WELWELCOME TO FRJA!
Beloved Community Attending FRJA's Second Conference
Creating Florida's 2020 Restorative Vision!!!
Creating Florida's 2020 Restorative Vision!!!
Greetings RJ practitioners, advocates, and colleagues across the state,
We know that the reality of Covid-19 is impacting work, families, and in person connections in daily, unexpected, and disruptive ways. We also know that the silver lining in this time is that we have "time to do... and not do" when our lives are impacted by quarantine. How do we extend RJ when social distancing is in effect for the immediate future? As a field we can consider options like using Zoom conference call meetings for providing pre-circle preparation and post-Agreement follow up and support (Zoom and other meeting platforms have a free version to download and use!). Whenever possible email your circle participants and check in--discuss how the corona virus may impact the ability to fulfill agreements, such as completing community service hours, attending counseling or meeting with intervention specialists, or making restitution payments if the ability to work has been impacted. Staying connected, and keeping circle members advised of how disruption is impacting an RJ agreement is not only necessary, it is appreciated.
If you do find yourself with pockets of extra time, consider writing about and journaling your experiences with RJ. People need to hear first hand stories about what is working and rewarding and what is challenging about this work of conflict resolution. Consider highlighting your community colleagues who provide referrals, and who have set up a process or procedure to invite the use of RJ, and give them numbers of how RJ is changing and improving lives. Or, create a list of who else needs to hear about the RJ work available in your community--who else still needs to hear about what RJ is? Are there schools, college and university classes, Re-Entry Coalitions, therapists and counselors, the local bar association, intervention specialists, the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary groups, Junior League chapters, probation officers, judges, or PTA groups that you can present to, through email? Your thoughtful outreach and offer to present on RJ can build RJ, even in times of turmoil. Consider the four guiding questions of RJ: 1) What have you experienced? 2) How have you been impacted? Who else has been impacted, and how? 3) What is needed to address the impact, and what can you do to make things better? and 4) What can we do to prevent this from happening again? RJ practitioners can provide additional tools to people by introducing RJ as a useful and effective perspective on how the conflict of Covid 19 impacts each of us and the people around us.
Be well, and know that we are members of a vast and resilient community,
Gretchen Casey and your FRJA Board of Directors,
We know that the reality of Covid-19 is impacting work, families, and in person connections in daily, unexpected, and disruptive ways. We also know that the silver lining in this time is that we have "time to do... and not do" when our lives are impacted by quarantine. How do we extend RJ when social distancing is in effect for the immediate future? As a field we can consider options like using Zoom conference call meetings for providing pre-circle preparation and post-Agreement follow up and support (Zoom and other meeting platforms have a free version to download and use!). Whenever possible email your circle participants and check in--discuss how the corona virus may impact the ability to fulfill agreements, such as completing community service hours, attending counseling or meeting with intervention specialists, or making restitution payments if the ability to work has been impacted. Staying connected, and keeping circle members advised of how disruption is impacting an RJ agreement is not only necessary, it is appreciated.
If you do find yourself with pockets of extra time, consider writing about and journaling your experiences with RJ. People need to hear first hand stories about what is working and rewarding and what is challenging about this work of conflict resolution. Consider highlighting your community colleagues who provide referrals, and who have set up a process or procedure to invite the use of RJ, and give them numbers of how RJ is changing and improving lives. Or, create a list of who else needs to hear about the RJ work available in your community--who else still needs to hear about what RJ is? Are there schools, college and university classes, Re-Entry Coalitions, therapists and counselors, the local bar association, intervention specialists, the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary groups, Junior League chapters, probation officers, judges, or PTA groups that you can present to, through email? Your thoughtful outreach and offer to present on RJ can build RJ, even in times of turmoil. Consider the four guiding questions of RJ: 1) What have you experienced? 2) How have you been impacted? Who else has been impacted, and how? 3) What is needed to address the impact, and what can you do to make things better? and 4) What can we do to prevent this from happening again? RJ practitioners can provide additional tools to people by introducing RJ as a useful and effective perspective on how the conflict of Covid 19 impacts each of us and the people around us.
Be well, and know that we are members of a vast and resilient community,
Gretchen Casey and your FRJA Board of Directors,
