Your social media and your restorative justice elevator speeches should vary.

Lets start with social medai:
You can connect Facebook and Twitter, so your tweets are your Facebook.  I did that for awhile, but felt I had two purposes for each.  Facebook, is me, it had to be I got deactivated last fall, for acting too much like a business.  I wish I did better with the [...]

Restorative Justice promotion, took a new step.

One of the most popular posts on my blog, has a picture of stairs.  The point of the blog, is learning stairs.  Playing off the term ‘learning curve’.  I do think the popularity of the post, is not in it’s content, but in the photo.  People search stairs, and that photo catches them and gives [...]

Distracting Circlekeeper technique and suggestions for being centered.

This happened a few years ago, but for some reason it popped in my head recently.  I remember it vividly, and I was thinking how amazing it was that the Circle went well despite the Circlekeeper.
Maybe it was me, but I want to share the story to offer you some learning about your Circlekeeping.
Let me [...]

The Restorative Justice storyteller, is a hero, transforming hearts, opening minds.

SCVRJP had a board of directors meeting tonight.  A strategic planning meeting and it went quite well.  I have recently really framed my role as one of support and being a resource to the board.  (it would take an entirely different post to explain).
I offered the resource of having board members tell a story about [...]

Evidence that school climate can be transformed with Restorative Justice.

Just released from IIRP – a study about school climate.  An easy to read pdf.  If you aren’t on the eforum, I would recommend you sign up.  I was orginally trained by this organization, back in 1998 (I think).  Ted Wachtel’s book Real Justice is a good read on the overview and philosophical approaches to [...]

Explaining what a Circle is, a beautiful example.

This was found today when I googled Talking Circle Images.  I just love it.  Here is a link to the page itself.  I appreciate the opportunities described in this Circle description.  (The Image is from the website.)
 
TALKING CIRCLE
A PLACE FOR PEACE, HARMONY AND REFLECTION
 
The Talking Circle is a traditional instrument for dealing with the things [...]

Two experiences about my diversity, here’s what I learned . . .

I’ll start with the good, share my shortcoming and then offer what I learned.
In a recent conversation I was asked where and how I developed my “diversity space”.  The words “diversity space” were not used, I filled in and named what the person was describing as ‘cultural competence’ (I don’t like that phrase very much).  [...]

Campus Based Restorative Justice

Using Restorative Justice on a College Campus is a growing trend.
An article in the Chronicle of Higher Education went out today.  It was emailed to me, but I couldn’t access it on line, yet.
I’ve networked with a New Hampshire campus group, getting ready to take cases Fall of ‘09.  I emailed another campus coordinator out [...]

The Social Emotional Learning benefits of School-based Restorative Justice.

SEL – Social Emotional Learning – Postive Impacts here.  A resourceful website in general CASEL – Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning.
Another helpful article on what SEL is and how it helps our children - here.
The Center for Social and Emotional Education CSEE provides a brief and relevant overview on this link, regarding the importance of [...]

Values are crucial to Restorative Circle process.

In this photo I am placing the ‘values’ plates in the Center.  ‘Safe Teen Driving Circle’ we are usually held in classrooms.  Getting students in a Circle and the desks have little room for students to slip out and place their paperplates in the Center.
You won’t find me doing a Restorative Justice Circle without paperplates [...]