Restorative justice is a growing movement to respond constructively to crime and other harms. It guides people who commit harms to take a full and active form of accountability. At the same time, it takes seriously the needs of victims and their right to have a strong voice in how the harm is repaired. Schools, courts, and workplaces are increasingly getting their team members trained in these values and tools as a win-win model of addressing violations. CDR is also handling a growing number of requests to develop and facilitate restorative cases, and is in need of trained volunteers who can contribute to their community in this impactful and rewarding way.  There is also a trend toward more employment opportunities around Oregon in the field of restorative justice, and this training would provide an excellent foundation from which to pursue that work.

We will meet at CDR in Eugene on three consecutive days, October 27-29, from 8:30am–4:30pm with a break for lunch.  Between sessions, a light amount of reading and writing will be requested, as well as opportunities for 1-on-1 calls with experienced practitioners.

Who is this training for?  What will I learn?  

Current and future restorative justice volunteers, social workers, educators, conflict professionals and hobbyists, justice system professionals, community members…. anyone with a passion to guide needs-centered conversations between harming and harmed persons.  This training is geared around the art of facilitation that holds space for deep sharing and listening.  Help people experience the power of being heard, and shift forward toward discussions about reparation and positive change. While the training focuses mostly on criminal cases, the skills for restorative conferencing readily apply to other settings such as school discipline and workplace conflict. We will cover both circle and conferencing models, and note their similarities and relative strengths for different situations.  Participants can expect an engaging blend of small-group, large-group, and presentation times, along with role plays for experiential learning.