The Middletown Youth Services Bureau, in partnership with Russell Library, will be hosting three virtual sessions on Reimagining Community & Relationships Through Restorative Justice.

All three are free and open to the public. (We are offering the same session three times, so please only sign up for one session!)

• Monday, May 10 from 1-3 PM. (sign up below ) 
• Thursday, May 13 from 1-3 PM. (sign up at this link: https://russelllibrary.libcal.com/event/7755373 ) 
• Thursday, May 13 from 7-8PM. (sign up at this link: https://russelllibrary.libcal.com/event/7755377 ) 

This training is geared towards people who may have heard of Restorative Justice (RJ) but are interested in learning more about the framework and its application. It will cover the foundations of RJ, an overview of the broader RJ work already happening in Middletown, provide some basic tools that can be used in both professional and personal life, and leave people with a shared vocabulary and practice. 

Restorative Justice can be used to both build relationships and community and to repair individual conflict and community harm when it occurs. It works by both creating intentional physical space (usually through a process called “circling”) and a lens/framework to ensure that everyone involved has equal power. Organizationally, this process can be used to engage with the public and build relationships with the community that allow for continual conversations about needs and across lines of difference. Individually, it can help you frame out conversations that might be challenging and help connect you to others in deeper and more meaningful ways. Incorporating circling into your work and life can help to ensure that the spaces you are creating are meaningful, safe, and welcoming. This is especially important in the context of navigating the transition back to in person settings after COVID-19 and moving towards becoming a community centered on equity and inclusion.

The workshops will take place over Zoom. The first hour will be a presentation about the Restorative Justice Framework and the second hour will be an optional chance for participants to experience and practice being in a restorative circle with one another (not available at the evening session). The training comes as a part of a broader initiative to expand Restorative Justice in Middletown through the work of the city’s Youth Services Bureau and we hope to see you there.