'Talking stick' helps facilitate restorative justice response to destructive behaviors

from Barbara Bradley's article in the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

Getting to know the neighbors took on a new dimension recently at a gathering of residents at a Southeast Memphis apartment complex. Summoned as part of a neighborhood watch program, they were asked to form a circle and pass a "talking stick." They were told to speak only about themselves, and only the one who held the stick could speak. As if by sorcery, the talking stick drew out stories so painful several people burst into tears and another fled the room.

Sep 16, 2009 Story, Media, Practice, Circle, Country:USA

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Sawyer family moves forward after devastating loss

from wsbt.com (tip of the hat to Vancouver Association for Restorative Justice):

When he left home the morning of July 16, 2008, Patrick was just weeks away from completing his degree. It was early, before sunrise, and he was riding his bicycle west on Cleveland Road, headed to the YMCA to swim laps before class at Indiana University South Bend. He was wearing a helmet and reflective vest and riding with traffic, and he had lights on the front and back of his bicycle.

Sep 11, 2009 Media, Story, Country:USA, Case:DWI

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Christian colleges/universities in US with peace studies programs

Posted by Michael Westmoreland-White in his blog Levellers:

As a service, I thought I would list all the U.S.  colleges and universities that have programs with names like “peace studies,” “peace and global studies,” “peacebuilding and conflict resolution studies,” etc.

I found there were enough that I decided just to  list the church-related ones and do the others in a separate post. Typically, such programs are multi-disciplinary involving faculty from several departments including international studies, history, philosophy, religious studies, international law, economic development, and/or political science or sociology.

Sep 04, 2009 Academic, Other, Country:USA

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Video Review: The Transformation of West Philadelphia High School: A Story of Hope

by Kate Strong

 

A troubled high school in Philadelphia undergoes a radical turn-around after restorative practices transform the whole climate of the school.

The DVD is the visual equivalent of a newspaper article: there is little ornamentation and even littler excess. The story presented is simple: West Philadelphia High School had been on the "persistently dangerous" list for six years because of the violence and crime that had plagued the school.

Then, as an attempt to thoroughly transform the school from its bones to its behavior, they introduced restorative practices, including conferencing training and circles for dispute resolution. Within the first year, the crime rate was down by 52%. The next year, the crime rate had dropped another 45%.

Sep 01, 2009 Story, Video Review, School, Region: North America and Caribbean, Country:USA

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