Restorative Resources

02/25/2019

PLEASE WELCOME OUR NEW
Restorative Justice Circle Keeper:
Iris Hoffman

We feel so fortunate to add Iris to our staff – among other things, we love her deep passion for social justice and background of specialized training! She also has an impressive range of hands-on experiences: she has facilitated community building and healing group processes – in both English and Spanish – within community settings and inside of prisons. She has also worked as a translator and English teacher, as well as a volunteer facilitator, for the Alternatives to Violence Project in La Paz, Bolivia. She worked as a childcare provider in Cusco, Peru, and, closer to home: she’s been active as a youth advocate with VOICES Sonoma Youth Center, and was involved with the California Youth Connection in Oakland and the North Bay Organizing Project in Santa Rosa. And finally, she’s also a certified yoga teacher, trained in the science of Kundalini Yoga. We think we’ve got the best of all worlds with Iris!

Please welcome her when you come by the office, or send her an email at [email protected]

02/22/2019

CHECK IT OUT!
Our latest article was in Sonoma County Gazette’s February Empathy and Compassion issue:
https://www.sonomacountygazette.com/sonoma-county-news/speak-from-the-heart-how-to-have-helpful-healing-and-honest-discussions

02/11/2019

"I didn't think it was going to get violent..."

It seemed like no big deal, until it turned into a dangerous situation… one that ended in serious injury.

Two young men in a car and a cyclist got into an altercation, and the resulting physical violence of the situation increased quickly.

One of the young men, Mike (not his real name) later said “I didn’t think it was going to get violent, I didn’t mean to hurt him, I just didn’t want him to hurt me or my friend.” But one person, the cyclist, was seriously injured in that incident.

You can read the entire story here on our website.
https://www.restorativeresources.org/our-stories.html

01/27/2019

Welcome our newcomers to Restorative Resources!
Interns have always played an essential role in our work - whether helping with day-to-day office duties, research, statistics or providing much needed program support in the field. We are so grateful for their combined talents and skills. and we want to say
a huge THANK YOU to each one!
Kim Mizia, an MSW intern (Masters in Social Work) from Boise State University will be working with Jane Weil. She is currently a certified dog handler with Canine Companions for Independence, but has always had a strong interest in Restorative Justice. She will be learning Restorative Justice and Practices with us; attending circles and providing program support as needed.
Emebet Aklilu, is our intern from the University of San Francisco, working on her Masters of Public Health. She will be assisting Maria Freebairn-Smith, focusing on our Middle School Programs by providing data collection and evaluation support.

01/18/2019

Are you registered through AmazonSmile?

Through January 31, 2019, AmazonSmile will donate 15% the purchase price of new print magazine subscriptions. Visit https://smile.amazon.com/b?node=18541223011 for details.

01/11/2019

Join us!

We have two new career opportunities open right now at Restorative Resources. If you or someone you know has a passion for the healing and relationship-building work of restorative circle dialogues, you will want to check out these opportunities for both full time and part time work.

Check out the job descriptions on our website for
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE CIRCLE KEEPER and
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE COMMUNITY EDUCATOR

Please submit your cover letter and resume soon, we’ll be looking at candidates this coming week!

https://www.restorativeresources.org/careers.html

12/10/2018

Let everyone know how you feel:
Diversity gives us strength. Inclusion nurtures our humanity.
DOWNLOAD A POSTER for your wall or desktop at our website:

We all need stories. To tell them honestly, and to deeply listen to them, is essential to our sense of who we are, as individuals and as a community. We'd like to share some of our stories,...

12/10/2018

Lisa was quiet in our classroom circles. When the talking piece came to her, she held it silently for a moment.

Then she quietly said, “When people don’t include others… that happens a lot. They turn their backs on me and pretend I don’t exist.” Other students nodded, they understood how that felt.

We added “excluding” to the list of things the students were concerned about, and by the fourth week of Restorative Classroom Circles, Lisa’s class had learned to view all challenging behavior in terms of the impact it had on others.

As one of Lisa’s classmates put it, “It’s not just about someone being bad; it’s about all of us.”

By the seventh week, when the subject of excluding others came up, Lisa immediately spoke up. “I don’t think that’s so much of an issue now,” she said. Someone else said, “Well sometimes… but not nearly as much.”

Lisa smiled and nodded her agreement.

You can read the entire story on our website: https://www.restorativeresources.org/our-stories.html

11/13/2018

“I’m going to take that family for everything they have!”
That's what the insurance company representative told us...
.. after Anthony (not his real name) lost control of a bottle rocket (firecracker) on school grounds that lit up a bush next to a classroom and caused $300,000 worth of damage to the building and its contents.

The insurance representative came to the Restorative Conference and met Anthony and Maria, his mother and a single, working mom. The representative saw how sincerely remorseful they were, how much Anthony regretted the accident and how deeply he wished he could fix this situation....

You can read the entire story on our website:
https://www.restorativeresources.org/our-stories.html

11/13/2018

Make a statement.
Post this on your wall or desktop!

Speak your truth.
Never let fear be the last word.

All our stories need to be heard. Please feel free to also pass this along to someone whose voice has been silenced, or who feels that their opinions are of no value.

11/02/2018

Keep inspiration front & center.
Download and share this Poster for your wall or desktop.

We’ll be sharing photos and artwork that reflect our values and commitments for our community for this election period and beyond.