“We sought to bring together a cross-section of restorative justice practitioners, theorists and innovators,” said , co-director of the Zehr Institute and the project’s leader. “Some of the invitees were world-recognized in the restorative justice field, but others were invited to ensure that diverse and often-unheard voices would be represented.”

One-third of the 36 participants were from populations that are under threat socially and economically in their regions of the world. The genders were equally represented. One person was under age 21, though two other young adults had been expected to attend.

Conversing about RJ’s ‘revolutionary intent’

The idea behind the unusual mixture of invitees was to foster provocative conversation about the possibilities for restorative justice (RJ), particularly for addressing structural injustices, said Stauffer.

In the prospectus for the three-year project submitted to the funder, , the organizers wrote: “On the social margins, there is growing research and experimentation with RJ as a tool for addressing structural harms and injustices. This project will explore and document these emerging practices in order to recapture the revolutionary intent of RJ.”

The organizers called attention in their prospectus to what they viewed as the danger of RJ settling into a “social service practice” centering on “repair at the micro-interpersonal level.” Instead, they wished to highlight the ways that RJ can “provide a coherent framework for transforming macro-social structures that cause harm.”

Aware that many of the 36 attendees at the first consultation would not have prior relationships with each other, the organizers devoted about half of the five days to exercises and facilitated conversations designed to establish trust and a common basis for exploring future possibilities. Senior graduate students at ĚÇĐÄVlog’s served as facilitators for the process.

Tough questions

First, the attendees prepared a history line of RJ, then they explored identity, power and privilege in the field. On the third day, they embarked on a discussion of best practices.

“We accepted the challenge of bringing together a highly diverse group, especially given that many of the participants are international leaders in the field, [being] accomplished researchers, authors, practitioners and facilitators in their own right,” Stauffer said.

“The challenge was heightened because the group grew beyond the original envisioned size of 20 to 25,” he added. “We needed to go well beyond 25 to have a true cross-section of voices, but it was difficult to develop coherence among three dozen people with strong opinions, especially in only five days.”

Yet the participants were largely positive in their final evaluations, he said, indicating that they had not regretted investing a workweek in wrestling with each other over tough questions, such as the extent to which RJ should be viewed as a social movement, as opposed to simply a set of restorative practices.

Stauffer did not pretend to be neutral on this last point. In his opening remarks to the group, he referred to the U.S. penal reform movement having been “co-opted.” In contrast, he said he hopes RJ continues to grow into a social movement in North America, with the aim of “transforming deep structural conflicts and injustices.” Toward this end, North Americans have much to learn from their international brothers and sisters about “large-scale applications” of RJ, he said.

Agreement on RJ’s core values

For a social movement to be successful, Stauffer told the group, it requires political opportunity, resource mobilization, a framing message, and critical mass (or a “tipping point”).

On the last day, in a final small-group presentation, a participant observed that the 36 attendees had largely agreed during the week on RJ’s core values, but not necessarily on how to practice restorative justice.

This first consultation will be followed next year by a public conference attended by up to 120 people. Next time, Stauffer said, his organizing team will work to create a conference format that moves participants more quickly into discussions on the future of the field, with a view of moving into a research and writing phase in the final year of the project.

Participants in the consultation

The 36 participants were:

1. Aaron Lyons, Fraser Region Community, Justice Initiatives, Canada
2. Ali Gohar, Just Peace Initiatives, Pakistan
3. Barb Toews, University of Washington Tacoma / Designing Justice+Designing Spaces, USA
4. , Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, ĚÇĐÄVlog
5. Brenda E. Morrison, Centre for Restorative Justice, Simon Fraser University, USA
6. Carl Stauffer, Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, ĚÇĐÄVlog
7. Carolyn Boyes-Watson, Center for Restorative Justice, Suffolk University, USA
8. Catherine Bargen, Restorative Justice Coordinator Crime Prevention and Victim Services Division, Government of British Columbia, Canada
9. Dan Van Ness, Center for Justice and Reconciliation, Prison Fellowship International, USA

10. , Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, ĚÇĐÄVlog and Atlanta (Ga.) consultant, USA
11. Fania Davis, executive director of Restorative Justice for Oakland (Calif.) Youth, USA
12. Cameron Simmons, youth worker with Restorative Justice for Oakland (Calif.) Youth, USA
13. Gerry Johnstone, University of Hull, UK
14. , Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, ĚÇĐÄVlog
15. Jeanette Martinez, Circle of Justice LLC, New Mexico, USA
16. Jennifer Graville , Community Conferencing Program, KBF Center for Conflict Resolution (Md.), USA
17. Jodie-Ann (Jodie) Geddes, Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, ĚÇĐÄVlog
18. Josh Bacon, James Madison University (Va.), USA
19. , ĚÇĐÄVlog
20. Katia Ornelas, Independent Consultant, Mexico
21. , (STAR), ĚÇĐÄVlog
22. Kay Pranis, Circle Trainer, USA
23. Kim Workman, Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies, Victoria, University of Wellington, New Zealand
24. Linda Kligman, Vice President for Advancement, International Institute for Restorative Practices, USA
25. Lorenn Walker, Hawai’i Friends of Restorative Justice, USA
26. Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz, Mennonite Central Committee, USA
27. Mark Umbreit, Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking, University of Minnesota, School of Social Work, USA
28. Matthew Hartman, Clackamas County Juvenile Department, Restorative Justice Coalition of Oregon, NW Justice Forum, USA
29. Mulanda Jimmy Juma, Africa Peacebuilding Institute, St. Augustine College of South Africa
30. Najla El Mangoush, Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, ĚÇĐÄVlog
31. Robert Yazzie, Chief Justice Emeritus of the Navajo Nation, USA
32. Seth Lennon Weiner, Porticus, New York, USA
33. sujatha baliga, Impact Justice, USA
34. Susan Sharpe, Advisor on Restorative Justice, Center for Social Concerns, University of Notre Dame, USA
35. Theo Gavrielides, The IARS International Institute and the Restorative Justice for All Institute, UK
36. , Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR), ĚÇĐÄVlog

The facilitators were led by project manager , and included CJP graduate students Janine Aberg, South Africa; Michael McAndrew, USA; Jordan Michelson, USA; Mikhala Lantz-Simmons, USA; and Ahmed Tarik, Iraq.

That’s not the only partnership the White House has lately touted. In early March, the president and first lady launched “,” an initiative that taps the Peace Corps to focus on girls’ education and empowerment. Heading that program is alumna , a veteran administrator of training and education programs in the Peace Corps. She assumed her duties May 18.

“This is an exciting opportunity for us,” Rigalo said. “While the Peace Corps has been involved in supporting and encouraging girls since we first sent volunteers overseas in 1961, we see this as an opportunity to be more intentional about our present-day efforts. We know that investing in girls, a moral imperative in and of itself, is a proven catalyst for development.”

Girls who complete secondary education marry later, delay childbirth, have better spacing between their children, are more likely to educate their children and often see up to a 20% increase in earnings over their lifetimes, continued Rigalo. “And yet, 62 million girls are currently not in school.”

She said that Peace Corps volunteers are uniquely placed to work with girls and communities to address barriers to girls’ education. In much of the world, the barriers are numerous and include lack of educational opportunities, lack of funds for school fees, lack of sanitary hygiene products during menstruation, lack of girls’ latrines and lack of local schools.

In the first year, the program will target the following countries: Albania, Benin, Burkina Faso, Georgia, Cambodia, Uganda, Ghana, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Thailand and Togo.

Rigalo has long been involved with the Peace Corps, first as a volunteer in the late 1980s and early 1990s, then later as country desk officer, program and training specialist and chief of programming and training for the Africa region.

Following service as a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) volunteer in the eastern Congo, Rigalo came to ĚÇĐÄVlog to pursue an . She graduated in 2000 and returned to Africa with MCC to work at the Africa Peacebuilding Institute in Zambia. She also worked for MCC in Angola.

In 2003, Rigalo entered the doctoral program in conflict analysis and resolution at George Mason University. She began working on the Peace Corps staff in 2005.

Under Rigalo, the Peace Corps will recruit and train additional volunteers to focus specifically on girls’ access to education while volunteers already in the field can apply for funds through a newly established girls’ education fund.

Let Girls Learn will empower “local leaders to put lasting solutions in place,” says the website. “Peace Corps volunteers who live and work at the grassroots level will serve as catalysts of community-led change.”

“Right now, more that 62 million girls around the world are out of school – a heartbreaking injustice that deprives these girls of the chance to develop their potential,” wrote First Lady Michelle Obama in a .  “Girls’ education is a global issue that requires a global solution … because every girl, no matter where she lives, deserves the opportunity to develop the promise inside her.”