Taraschi, Gola. 2009. The Uncommon Currency of Restorative Justice and Practices.

Restorative justice and practices allow us to see things differently. By connecting the individual to a caring community, restorative practices give everyone a chance to be more fully fed. We all stand a better chance of having not only our physical needs but also our emotional and spiritual needs met: our need to belong and also contribute to the well bring of others. And we can achieve all of this without exclusively relying on financial currency. We can happily give what we have: a homemade chocolate cake for a bake sale, a talent for auto-repair, skill with a set of hair clippers, a drive to the grocery store, or a winter’s commitment of snow shoveling. And we can also open ourselves to receiving what we all need from others from time to time: child or elder care, a pasta recipe to impress the in-laws; and even company or advice from a sympathetic ear. We must see our communities as places where every single person has assets to contribute: the elderly, children, those who are physically or intellectually different from ourselves, people with health or social challenges, and even people who have harmed others. There is always something that someone can give or give back to a community so that it will become a better place. (excerpt)