The Last Mile’s 2022 Annual Report

January 31, 2023

Dear TLM Supporters,

I am proud to present our 2022 Annual Report, which showcases the thoughtful groundwork TLM laid over these last twelve months. In 2021 we rolled out innovative solutions to address the challenges of the pandemic; in 2022, we reinforced TLM infrastructure to support wide-scale, sustainable growth.

This year, we made significant strides to expand our program to new classrooms as well as new states. In September, in collaboration with the Montana Department of Corrections, we launched our Web Development Program in Montana State Prison. In December, we signed a commitment for a Massachusetts classroom to open in the beginning of 2023. This expansion to Massachusetts is TLM’s first venture on the East Coast, formative in reaching more populations of justice-impacted people and future partnerships across the country. In February of 2022, we opened our second Audio and Video Production Program (AVP) classroom in San Quentin State Prison. An additional AVP classroom means a more diverse and comprehensive opportunity to gather students’ perspective on the program, which provides essential insight as we continue developing the curriculum, including beginning development on the new Video Editing and Post-Production course.

Across the organization, we hit a remarkable benchmark by surpassing 40 employees, adding new positions to existing teams and building out new departments to meet the needs of our expanding programs. We bolstered our Web Development Education Apprenticeship (WDEA) by creating two distinct tracks – Academic Support and Remote Instruction increasing both in the length and cohort size. We also hosted our first annual all staff offsite meeting in June at the TLM office in Oakland. Staff came together in person for the first time since the pandemic, allowing people to meet their colleagues for department meetings, annual goal planning, and community building. The offsite was a reminder that TLM builds upon the expertise and hard work of our employees, but it thrives because of the sense of community and shared lived experiences of the team as a whole.

As I look around TLM at the close of 2022, I see more growth than ever: the largest number of TLM classrooms running our program, new and audacious curricula, and an exciting list of supporters, partners, and community members across the country. Most importantly, I am excited to have our feet firmly planted on the foundation we built in 2022 and to transition into a period of sustained growth and expansion in 2023. TLM is poised to open in new states, launch new programs, and reach further than ever before. Of course, we will continue to deliver the ground-breaking programming we’ve refined over the last decade into next year. We will leverage our expertise to shift narratives and policies to create more opportunities for justice-impacted communities across the country. We invite you to stay connected with us this year and follow TLM’s journey of growth in 2023.

With gratitude,

Sydney Heller, Executive Director