Growing a Youth Led Restorative Justice Workshop Community Knowledge Wall by Martin Urbach

thecirclekeepers — 2024-03-09 13:18:08 UTC

My name is Martín, (he/him), I am from Bolivia and live in Brooklyn, NY. I teach music and RJ/Youth leadership at a middle school and I am the founder and director of artivist education at The Circle Keepers. My fav schoolday snack is either string cheese or blueberries, and if I am being naughty, reece's peanut butter cups!

2024-03-09 15:06:47 UTC

Hi everyone! My name is Krsna-Jivani (pronounced Krish-na gee-van-ee). My pronouns are she/her. I work in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I am a second grade teacher. My favorite school day snacks are natures bakery bars and fruit.

2024-03-09 15:18:37 UTC

I am Brein Wallace (he/him) and I am from Brooklyn, New York. I currently live and teach in the Bronx at Bard High School Early College. I teach Health, PE, and the student activity coordinator. My favorite school day snack are my principal's Japanese candies.

2024-03-09 15:20:23 UTC

Hi! I'm Bryan Cockrell, and I use any pronouns. I'm an English Language Development teacher at Kennedy HS in Wheaton, Maryland. My favorite schoolday snack is Pop Corners kettle corn chips (love the salty/sweet!).

andreaswilsonspath — 2024-03-09 15:26:23 UTC

Hi everyone! I'm Andreas Wilson-Späth - I'm a teacher and administrator at a co-ed independent school in Cape Town, South Africa, called Cedar House 😊 Oh - and toasted cheese!

I would like a world that is more loving and compassionate. I wish to start that with my classroom, for it to extend to the larger school, for it to extend to the larger district, etc.

2024-03-09 15:37:57 UTC

Gustavo

2024-03-09 15:38:17 UTC

Hello everyone! I'm Gustavo. HS English Teacher in Red Hook Brooklyn.

Favourite snack: Cheese :-)

Introduction

2024-03-09 15:39:05 UTC

My name is Andrew Wang. My pronouns are he/him. I live in White Plains and work in Yonkers Public Schools as a PreK-6 Music Teacher in two schools. One in south Yonkers and my other school is bilingual so I teach music in Spanish as well. My favorite schoolday snack is trail mix

2024-03-09 15:39:55 UTC

hi - I'm Rebecca (she/her) — I'm a Librarian at an independent school in Brooklyn — PS-8th grade.

I like popcorn with lots of salt.

2024-03-09 15:40:16 UTC

My name is Christen Kong (she/her). I am a Health Promoter (social worker) focusing on improving the mental wellbeing of newcomers in Toronto, Canada using expressive art therapies - at Access Alliance Multicultural Health & Community Services.

SNACK FAVS: goldfish crackers, they are cheesy goodness in form of mini fish!

PHOTO: inspired to be here and present because of the communities that support us.

2024-03-09 15:40:32 UTC

Bryan: I would like to be part of something where everyone realizes the power they have, especially when we come together, and then works towards our boldest, wildest, most liberatory dreams. I hope my students and colleagues can see that they don't have to accept the conditions as they are, but that we can change things.

2024-03-09 15:40:42 UTC

I wish kids can learn how to resolve problems within themselves or their friend groups and recognize how as a community to be there for one another

2024-03-09 15:40:50 UTC

My hopes is for school to be a place of healing and care for ALL young people. My dream is that teacher education programs would include more youth development practices (importance of relationships, RJ, play etc.) in their curriculum for training teachers. My vision is to have my own school one day that is a safe and supportive environment for ALL young people.

andreaswilsonspath — 2024-03-09 15:40:57 UTC

I'd love to help grow restorative practice at my school into a culture that everyone embraces - students and staff. I would also love to work much more closely with our students to include them fully in the restorative approaches we use...

2024-03-09 15:43:04 UTC

2024-03-09 15:43:17 UTC

My vision is to help develop an RJ program at my school that is inclusive, creates a sense of belonging, and gives my students the power to be agents of change both inside and outside of school.

2024-03-09 15:43:18 UTC

I would love to dream up hubs of RJ circles in many different context (e.g. settlement, healthcare, spiritual meeting places, homes) as a way of being (integrated in our thoughts, responses, and intergenerational knowledge sharing).
I hope to see art to be a platform for which RJ can be disseminated and retained for sustainability by co-creating with artists and interprofessional groups.
I hope to see RJ to become woven into the "therapeutic" practice as a way of mending with oneself and others.

Jackie

2024-03-09 15:43:34 UTC

My name is Jackie Chambers. I live on the unceded territories of the Tseshaht and Hupacasath First Nations, in the town of Port Alberni on Vancouver Island. I am a success teacher at the local high school and work closely with indigenous youth.

Favourite snack? a muffin and a coffee!

2024-03-09 15:44:28 UTC

would love for a frequent & common practice of mediation in my school — for all of us Admin, F&S, and students
Middle School students able to initiate and guide restorative justice mediation [and motivated - wanting to do this / feeling the need and usefulness of it]
would like personally to be more consistent in restorative/transformative practices in my own relationships - to be able to counter my own internal throw-away/hide/punish/judge tendencies [I have been working on this for a few years...but I still have it in me - and can feel when it gets all raised up.]

