Lives

Facilitator Master Guide

The Anchor for Scalable, Trauma-Informed Transformation

BFI Program Leadership & Certification Manual

From Mentee to Movement Builder — A Blueprint for Systemwide Change

Reentry. Redemption. Real Emotional Change.

Built from the Inside is a trauma-informed, social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum built for the real world.

This series came to life based on the work of Dr. Pastor Jim Bostic and his work with the incarcerated. His input and guidance, building off his workshops, brought this transformative program to life.

Developed by Aaron B. Kershaw, a U.S. Marine veteran and brother to a justice-impacted man.

Program Phases & Outcomes

PHASE 1: FOUNDATION (Books 1-2)

Identity formation
Emotional awareness & regulation
Self-naming over self-blaming

PHASE 2: DISRUPTION (Books 3-5)

Loyalty and relationship boundaries
Trauma naming and healing
Letting go of survival codes

PHASE 3: RECONSTRUCTION (Books 6-8)

Cognitive rewiring and self-talk mastery
Alignment between values and daily habits
Grounded integrity and consistent leadership

PHASE 4: TRANSITION & LEGACY (Books 9-10)

Skill flipping and legal enterprise
Somatic regulation and inner peace
Peace as power; clarity as strategy

What Makes Built from the Inside™ Different?

Most correctional programming is built for compliance: meet conditions, check boxes, avoid conflict. But Built from the Inside™ isn’t about control, it’s about transformation.

Unlike traditional models that emphasize behavior management or scripted lessons, this curriculum is designed to shift the emotional core, rebuild personal agency, and restore dignity through structured self-work.

A New Standard in Reentry Education

Built from the Inside™ doesn’t just teach - they experience. Through story-driven books, emotionally intelligent prompts, and guided reflection, participants learn to lead themselves and reconnect to others from a place of integrity, not fear.

Certification & Mentorship Tiers

The BFI system includes separate mentorship tracks for youth and adult populations, each with its own 20-book series and corresponding mentor guides. While the mentor guides are distinct to suit the developmental and cultural needs of each group, a unified Master Facilitator Guide and shared training materials ensure consistent program delivery across both versions.

Certifications take a couple hours of reading + 30-50 Question Quiz depending on Certification

Tier	Role	Resource	Credential Outcome
1	Mentee	Youth or Adult Book Series (1–10 each)	Completion Certificate
2	Peer Mentor	Youth or Adult Mentor Guide (1–10 each)	Peer Mentor Certification
3	Peer Director	Director's Handbook (applicable across both)	Peer Director Certification
4	Trainer of Trainers	ToT Manual	Trainer Certification
5	Facilitator	Master Guide + LMS (youth + adult compatible)	Certified Facilitator
6	Program Leader	BFI Facilitator + BRIGHTPath™ Licensee	Licensed Program Replication

Facilitator Training Structure

BFI Facilitator Training equips DOC staff, educators, reentry leaders, and certified peer mentors with the tools and emotional literacy needed to guide trauma-informed group transformation. The training builds capacity in system fidelity, emotional containment, and program delivery for both youth and adult series.

Key Components:

Orientation to the full Built from the Inside™ system
(20 books, mentorship model, SEL framework)
Trauma posture development: language use, group dynamics, containment strategy
Behavioral tools: Red Flag™ protocol, Reset™ de-escalation logs, Check-In™ scaffolding
Documentation practices: pacing logs, SEL rubric tracking, role logs, and fidelity reports
Cultural fluency: adapting tone, pacing, and visuals for youth vs. adult populations

Flexible, High-Impact Design

Every Built from the Inside™ session is structured with both group peer facilitation and one-on-one delivery in mind. Whether used in a correctional facility, transitional housing unit, or community-based reentry program, it adapts to the needs of the environment.

Modular Timing: Sessions range from 75 to 90 minutes, with flexible pacing for reflection or discussion.
Scaffolded Learning: Each book builds upon the last, forming a true developmental arc.
Integrated Tools: Includes writing prompts, checklists, emotional processing frameworks, and discussion starters.
Certification-Ready: Every completed track offers a certificate of growth, suitable for parole packets, employment readiness, or legal mitigation.

Designed for Real-World Use

Departments of Corrections
Juvenile justice & diversion programs
Reentry & workforce development agencies
Trauma-informed schools & recovery homes
Veterans services & transitional housing
Families of the incarcerated

Backed by Standards. Proven by Data.

Built from the Inside isn’t a feel-good workbook series. It’s a structured, standards-aligned education system grounded in nationally recognized frameworks and real-world outcomes.

CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) is the nation’s leading authority on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). They define five core competencies essential to emotional development, academic success, healthy relationships, and responsible decision-making.

CASEL Competency Mapping:

✔️ Self-Awareness: Books 1, 4, 5

✔️ Self-Management: Books 2, 6, 10

✔️ Social Awareness: Books 3, 5

✔️ Relationship Skills: Books 3, 7, 8

✔️ Decision-Making: Books 4, 7, 9

When we say “CASEL Competency Mapping,” we mean that each book and lesson in the Built from the Inside series has been intentionally designed to build one or more of these five evidence-based skill areas.

