Throughout this project, the team committed to continued learning about the conditions of incarceration through both theoretical readings and practical interactions with the community. Over time they came to learn that the prison and the movements for its abolition and reform are deeply complex and nuanced issues. Understanding the historical and current factors that play into the phenomenon of mass incarceration is truly vital to being able to change it.

Additionally, one of the struggles of this kind of work is the necessity of navigating the institutional barriers of the prison and jail system, which can cause logistical difficulties in timelines and communication. From this came about one of the most important lessons the team learned: the importance of flexibility, both in timelines and in strategies.

Reflecting back on their project, the team did encounter tech challenges that gave space for growth. Concerning the documentary, they completed the editing work they were responsible for, but the students weren't able to stay for the finalization of the documentary, although they do hope for the best for the final output.

For the website, the team felt that learning a new skill with a time restraint from pivoting to a new project made it difficult to add every single thing they wanted on the website. They did, though, get important components in, properly documenting the work of Gateways.

Finally, the team found it extremely difficult to teach the digital media classes virtually, especially because the students had significantly different levels of experience with technology. Despite all these challenges, the team did have the opportunity of working on their mentor skills as well as being flexible.

When taking on this project, it was important for the team to continuously learn about the incarcerated community so they could approach their work with mindfulness and respect. Positionality was something they were really cognizant of while working with the incarcerated community to ensure they were not coming into their project with a savorist mindset. The team stands strongly in their values of justice, respect, and working in partnership with individuals who share those values contributes to their passion to push forward.

The team also felt a sense of disconnection at the beginning of their project because of the remote nature of their collaboration. This made the team feel uneasy about embarking on such a meaningful project with such a dire need without direct physical support. Support systems were crucial and the team found that in the larger Gateways team and the Everett Program as a whole, especially Everett Program executive fellow Tina Bullington and Everett Program executive fellow and Gateways founder Mo Dick.

The lasting impact that this project has in the student team's futures is the skills, tools, and experience to make social change and impact marginalized communities. The team has also learned the importance of acknowledging their capacities and taking accountability for their work and deliverables they commit to.