Strengthening Relationships/Healing Divisions
A child dies in detention. A young, unarmed black man is killed by a white police officer, another is racially profiled and comes dangerously close to serious harm.
A woman is sexually assaulted. And another. Many more suffer the indignity of disrespect.
A spiritual leader abuses his power and the effects ripple out through the community. Communication breakdown damages families, groups, and organizations. Conflict avoidance leads to deeper and deeper resentments in a range of settings.
You know the stories, they’ve become the norm. It’s all part of the Great Unraveling and you wonder what you can do. You may have heard of restorative justice and thought it’s a great idea. Did you know that it has now arrived to be put into service by people just like you? You can use it to heal relationships and repair harm in the organizations and communities you care about.
Restorative, Healing Justice
A direct path to healing — to the union of peace and justice — has been laid out by restorative justice. Here we have principles and practices that allow the full extent of the harm to be expressed and understood in an atmosphere of respect and deep listening.
Supported by skillful facilitation and the 5 Rs of respect, relationship, responsibility, repair, and reintegration, people come together to move beyond the culture of shame, blame, and punishment. Speaking from their own experience. No finger pointing. No judgment.
Restorative justice has proven over and over that people can come together to create shared understanding and repair harm in a way that ripples out to benefit entire communities.
Active Peace Circles and Community Peacemaking
Coming as I did from an activist background, when I trained in restorative justice I immediately saw the broader possibilities. Here was a very practical way to address the insanity and disconnection we’re swimming in. I saw that the full range of harm and injustice could be addressed in a way that was healing at the deepest levels–personal, interpersonal, and collective.
The Active Peace Circle Process we’ve created upholds the core principles and practices of restorative justice while going deeper to address root causes and contributing factors. It also frames the harm as unmet universal human needs and this has been a game changer resulting in the ability to work with deeply rooted resentments and intense emotions.
Information on trainings can be found here.
I offer free consultations so don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Wishing you all the best,
Scott