NYSED CDOS Standards:

Standard 1: Career Development
Identity formation, goal-setting, future planning

Standard 2: Integrated Learning
Real-world SEL, emotional decision-making, and behavioral growth

Standard 3a: Universal Foundation Skills
Communication, self-direction, critical thinking, and conflict resolution

NYS DOCCS Applications:

Aggression Replacement Training (ART)Tools in Mastering the Fire and Free Inside develop self-regulation and de-escalation

Transitional Services
Your Story Ain’t Over Yet, Who You’re Becoming, and The Hustler’s Flip guide future planning and legal enterprise

Cognitive Behavioral Skill Building
Every book includes thought-mapping, pattern interruption, and values-based decision tools

Automatic Enrollment for Veterans – additional courses

Our parent organization, BuildingBlocs Literacy, proudly provides free automatic enrollment into the Veterans Learning Pathway for all incarcerated and reentering veterans.

There is:

No application
No purchase requirement
No license restriction
No restriction based upon separation status

Capstone-Based Personal Transformation & Mastery Recognition

Credential Uses:

Submitted as formal evidence of rehabilitation in parole, clemency, and sentence modification requests
Recognized by DOC education departments and reentry boards as a complete behavior change curriculum
Included in legal filings (e.g., expungement hearings, diversion programs)
Attached to employment applications, housing applications, and scholarship forms

How This Helps the Courts and Participants Alike:

Built from the Inside™ gives judges and attorneys an evidence-informed, emotionally intelligent alternative to punitive-only sentencing. It allows for individualized rehabilitation assignments that align with the behavioral history and risk factors of the participant, while also generating tangible, trackable proof of progress.

Partner With Us

Bring Real Change Where It’s Needed Most

Partner with us to deliver true transformation, emotional healing, and structured reentry tools to justice-impacted youth and adults. By aligning with the Built from the Inside™ system, you’re not just endorsing a program — you’re investing in restored lives, safer communities, and a future built on leadership from within.

Let’s build the bridge from incarceration to inspiration — together.

How Politicians Can Publicly Support BFI:

Campaign Platform Integration:
Include a statement supporting trauma-informed reentry and correctional education like BFI in your policy papers or justice reform planks.
Public Endorsement Letter or Statement:
Issue an official endorsement or acknowledgment recognizing BFI’s impact and value for justice-impacted communities.
Pilot Program Sponsorship:
Advocate for city or state-level pilot implementation funding through DOCs, school boards, or reentry coalitions.
Event Collaboration:
Partner with BFI organizers for press conferences, listening sessions, or roundtables with impacted individuals, showcasing commitment to actionable reform.

Proposed Endorsement Sample

“Our campaign proudly supports Built from the Inside™, a transformative mentorship system that restores hope and prepares justice-involved individuals for successful reentry. Real justice reform requires solutions that begin inside. BFI delivers just that — blending education, healing, and leadership. I look forward to working with community leaders to expand its reach.”

Points of Alignment:

1. Public Safety & Recidivism Reduction:
BFI directly addresses the root causes of re-offending by transforming identity, emotional regulation, and decision-making skills. Political alignment with BFI showcases a preventive rather than punitive approach — a platform resonant with progressive voters and bipartisan reform efforts.

2. Workforce Readiness & Reentry Preparation:
With structured certification tracks and practical life-skills modules, BFI prepares incarcerated individuals and at-risk youth for reentry and employment. Political support aligns with economic development and community reintegration agendas.

3. Educational Innovation & Equity:
BFI is built around trauma-informed education models, meeting NYSED and CASEL SEL standards. For politicians advocating education equity and juvenile justice reform, this provides a ready-to-deploy, scalable curriculum.

4. Faith in Local Leadership:
This system empowers justice-impacted individuals to become certified peer mentors, trainers, and facilitators — building internal leadership pipelines. Supporting BFI amplifies grassroots empowerment and supports local agency.

Built to Change Lives—and Systems

Economic Impact of SEL-Based Programming:

$11 return per $1 invested
Up to 80% recidivism reduction
+11 percentile academic performance
4–15% increase in long-term earnings
This series blends:
✔️ Lived-experience mentorship
✔️ Research-backed emotional tools
✔️ Trauma-responsive language
✔️ Practical, trackable outcomes

Program Assets

✅ 20-Book SEL Series (Print + Kindle)
✅ 20-Course Online Curriculum
✅ 1 Family Companion Book
✅ Full Turnkey Curriculum (400+ pages)
✅ Facilitator Certification Path
✅ Outcome Tracking Tools
✅ Tablet + In-Cell + Group Ready

Download Program Overview
Book a Discovery Call
View the Book Series

Why It Works

Participants don’t just “do time” with this program, they build something real during it. They develop language for emotion, tools for healing, and structures for leadership, whether they’re returning home soon or serving long-term sentences.

"This isn't about fixing broken people. It's about helping them reclaim the parts of themselves no system ever saw."

Family-Centered Financial Integration Model

Built from the Inside™ + BrightPath Financial Discovery Series
Reclaiming Family Leadership from the Inside Out

Incarceration disrupts more than freedom, it destabilizes entire households. Built from the Inside™ positions the incarcerated individual not as absent, but as an active contributor in rebuilding their family’s economic foundation. Through trauma-informed financial tools and clear communication frameworks, this model helps families survive, and thrive, together.