Building Capacity for Restorative Practices
Our communities need opportunities to process the personal and collective impact of emotionally charged events. From the effects of the pandemic and natural disasters to racism and sexual abuse to political or ethnic divides, we seek healthy forums in which to express feelings and truly hear one another.
Restorative practices provide a transformative framework to examine the language of conflict; to transform conflict stories; to respond to intense emotions – including techniques for handling anger, fear, grief, guilt and shame; to elicit interests; to collaboratively negotiate agreements, to caucus; to resolve cross-cultural conflicts; and to advance ethics and values. Click here to watch this short video on Restorative Practices.
Incidents of conflict, wrongdoing and harm occur throughout society. The restorative justice conference provides a template to engage with those who cause and experience harm, along with their respective Communities of Care. The goal is to successfully bring together those impacted by harm, to resolve the conflict on a long term/permanent as opposed to a short term/temporary way. Click here to learn more.
What People Have Said
“Thank you to Mediators Beyond Borders International, and especially to Dianne Williams and International Institute for Restorative Practice, for an incredible two weekends learning Facilitating Learning Circles and Facilitating Restorative Conferences. Thank you to all the supportive people and the new friends I made from around the world for your honesty and vulnerability. This was life-changing. Extraordinarily well done.” – Kimberly Best
Who This is For
These two weekends are designed to enhance the skills of a variety of individuals – from the mediator who wants to learn these skills to deepen or expand their practice, to people in corporations or non-profits who want to use circles and conferences to prevent and resolve conflict. This is ideal for people who want to use the practice to facilitate dialogues within their communities, within their families, on their jobs, in their intimate relationships. The ultimate goal is to develop skills which can be used to gain a shared understanding of collective harm.
About the Trainer
Dr. Dianne Williams is an International Mediator and Mediation Coach, IIRP Licensed Trainer of Trainers in Restorative Practices, executive director of ICOD, and an international consultant for Mediators Beyond Borders International. She has a PhD, an MBA and an MSc and has done additional coursework at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Her areas of expertise include Restorative Practices, Restorative Leadership, Transformative Mediation and Citizen Legitimacy.
Enrollment
Costs are $300 for each weekend.
PLEASE NOTE: In order to enroll for the Restorative Conferencing weekend, you MUST have either completed Facilitating Listening Circles or come with experience facilitating listening circles. You will have developed a better understanding of, and appreciation for, the process and be better prepared to delve deeper into Conferencing.
Part I: Facilitating Learning Circles
March 26-27, 2022 5 hours each day (Click here to enroll for Part I.)
Part II: Restorative Justice Conferencing
April 2-3, 2022 5 hours each day (Click here to enroll for Part II.)
Because these sessions are designed to be highly interactive, spaces are limited.
Provide a Scholarship: If you would like to invest in a scholarship for someone to participate in this training, please click here.
Restorative Practice: Program Details
Participants are required to secure their own books as follows:
Part I: Facilitating Learning Circles
(This professional development learning experience is open to anyone, regardless of your prior familiarity or unfamiliarity with restorative practices)
Learning Circles emphasize storytelling for cultivating empathy. They can be used in schools, universities, workplaces, organizations, neighborhoods and families to help people gain a shared sense of understanding and emotional connection. With roots in indigenous cultures around the world, learning circles provide people with an opportunity to speak and listen to each other in an atmosphere of safety, decorum and equality.
This highly interactive experience interweaves learning, practice and reflection. The online learning environment incorporates individual pre-work, live Zoom sessions, and multiple break out group sessions.
- Begin your learning with videos, readings and reflection questions to familiarize yourself with learning circles and prepare to listen intentionally. (1 hour of individual preparation)
- Experience a learning circle and explore the role of the facilitator, as well as barriers to learning, in preparation to facilitate your own circle. (5-hour live Zoom session, breaks included)
- Apply your learning, ask questions, and reflect on your experience.
- Debrief and learn from others’ experiences so you will feel prepared to implement circles in a variety of contexts.
- During this training, you will participate in a learning circle on a current topic and learn how to implement them in your individual settings.
Click here to enroll in Part I.
Part II: Restorative Justice Conferencing
(You must complete Facilitating Circles before attending Conferencing. You will have developed a better understanding of, and appreciation for, the process and be better prepared to delve deeper into Conferencing)
Incidents of conflict, wrongdoing and harm occur throughout society. The restorative justice conference provides a template to engage with those who cause and experience harm, along with their respective Communities of Care. The goal is to successfully bring together those impacted by harm, to resolve the conflict on a long term/permanent as opposed to a short term/temporary way.
All kinds of incidents, from arguments to bullying, racial incidents to property crimes and violence can be addressed in this format. During this event, you will learn the steps needed to facilitate these meaningful, healing conversations.
Whether or not you become engaged in conducting Restorative Conferences, the insights gained will help you address conflicts in everyday settings. The elements of the conference can be broken out to inform less formal processes — including restorative circles, small impromptu conversations and one-on-one interactions. The skills taught include monitoring your own reactions in stressful situations, listening with empathy, and creating a shared understanding among conflicting parties.
- On two successive days, you will participate in 5-hour live Zoom sessions (breaks included).
- Pre-work includes readings, handouts, videos and other resources.
- There will be approximately two hours of prework for each day of synchronous instruction.