Acting a little goofy, comes naturally to me. I like to make people laugh. I’m not afraid to tell really bad jokes. The kinds that get a sarcastic or half-hearted courtesy laugh. When I train a group or start a circle I sometimes throw out a one-liner or bad joke and it really breaks the…
All posts in January 2011
Coming together to share school-based Restorative Justice.
Colorado schools promote restorative justice with a school summit. The full article highlights aspects of the youth-led restorative justice work happening in Colorado schools. More evidence rolls in on using the philosophy and approach to build community and respond to harm in a way that does not exclude students or interupt academics. The power of…
3 messages of support for Restorative Justice Circlekeepers.
Posted on Author Kris MinerPosted in Circle Keeping, Circle Process, Practitioner Skills, Restorative Justice, Teaching RJ, Tip of the Week1 Reply
Respect the power of Circle. Here is a link, where you can listen to a family-services worker with Ojibwe ancestry, who uses the circle technique to encourage open sharing and real listening. Mary reminds us that this process is very simple and very powerful. The interview provides great insight into application process. Keep your balance. It…
Legislation to promote funding for school-based restorative justice.
Posted on Author Kris MinerPosted in Circle Process, Elementary Classroom Circles, Restorative Justice in Schools, RJ Resources
A recent email: I hope you had a great holiday! Congressman Cohen is working to reintroduce the Restorative Justice in Schools Act for the 112th Congress. Please let me know if you would like your organization to be listed as one that supports this legislation. Below is the draft text we will use to send…
Help from a neighbor, small relationship support can make a big difference.
I often explain that the culture in a community can be changed. Restorative Justice works on culture by improving the relationships between people. Even strangers can help you feel better about your community. I usually give the example of someone holding the door for you at the post office. However, I bumped into someone recently…
Restorative Justice Circles help people practice being their best.
Posted on Author Kris MinerPosted in Belonging, Circle Process, Circle Stages, College Circles, Full Circle Experiences, offenders, Practitioner Skills, Relationships, Responses from participants, Restorative Justice, SCVRJP, Talking Piece, Teaching RJ, Underage Consumption Panels, Volunteers2 Replies
I was a little worried about how the Underage Consumption Panel was going to go. One of our community members in the Circle was a local Judge. A supporter of Restorative Justice, but this was going to be his first bonafide Circle experience. Of course I wanted it to go very well. Each Circle is…