Restorative Practices Training

From a Restorative Mindset to Developing a Restorative Climate

In order to address discipline and behavior issues the only thing many adults have at their disposal is punitive tools and processes. Adults and youth need more options than to simply, and often ineffectively, try and punish problems away. Research shows that a punitive focus alone is not enough to address misbehavior and violations of relationships. Restorative practices are one of the most effective ways to reduce suspension and expulsion rates while improving school climate.  Implementing Restorative Practices reduces suspension rates by 40%-80% and absenteeism by 50%.

Our unique training supports a continuum of restorative processes from developing a restorative mindset, to day to day practices and restorative circles to implementing restorative conferences. We provide the full continuum of restorative practices in schools and youth serving organizations to make intrapersonal and cultural shifts in day to day practices and in formal processes. Restorative processes everyone to address issues and improve behaviors while increasing connectedness to the school and each other. Let us help you with practical, applicable training and tools designed to fit the needs of your school or district.

Goals of Restorative Justice in schools and organizations:

• Create a restorative and inclusive climate rather than a punitive one
• Include persons who have harmed, been harmed, and their surrounding community in restorative responses to school misconduct
• Decrease suspensions, expulsions, and disciplinary referrals by holding youth accountable for their actions through repairing harm and making amends
• Reengage youth at risk of academic failure and juvenile justice system entry through dialogue-driven, restorative responses to misbehavior

Restorative Practices Training:

 Awareness Workshop: Provides an introduction to restorative practices. This information can be included in other workshops such as bullying prevention strategies, school climate improvement or positive youth development workshops.

Introductory Training: Offers background research, information and basic skills to develop a restorative mindset and use informal restorative practices in day to day interactions.

Facilitator Training: This provides participants with the materials, tools, tips, and practical skills to run formal restorative conferences and other processes. Participants in this training will learn how to increase buy in for restorative practices, strategies for integrating the continuum of restorative practices into a school/youth settings, and practice their skills in a safe learning community.

Benefits of our Restorative Practices Training

• A focus on making it work in school sites
• Cut suspensions and referrals by half
• Improve school and organizational climate
• Stop the school to prison pipeline & recidivism
• Decrease negative and discipline incidents
• Young people learn conflict resolution skills
• Deals with underlying problems/issues/drama
• Empowerment & personal responsibility

Developing a Restorative Mindset

Shift from…

• Consequences to Learning
• Blame to Responsibility / Accountability
• Resentfulness to Reflection
• Judgement to Empathy
• Violation of Rules to Violation of Relationships
• Autocratic Decisions to Collaborative Decisions
• Offers Compliance through guilt to Offers Learning & Problem Solving

Contact us to schedule your Restorative Justice Training or to ask how we can include strategies for developing a Restorative Mindset into a keynote, workshop or presentation.