Exchange for Change is a nonprofit organization based in Miami, Florida that works to educate and empower individuals impacted by incarceration by offering courses and advocacy support to students who are incarcerated. Exchange for Change was founded in 2014 and has worked to support students ever since. The organization is “committed to fostering spaces for creative and intellectual exploration,” and they believe that everyone, no matter their background, deserves a quality education. Exchange for Change strives to create “a world where open dialogue and mutual respect pave the way for vibrant, secure communities.” 

The organization has three primary values that elaborate on their mission to provide educational opportunities, create open dialogue and advocate for individuals impacted by incarceration. The first value concerns their dedication to providing “intellectual engagement.” The second is about the “value of every voice” and giving every student “an opportunity to express themselves without the fear of being stigmatized.” The final value centers around social change. Exchange for Change believes that “with a pen and paper, students can become agents of social change.” These values are at the base of Exchange for Change’s mission. 

As a way to further their mission, Exchange for Change offers courses that emphasize the importance of writing skills and work to help students hone their voice and writing abilities. Some courses include topics such as the works of Shakespeare, literature, artificial intelligence and speculative writing. Exchange for Change courses also cover topics surrounding mindfulness, foreign languages and poetry. The organization also offers classes that are taught solely in Spanish. Exchange for Change is currently working with the Dade Correctional Institute, Everglades Correctional Institution, Miami Youth Academy and Federal Correctional Institution Miami, but the organization has also worked with some reentry programs, as well. 

Another aspect of the Exchange for Change mission is about creating a dialogue between individuals in and outside of the system. As such, Exchange for Change is partnered with Florida International University, University of Miami, Miami Dade College, Florida Department of Corrections and more. These partnerships allow “inside” and “outside” students to communicate. The Exchange for Change Exchange courses pair a student who is incarcerated with a student enrolled at a university. Throughout the semester, the students exchange letters, responding to the same provided prompt. They use pseudonyms and their personal information is omitted.

The Exchange for Change website has compiled student publications, including some projects that were made from letter exchanges. These projects included letter exchanges between University of Miami and Everglades Correctional students. Some of these exchanges explored topics such as cultural differences, self-fulfillment and the school-to-prison pipeline. These projects included the letters, illustrations and additional reflections. There were also Zines and a multimedia project. There is also a myriad of students' writings that were created from their classes. Additionally, Exchange for Change publishes a literary journal of students’ work, called “Don’t Shake The Spoon: A Journal of Prison Writing.” 

Another publication found on the website is the new student newspaper publication. Exchange for Change recently started a newspaper called “Gram Talk,” which published their first issue in February 2025. Much like The Titan Tribute — another student newspaper — “Gram Talk” is written by students enrolled in a journalism program at South Florida Youth Academy, which is a moderate-risk residential program designed for boys ages 14 to 18. The academy is education oriented and supports students in obtaining a high school level education. Exchange for Change partnered with the academy to introduce a journalism class, taught by Henry Unger, who was a newspaper reporter for 33 years before volunteering at Exchange for Change. The first issue consists of letter exchanges between incarcerated and university students, Q&As with professionals and volunteers from Exchange for Change and much more.  

As of 2024, Exchange for Change educates 700 students a year and has around 25 to 30 course offerings per semester. Exchange for Change has had a significant impact on many students. For instance, in a Feb. 4 blog post, formerly incarcerated Michael Anguille shared his experience with the Exchange for Change letter exchanges. He wrote, “My student writing partner told me I totally changed his perspective of what it is to be incarcerated in our country. In return, I gained an outlet of a type I didn’t have with family and friends, where personal connections sometimes complicate interactions. It was therapeutic. It was fulfilling. It was everything I needed.”  

Students at universities have also been positively impacted by the Exchange for Change partnerships. At Kendall Campus at Miami Dade College, professor Carlos González started a PenPal program with his college and his Exchange for Change students at the Homestead women’s prison. As an Exchange for Change volunteer, he was eager to connect all his students. In a Miami Herald article, González explained how the letter exchange initiative “creates a powerful sense of connection and support, enabling participants to learn from one another and find common ground despite their different backgrounds.”

 González’s students were excited about this program and created a student organization called Letter Exchange for Awareness and Progress. In an article by Dade student Olivia Valkenburg titled “MDC Students Create Letter Exchange Club With Homestead Correctional Institution,” a student of Gonzalez’s was quoted saying,  “I turned from being a student that only wanted a grade, to a student that actually cared about the people in the correctional [facility] . . . . “LEAP is trying to make a better community.” 

Exchange for Change also has volunteer and “visit a prison” options. With help from the Frederick Douglass Project for Justice, Exchange for Change has incorporated a visitation program to South Florida. This is yet another way that Exchange for Change works to bolster its mission to deconstruct harmful and damaging stereotypes and “change the public’s perception of the criminal justice system.” With this initiative, the general public can have group discussions with incarcerated individuals, creating “meaningful dialogue and connection.” Visits are available every week and include a tour of the facilities, as well as a group discussion with the students. 

Exchange for Change is also always looking for volunteers, course facilitators and interns. Facilities are often “experts in their field,” and are dedicated to their students. The founder and executive director of Exchange for Change Kathie Klarreich started teaching in prisons, eventually developing this passion into a nonprofit. However, before her nonprofit work, she spent 13 years reporting in Haiti. She then transferred her writing experience to teaching and Exchange for Change. With a dedicated team, a variety of programs and donations, Exchange for Change is able to provide impactful, meaningful experiences for the incarcerated. 

At the end of each semester, Exchange for Change holds graduation ceremonies for the students as a way to celebrate their accomplishments. This support and encouragement offered to the students is representative of the Exchange for Change messaging, which aims to uplift voices and incite change through writing.