speaker & social entrepreneur advisory board, athens ...€¦ · speaker & social...

Speaker & Social Entrepreneur

Advisor, House of Mandela Family Foundation and

Advisory Board, Athens Democracy Forum

BIOKhali l Osir is is an international speaker whose inspiring talks teach people to break free from their self- imposed l imitations . He spent 20 years in prison and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Boston University during his incarceration. Khali l transformed his l i fe and emerged from prison with a deep understanding of how to use personal crisis and challenges as opportunities for self- improvement.

He is founder of Reflecting Freedom Network (RFN) , a nonprofit organization, started with a community of individuals committed to building public/private sector partnerships to promote economic and social justice through education, career development and innovative ski l ls training opportunities. RFN's mission is to provide accessible, affordable pathways for people to build freedom and opportunities for success together.

A passion for restorative justice has inspired Khali l ’s 30 years of experience developing programs used in prisons and communities in America and South Africa. Khali l ’s reentry program, Psychology of Incarceration, has been used in over 70 prisons across America. In 2011 he moved to South Africa, and for the next 7 years worked as a consultant in schools and prisons. Khali l hosted a popular TV show Each One, Teach One, which was winner of the 2016 South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA) for Best Factual Educational Program.

In July 2019 Khali l organized the f irst citywide Nelson Mandela International Day observances in Jacksonvil le and St. Augustine, Florida. This historic event was supported by the Jacksonvil le Jaguars football team and celebrated the outstanding contributions to social justice by individuals who are leaders in education, business, criminal justice reform and reentry services for returning cit izens. Khali l is Advisor and Board Member for House of Mandela Family Foundation. He is also on the Advisory Board of Athens Democracy Forum, an annual event convened by the Democracy & Culture Foundation in association with The New York Times.

Khali l conducts thought-provoking talks on a range of urgent social and criminal justice issues, including Democracy and Justice, Hiring Returning Citizens and Psychology of Incarceration.

email: contact@khalilosiris.com