Client: TUPIT Foundation
Founded in 2016 by Hilary Binda, TUPIT brings together Tufts University faculty, students, and incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people to facilitate creative and collaborative responses to the problems of mass incarceration and racial injustice. The program offers a college-in-prison pathway leading to degrees in the liberal arts and civic studies — held to the same academic standards as any Tufts student — and extends that work beyond the walls through MyTERN, a year-long reentry and restorative justice program that connects returning citizens with education, employment, and a wider community of people impacted by the carceral system. Led by Executive Director Hilary Binda, Education and Reentry Director David Delvalle, and Deputy Director Melanie MacFarlane, TUPIT is committed to the belief that transformative education is one of the most powerful tools for building lives, breaking cycles, and strengthening communities.
The Challenge
For participants preparing to speak at the MyTERN Symposium — a public panel event covering reentry, storytelling, education, and world-changing work — the stakes were high and deeply personal. Many were sharing their stories in front of a large audience for the first time, navigating the vulnerability of public speaking while also representing a community that deserves to be heard with clarity and confidence. The challenge wasn't just preparation — it was helping people step into their own voices and trust that what they had to say was worth saying out loud.
The Solution
MF Improv worked with TUPIT participants in the lead-up to the MyTERN Symposium, using improv-based tools to build public speaking skills, strengthen narrative structure, and develop the confidence to present in front of a crowd. By creating a low-stakes, high-trust environment, we helped participants practice finding and shaping their stories — learning how to hold a room, stay present, and communicate with intention. The same principles that make improv work on a stage — listening, commitment, and showing up fully — turned out to be exactly what these participants needed to walk into the Symposium ready.
The Results
Through MF Improv's facilitation, TUPIT's MyTERN participants experienced a meaningful shift in how they carried themselves and their stories into the world. The sessions fostered open, reflective, and deeply personal work — creating space for participants to move from hesitation to confidence, and from raw experience to purposeful narrative. The unconventional yet effective approach helped participants relax into their own voices, build trust in their ability to connect with an audience, and arrive at the Symposium feeling prepared, grounded, and fully seen. They stepped onto that stage not just ready to speak — but ready to be heard.