Cellmate To CEO | Lanre

Tony Supreme is back with a brand new series of Cellmate to CEO. Tony is the CEO of Soul Surge Wellness & Soul Surge and has lived experience of the criminal justice system himself. In this inspirational series, he talks to other CEOs, leaders and changemakers about their transition from prison to leadership.

In this episode Tony talks to Lanre Babalola. Lanre is the founder and CEO of BUBIC - Bringing Unity Back Into the Community - an organisation supporting people affected by crime, offending, substance use and social exclusion.

Lanre talks to Tony about growing up feeling different, being sent to Nigeria as a teenager, and his first experience of prison there before later spending years going in and out of prison in the UK.

He shares how, after another period in prison, he reached a point where he knew something had to change. After returning to a drug service, Lanre became part of a small peer group of black men supporting each other away from drugs, violence and offending. That experience became the starting point for what would eventually become BUBIC.

Lanre also talks about why lived experience and peer support are at the heart of BUBIC, from outreach into crack houses and a 24-hour support line to programmes helping people move towards recovery, training and employment.

Looking to the future, he explains his ambition to create a clearer route for people leaving prison- from the prison gate into stable accommodation, support, training and eventually employment.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lTHr_A-AqA1ir0-KUx3y6NN5YnBDZAyR

Useful organisations:

• BUBIC - Bringing Unity Back Into the Community - peer-led support for people affected by substance use, offending and social exclusion, including outreach and recovery support.
• Forward Trust - providing drug and alcohol recovery, rehabilitation and resettlement support, including services for people in prison and after release.
• Cocaine Anonymous UK - fellowship and peer support for people who want to stop using cocaine and other mind-altering substances.
• Narcotics Anonymous UK - peer-support meetings for people who want help with drug addiction.
• Alcoholics Anonymous - support for people who want to stop drinking.
• FRANK - confidential information and advice around drugs and getting help.
• Samaritans - providing free, confidential emotional support to anyone who is struggling or in distress, 24 hours a day.
• Unlock - practical information and support for people with convictions, particularly around disclosure, employment and rebuilding after a conviction.
• Nacro - support and advice around resettlement, criminal records, housing and employment after prison.

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

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📧 Email: podcasts@prison.radio

✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

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