Tennessee Voices, Episode 293: Brian Belser and Curt Campbell, Men of Valor
Brian Belser spent 20 years in prison and felt first-hand the isolation and marginalization from that experience.
However, he also received the gift of rehabilitation and what a second chance can do to help the 95% of people in prison who will eventually return to society.
The road to redemption is hard especially for formerly incarcerated people who struggle to find housing, jobs and opportunities in a world that can be hostile to them because of their backgrounds.
Today, Belser is a Knoxville-based re-entry specialist for Men of Valor, a faith-based organization that helps people in prison prepare for a productive life after incarceration.
He spoke about his journey and work on this episode of the Tennessee Voices video podcast along with Curt Campbell, program director at Men of Valor based in Nashville.
Campbell started as a volunteer and eventually worked for the organization full time.
They talked about faith-based ministries and their role in transforming the lives of people who might have seen the criminal justice system as their only future.
They also talked about burnout in nonprofit and ministry work.
Op-Ed by Brian Belser: I used to be incarcerated and I'm living what it means to get a second chance
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About Tennessee Voices
The Tennessee Voices videocast is a 20-minute program, which started in March 2020 and invites leaders, thinkers and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.
Please email your ideas for future guests to me at dplazas@tennessean.com. Thank you for watching.
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David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and an editorial board member of The Tennessean. Tweet to him at @davidplazas.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Voices: Life post-prison with Brian Belser and Curt Campbell