Dreams

2024-03-09 15:48:09 UTC

So passionate about growing restorative practices organically in my school and community. I am retiring this year, but hope to continue my work through the restorative justice society. We have a few plans in place, but I will continue to gather resources and knowledge so any programs we implement have the best success of taking hold and thriving.

Josh, Cami, Janice Agreement norms list

2024-03-09 16:16:20 UTC

Respect all participants by: listening without interruption, judgement.

Be present in the space.

Participate actively within the space/ take up space AND be aware of just how much space you take up. Allowing for others voices to be heard.

Speak as you would like to be spoken to.

Stay Curious: "Can you tell me more about...." "Tell me more..."

2024-03-09 16:17:09 UTC

Committment to create a brave space where people feel safe to share their experiences so that we might learn from them.

2024-03-09 16:18:39 UTC

We feel comfortable saying "I don't know" or "I don't understand" and asking questions.

Cami (they/them)

2024-03-09 16:20:11 UTC

Hey everyone! Thank u for understanding my lateness — my name is cami and I’m a garden educator at Epiphany School, a 5-8 independent school in Dorchester, Boston!

my favorite school day snack is goldfish 😝

2024-03-09 16:24:16 UTC

remember that each one of us here is special / important

2024-03-09 16:26:56 UTC

to know (to have faith) - that if I say something that is off-base, people won't dismiss me as "bad" or "not smart" -- that people will ask me about it and even challenge me to think about it/reconsider -- but try not to judge-dismiss

Janice: Visions /wishes for RJ Practices in live and school

2024-03-09 16:31:02 UTC

I keep reminding myself, other adults and youth that we're ultimately going to mess-up/cause harm unknowingly. And we will always be in practice of repair.

I envision all of staff/faculty and ESPECIALLY Administration in schools and other youth developed organizations and institutions to be trained and in constant practice of repair via RJ.

2024-03-09 16:36:22 UTC

Restorative Justice reminds me of the DBT modules: Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotional Regulation and Interpersonal Effectiveness.

2024-03-09 16:37:54 UTC

Consider other cultures' practices of restorative justice

2024-03-09 16:42:36 UTC

accountability + repair / constant work, ... at the core: health - safety

2024-03-09 16:46:07 UTC

Starts in community and being with people - relationships are the foundation
accountability as an investment in care (culture of care) for oneself and the community
identify underlying values and integrate into the "culture of care"
feeling emotionally safe and co-creating spaces where the process of healing can take place
fostering relationships across difference and similarities
genuine relationships allow for tailored mending
adopt as a "way of being" - become culture of community
restoring of the self before helping to restore our communities and members

2024-03-09 16:47:54 UTC

Communal healing, love and respect for one another!

2024-03-09 16:48:03 UTC

RJ to me is an answer and direct opposition to the school to prison nexus/pipeline. It is resisting carcerality in the day-to-day and teaching young people how to do something that is difficult for many humans; working through and resolving conflict

2024-03-09 16:50:16 UTC

accepting (inviting) conflict - being able to face & engage & go through it together

2024-03-09 18:33:50 UTC

instances of lack of thoughtful comments -- especially with young people not recognizing the power + privilege they hold + saying racist/sexist/oppressive words to others

2024-03-09 18:44:27 UTC

respecting people's bodies and personal space + practicing active listening in the classroom

2024-03-09 18:45:24 UTC

Internalized things about our world (like the mistreatment of others, or insincerity)

2024-03-09 18:45:33 UTC

A grounding is missing / lack of family time

2024-03-09 18:45:56 UTC

Intergenerational Trauma

2024-03-09 18:45:58 UTC

how do we have student buy-in for restorative responses beyond just community agreements in the beginning of the year?

2024-03-09 18:46:16 UTC

Feeling left out

2024-03-09 18:46:35 UTC

exclusion / excluding people

2024-03-09 18:47:48 UTC

sometimes seeming to want (?) to be mean/rude [attention-seeking? power-keeping?]

2024-03-09 18:47:57 UTC

lack of sense of belonging
Chronic Absenteeism
Student disagreements and respecting perspectives

2024-03-09 18:48:10 UTC

social groups / power / insecurity at root

2024-03-09 18:49:34 UTC

Students Not speaking up, in relation to "authority."

relationship with authority

2024-03-09 18:49:56 UTC

In elevated conflict, students express their frustration in anger in ways that offend authority. These situations could benefit from RJ.

2024-03-09 18:52:34 UTC

Poverty - People are living in food insecure communities and working low income jobs. "We Want To Do More Than Survive" - Bettina Love. People are doing what they need to do to survive whether that be using drugs and participating in crime to meet needs. Students can model the lived experiences of the adults in their lives. They are going to fight because that is what they see and are battling everyday. A fight.

Modelling

2024-03-09 19:08:28 UTC

Some students learn their communication styles from home. Some of these styles don't land well in schools. We shouldn't punish them for this.

2024-03-09 19:13:03 UTC

confidentiality (when harm has occurred) is an obstacle to RJ in my school I think — I'm thinking about how important it is to involve community / / what does this look like