Picture used with permission from Restorative Response Baltimore
Community Conferencing
Community Conferencing is a facilitated process that allows schools, neighborhoods, government agencies, faith communities, organizations and families to respond to destructive behavior in constructive way.
Community Conferencing provides all participants who are involved in and affected by a conflict or crime, a safe and structured space to resolve the matter safely and effectively.
How it works:
Participants discuss what happened
Everyone gets to talk about how they have been affected
Everyone decides how to resolve things
An agreement is created to repair any harm and prevent the incident from happening again
Held at a convenient time and location
Led by a trained, neutral facilitator
Confidential
Scheduled shortly after the incident
Uses:
Alternative to school suspension and arrest
Student-student / teacher-student incidents
Fights/Assaults
Gossiping/Bullying
Vandalism
Theft/Shoplifting
Neighborhood conflicts that spill into the school environment
Trespassing
Impact:
Everyone gets to speak
Youth are held accountable directly to those who have been harmed
Victims are directly involved in deciding the outcome
Reduces suspension and arrests
Prevents re-occurrences and entry into criminal justice system
Gossiping and bullying get addressed before escalating further
Relationships among students, families, and school staff improve
Everyone has an opportunity to learn and heal from the incident
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