• Alpha for Prisons

1. Consult your Chaplaincy team / contact the Alpha for Prisons Office
Check with your Chaplaincy team as to whether they are already running an Alpha course. If not, consult them about starting one. 
Running an Alpha course in a prison offers unique challenges, such as the high turnover of prisoners and strict prison regimes. The Alpha for Prisons Office aims to help address such issues and offer further support to those running Alpha courses in prison. 
We can also provide the following:
• Link to a prison and key contacts running Alpha under similar circumstances
• Link to local churches running Alpha
• Advice on running Appetisers and the Alpha Day

2. Attend an Alpha conference
The two-day Alpha conferences are designed to train and equip you and your team to run an Alpha course. They cover the principles and the practicalities of the Alpha course, including a ‘Model Alpha Session’ and an Alpha for Prisons seminar that focuses on the specifics of running Alpha in a prison.
Nicky Gumbel has said, ‘Running Alpha without attending a conference is like driving a car without taking any lessons.
Alpha conferences are run in countries all around the world. For the Alpha conference closest to you, please see the latest edition of Alpha News or check (http://www.alphafriends.org.au)
 

3. Choose your team and appoint a course leader
It is vital to get the right people leading and helping on your Alpha course. The right team transforms a course and directly affects the number of guests attending Alpha. The ideal team for running Alpha in prison would be made up of volunteers with experience of Alpha as well as in prison visiting and prayer ministry.

Course Leader
The course leader will benefit from having attended an Alpha conference and having done several Alpha courses. He or she will host each Alpha session. If the leader is not on the Chaplaincy team it is helpful if he or she has some experience with speaking in prison.

Small Group Leaders and Helpers
We would recommend the ratio of eight prisoners to four leaders on an Alpha course (ie two to one). In prisons where the Alpha course is run regularly, prisoners who have completed a course are encouraged, following training, to help lead small groups on future courses.Leaders and helpers on Alpha should be positive and outgoing, who also relate well to people from all backgrounds. There is a simple test for good leaders and helpers. Ask yourself: ‘Would I happily put my closest friend who is not a Christian in that person’s group?’

4. Train your team
The team should be trained using the Alpha Leaders’ Training material. It is also important to highlight the differences in helping on prison Alpha course – these are outlined in the Alpha for Prisons Leader’s Guide. If the team members have no experience in prison work, it is useful to invite a prison Chaplain or worker to speak to your group about regulations, security and the practicalities of ministering in a prison environment.

5. Register your Alpha course
Ways to register your Alpha course:

• On this website - See Register Your Course in the main menu.

• Contact the Alpha for Prisons office for a registration form

• Complete the registration form you receive with Alpha News

Benefits to registering your Alpha course:
1. Courses can be accessed on the website by anyone looking for a course in your area.
Many prisoners who are moving between prisons, wish to know if Alpha is running in the prison they are moving to. Using the register, people can find courses not only for themselves, but also for their friends and family.
2. Those registered receive information about special Alpha related events that may be taking place as well as the development of new Alpha resources, etc.

6. Select a venue and set a date
Select a venue
Liaise with chaplaincy and the prison authorities to select a room for the weekly meetings based on the anticipated size of the course. If possible, ensure that your venue has enough space for the small groups to meet. Several small groups can meet in a large space as only one person from each group will be sharing at any one time. 
Be sure to reserve all the rooms that will be needed for every aspect of the course so that there is no clash with other events.
Set the dates
Decide on the time scale of your course based on your prison regime after discussion with the prison authorities.
Select a morning, afternoon or evening carefully so as not to coincide with other Christian meetings or prison events. Keep in mind that volunteers are usually easier to find to assist during evening slots. Remember also to schedule dates for the three Leaders’ Training sessions. The first two should occur before the course starts, with the third falling in the week running up to the Alpha Day. Prison teams can often link in with local churches running the training session.

7. Order resources 


Alpha publications are now available in over 49 languages. 
Your National Alpha Office can also provide the contact details of your local supplier. Details can be found at (here)