The last week of October has brought a group of NuVu students full circle, as they traveled to California to work on a Re-Entry Housing studio with the Ahimsa Collective— a group that began working with NuVu two years ago.

“The studio we collaborated with originally was such a success that the group invited us to work on yet another re-entry site just in time for our Open Innovation session,” says NuVu Creative Director Nada Elsonni.

The project, where students have been researching and modeling tiny homes for a community created to combat recidivism, has culminated in the trip, hosted by Ahimsa. During this time, the students were able to see firsthand the results of their hard work.

The tiny home community is designed for formerly incarcerated individuals. The hope is to offer these returning citizens a safe, nurturing, and healing environment to support their reintegration into society.

During the trip, students conducted site research, interviewed various stakeholders, and met with returning citizens and Ahimsa leaders to understand the inspiration for these newly created homes. They also visited CROP Reentry Organization, where they toured the facility and observed the tech training program in action—which empowers individuals recently released from prison to envision futures beyond past limitations.

Elsonni says of the trip, “All of the conversations and discussions that the students had during the trip—from visiting a food pantry, meeting with Ahimsa leaders, learning about the restorative justice work the group fosters—we were all very touched by these experiences. It helped the students take what they learned, and bring this new data into their designs and proposals.”

Ahimsa hosted the students in their Santa Cruz retreat, where students developed their work while immersed in nature. “The entire trip was amazing and impactful,” says Elsonni. “Not only are our students working on the homes, but they are creating spaces to invite people to interact with these returning citizens."

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